The forward has been subject of rampant speculation throughout his time at Morton, both relating to on-field and off-the-pitch matters. At the start of his 'Ton career, his scoring ratio was around a goal a game; his predatory instinct and pace meant that surely another club was bound to look for his services soon. Sadly, however, it all began to go wrong, with Alex losing form rapidly and never truly recovering. Some say the decline started after the 2-1 win over Ross County in the Scottish Cup in 2003; others say it began in earnest in the second half of last season, when Morton underwent an amazing collapse to surrender a 14 point lead at the top of Division 2.
Whatever the starting point for this loss of form was, the result was undeniable - Alex Williams has failed to score in open play in a league game since he netted against Alloa Athletic in March 2003. Since then, he has scored a penalty against Stranraer, a header against East Stirling in the Cup, and squandered a penalty against Ayr United in the league. This, for many Morton fans, was the final straw: the once-heroic Williams was abandoned by many of his most loyal supporters. Even those who backed the player all the way started to think that a loan deal, to get the boy's confidence back and to get him away from the pressure of the Cappielow crowd, might be best both for club and player.
Hence, Queen of the South's offer has been welcomed by fans at the Cappielow club. Either way, it is seen as a great move; Alex can try his hand at first-team football at a higher level, and perhaps go some way to restoring his confidence. If he begins to score again, perhaps the permanent move will involve a fee, or maybe even Morton will decide to retain his services. Whatever the end result, Alex is sure to be remembered by Morton supporters as providing measures of ecstacy and disappointment in varying measure.
As for extra-curricular matters, Williams has more than once been in hot water regarding club discipline. Gambling debts (NOT related to the alleged betting scam at Morton) were a source of rampant speculation; more concrete evidence of misbehaviour was found when Alex broke club curfew to visit various Glasgow nightspots. An apparently repentant Alex has stayed in Jim McInally's good books following an episode earlier in the season in which he neglected to attend a reserve team session; with such a blotted copybook, and such a prolific goalscoring ratio early in his career, it's clear that Alex is not your average lower-league player, but one who will either be a genius on the pitch or a rogue off it.
According to the Queens' website, Williams is set to go straight into the Queen of the South squad against Raith Rovers.
Among Alex's non-footballing talents is the ability to perform a good impression of Uncle Albert from "Only Fools and Horses", who was played by veteran actor Buster Merryfield (pictured below, on his way to accept his Nobel Prize for Chemistry after discovering a new way of preserving jellied eels).
