Shearer: poignancy almost unbearable.

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Poor Big Al - I feel gutted for him. Isn't it the most awful thing that the best centre forward England has had for 30 years should have won nowt more than a PL medal with Blackburn. I hope when we get our silverware, it is Big Al who lifts it, bless his little heart. Is anyone else really touched and upsett about the manner of Al's departure from the Englnad side?

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Answers

Hey Doug, all good things have to come to an end. Sad that he didn't win anything with England, but he still has time ahead of him at NUFC and less likely to be in the public spotlight as he has been as England scapegoat skipper. But we ain't seen the last of Big Al yet, so wipe those tears, eh?

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Felt sorry for him, but thoroughly enjoyed the "Something had to go and it wasn't going to be Newcastle!" jibe. Made up for that b*llocks at the losers' parade after getting beaten by Arsenal when he said he would try to bring us something back to smile about over the Summer: never felt more distant from one of our players. Maybe you could argue that it was a sign of his strength that he was already focussing on the next challenge, but I just felt like dieing that day and Ingerlund's chances in the World Cup didn't mean a thing. Nice to see him redress that balance: possibly the huge support he received at grounds up and down the country has shown him where his loyalty belongs.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

How much you have won is not necessarily a measure of greatness. Guivarc'h has a World Cup winners medal ...

In comparison to previous England players, Al has won not much less than anyone (and is equal with Matthews, Finney, Lawton, Mortenson, and many other greats in this regard). The last skipper to win anything for England is dead, God rest him.

Al still has at least 3 seasons left in him, during which time -

it might (in my view almost certainly will) be wor year...

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000


True, Jonno, but Al came to us in the belief we were were going to win things (he was "sold a dream by Keegan" (K. Keegan)) and has spent his time saving us from relegation. He could have joined Man United, he could have joined YBR's Barcelona, he could have joined Juventus. He'd ahve won things, lots of things with all three. The pull of home and playing for the club he supported as a bairn was no doubt massive, but there is such poignancy in the fact that Shearer has won nowt. There's even more poignancy in the fact that the Toon's won nowt since 1969 ((-:

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Howay Dougal, winning isn't everything!!!! (or anything with NUFC :-(( )

Shearer's done well or himself and winning nowt with England is irrelevent. Only 1 England squad has ever won anything!!!

Al could have joined Heath but he did the honourable thing an came home.

Pulling the NUFC black and white No. 9 shirt on is as high an honour as the game of football can bestow on any individual

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000



I can spare myself a moment of poignancy for Al winning nowt with the Toon, but no more than that.

I can tell you that I've been waiting a lot longer than he has and he has received a great deal more compensation for his trouble... (-;

Nivvor meynd - he'll win something for the Toon before his time is out. (Not a prediction - just my incurable optimism). And having already won the hearts and minds of the Geordie nation must be an achievement he values quite a bit I expect.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000


The best hero is one that is yours and yours alone. Andy Cole was ours as nobody else had any ownership over him, same with Ginola, Tino, Pav and also all the Geordie boys. Somehow as much as I loved them Ferdinand has a part which was QPR, Batty was Leeds/Blackburn, and I felt the same way about Shearer. As good as he was I could still see him in blue and white squares scoring goals, even against us.

This last year that feeling has gone, and his retiral from England has further cemeted the feeling. Now he is ours, and ours alone. He has tuned his back on an England captaincy, which he clearly adores, to concentrate on us, to concentrate on being remembered as the best there was at Newcastle. I think he has looked and seen the reverence that is bestowed on Peter Beardsley and he wants to be remembered similarly. He has been unbearably straight and honest with people, boringly so. I think he has borne the England captaincy, and all the hassle he has taken, with amazing restraint.

Now the England side of his life has gone, I feel he is mine, and mine alone. Blackburn have gone, England has gone and he is now ours and ours alone and I feel comfortable in adoring him whole heartedly.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000


Nice post Macbeth.
I kinda know what you mean - I always felt AS would bog off when/if it suited him. However, it became clear to me early last season that that was not in his mind, that he was here to stay - as long as he was wanted anyway.
Despite the personal wealth he has undoubtedly amassed from football, I do feel rather sorry for the man - as someone on here earlier said, he bought the KK dream-speke that in coming home he would win silverware galore AND wearing his beloved B&W. That dream turned to cr@p, as has his captaincy of England in the face of ritual abuse.
He could very easily have buggered off and left us in the Nationwide. However, I've come to believe he's an honourable man as well as loyal and honest. I now believe him when he talks about his love for the Toon: I believe him when he says that a good part of the rationale for walking away from England is his desire to put the record straight for the Toon, and help us win some silverware.
I've come to regard him as a full-blown Geordie hero, worthy of being spoken about in the same breath as Beardsley, and Wor Jackie. I sincerely hope that before he finally hangs his boots up he is rewarded for his loyalty with some extra silverware to go with his one PL Championship medal. No one deserves that more than Alan Shearer.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Well all I'm doing this morning is nodding my head in agreement with MacBeth which is nice. I must admit to bearing a big grudge against Shearer ever since he scored that goal against us for Blackburn at St. James. He'd been out for months with a knackered knee, came on as sub and scored within ten minutes. His celebration right in front of me in the Gallowgate End was a little too joyful for my liking. A Geordie shouldn't behave like that. I resented the money we spent on him, I was angry at him for doing in his other knee in a pointless friendly, I hated his sulking during the Gullit era and I didn't like him playing for Ingerland when he should have been preparing for a new season with the toon.

"Something had to go and it wasn't going to be Newcastle" was music to my ears and my heart finally thawed out for the man. I don't know if he'll ever lift a trophy for us but if he's dedicating the rest of his career to Newcastle then I'll dedicate myself to him.

HOWHERE BONNY LAD!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000


Dread, do you remember the following season, though - he did his very best not to score as Blackburn weren't in the title race and the Toon was?

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2000


Pity nobody told Graham poxy Fenton, eh?

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2000

True. GIT.

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2000

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