Quoted from the Express by the Official site "What the papers say" section. "But let us keep the best story till last. One which relates that Alan Shearer does indeed have a very dry wit. The Express speak of how he may warrant his reputation for having a somewhat dour image because of the cagey way in which he handles interviews. But he changed all that on Sunday with a humourous little tirade against the press at a football writers' gala in his honour, saying: "I was the villain of the Neil Lennon affair, I cost Ruud Gullit his Newcastle job, I picked Kevin Keegan's England team for him, I single-handedly lost Euro 2000 - and now I get a tribute dinner."

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2001

Answers

He was on Look North last night and they were interviewing him after the dinner. He said he has watched all the games and been there kicking every ball and can't wait to be back. The interviewer asked if he reckoned he would have any problem getting his place back. His reaction was a very frosty, stony-faced "No". There was one of those very pregnant pauses while the interviewer desperately tried to work out how to put things right again when Shearer cracked into a huge grin and a twinkle. Hook, line and sinker.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2001

Love it! Seems like he's become far more relaxed about showing his lighter side in public since retiring from international duty.

-- Anonymous, January 24, 2001