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Shearer should have his own statue


Craig
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By Stuart Rayner, The Journal

 

Just for playing long enough to score 201 goals, Alan Shearer deserves a statue of his own, argues Stuart Rayner.

 

For a player of Alan Shearer's quality, to have scored 201 club goals is an impressive achievement. But for one of his talent to have done so for Newcastle United is, in this day and age, staggering.

 

If Jackie Milburn is worthy of a statue for his outstanding goal-scoring record, then Shearer is probably due one for loyalty alone.

 

Thierry Henry is only a goal behind Shearer in the club stakes, but the Frenchman has benefited from the kind of regular supply his United counterpart can only dream of.

 

In an era when players can set themselves up for life simply by agreeing a signing-on fee, it is rare to see a footballer qualify for a testimonial. Those that do tend to be either journeymen or at the very top clubs.

 

Alan Shearer could not be accused of being either.

 

Shearer has captained his country and was once the most expensive player in British football. But as his tenth and final season in the black-and-white of Newcastle United nears an end, he is still awaiting his first medal for the club.

 

Loyalty in football has become as rare as Shearer found scoring opportunities in the latter months of Graeme Souness' reign.

 

Even Henry seems to be wavering over whether to stay with Arsenal - the club that allowed him to fulfil his raw potential and has furnished him with a regular supply of trophies ever since.

 

Shearer twice turned down Manchester United on his way back to the club which rejected him as a boy and could doubtless have taken his pick of teams had he so wished at any time in the last ten years.

 

There were two important differences between Milburn's and Shearer's spells as Tyneside's No 9.

 

Players did not have the freedom they now enjoy to walk away from their employers at the first sight of dissatisfaction.

 

Even without the restriction of a transfer window, any player threatening to leave a club because they were "only" offering double his wages as Joey Barton did the other week would be told, in no uncertain terms, not to be such a silly boy.

 

And Milburn, of course, played in a successful team. His Newcastle team lifted the FA Cup in 1951, 1952 and 1955. Shearer was expecting a similar return when he became Kevin Keegan's £15m signing in 1996.

 

Most of the star names who made up that team jumped ship sooner rather than later when they realised it would not be forthcoming.

 

A proud patriot, Shearer even sacrificed his international career to prolong his time at St James's Park. The then-captain retired from international football after Euro 2000 having not yet turned 30.

 

Perhaps he did it because he was too proud to wear the Three Lions when he felt he was past his international sell-by date but whatever the reason, Newcastle fans should be grateful.

 

Six years on, Shearer is undoubtedly long past his best.

 

Two career-threatening injuries have robbed him of his pace and with Michael Owen injured he is able to do little more than flick the ball on for colleagues who are incapable of finding the net with the regularity he once did.

 

Shearer goals have become embarrassingly infrequent, the majority coming either from the penalty spot or against sub-standard opponents such as Grimsby Town, Mansfield and the mighty ZTS Dubnica.

 

Some of Shearer's long-time supporters will no doubt be saddened to see him eking out the final years of his career a shadow of the rampaging centre-forward who was once one of the world's finest.

 

Shearer, though, has earned the right - and enough money - to play football for as long as there are managers willing to pick him. With Albert Luque, Shola Ameobi and Michael Chopra the only available alternatives, who could seriously argue he is not the best alternative the Magpies have right now?

 

News that Shearer is to be rewarded with a testimonial against Celtic this year has met with understandable distaste from some of those supporters who have spent the last ten years subsidising his lavish lifestyle.

 

In a time of millionaire footballers many argue that the testimonial, so fitting in Milburn's day, has become an absurdity.

 

But at least it gives the fans a way of saying thank you to their hero. If they don't want to, they are more than welcome to stay at home.

 

As for the club, chairman Freddie Shepherd was pondering earlier this season how best it can reward its talisman. Forget putting up another statue, the only reward Shearer will want is an FA Cup winner's medal. That has to be Newcastle's number one priority this season.

 

Source: http://icnewcastle.icnetwork.co.uk/newcast...-name_page.html

 

Am I the only one who thinks this sort of thing should happen after a player has passed on?

 

Sure, we can now compare him with Milburn, but are the Journal forgetting that Milburn lived for over 30 years after his final game for Newcastle without having a statue and I'm sure it was a few years after his death before it appeared in Northumberland Street.

 

Shearer IS a legend - totally agree. But having already named part of the ground after him, I think we need to hold off until we can say he WAS a legend before setting about with any further tributes....

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It's not unprecedented though. There's a statue of Robson at Ipswich. You might be right, but it could be another 50 or 60 years, even more, until he dies! Many of us will be dead by then and Shearer will be a distant memory!

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If, as everyone suspects, Shearer will play some sort of coaching role at the club (maybe not next season, cos he says he wants some time off), the last thing the new manager is going to want is a statue of one of his coaches outside the ground! I wouldn't be against having a statue in future but it's far too early for that sort of thing yet.

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hmmm, statue shouldnt be erected unitl he's been and gone as manager. I agree with Gemmill, it wouldnt be the right thing to do while he's still the future manager waiting in the wings even if he isnt coaching. Knowing this club though it'll be up next week

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Shearer's been a brilliant servant for the club, and I'm really pleased he broke the record, but the hero-worship-he-can-do-no-wrong stuff can be a bit excessive. I bet there's been no articles written about erecting a statue to Thierry Henry at Arsenal.

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What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

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What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

90202[/snapback]

 

 

Not funny either tbh

 

 

;)

90213[/snapback]

 

I don't think he was trying to tbh...

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I bet there's been no articles written about erecting a statue to Thierry Henry at Arsenal.

90064[/snapback]

 

That's what my initial thought was. But then again, Shearer turned down Man U to come to here, Henry is going to sod off to Barca and is waiting out his Arsenal contract to get the best sign-on deal from them when he goes at cut price. Doesn't quite command the same respect as a person.

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What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

90202[/snapback]

 

 

Not funny either tbh

 

 

:D

90213[/snapback]

 

I don't think he was trying to tbh...

90221[/snapback]

 

I know ;)

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What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

90202[/snapback]

 

 

Not funny either tbh

 

 

:D

90213[/snapback]

 

I don't think he was trying to tbh...

90221[/snapback]

 

I know ;)

90225[/snapback]

 

Were you just spamming then? <_<

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What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

90202[/snapback]

 

 

Not funny either tbh

 

 

:D

90213[/snapback]

 

I don't think he was trying to tbh...

90221[/snapback]

 

I know ;)

90225[/snapback]

 

Were you just spamming then? <_<

90227[/snapback]

 

Trying to catch you up.

 

By the way, still not funny. try again.

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What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

90202[/snapback]

 

 

Not funny either tbh

 

 

:D

90213[/snapback]

 

I don't think he was trying to tbh...

90221[/snapback]

 

I know ;)

90225[/snapback]

 

Were you just spamming then? <_<

90227[/snapback]

 

Trying to catch you up.

 

By the way, still not funny. try again.

90230[/snapback]

Neither was that, etc.

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What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

90202[/snapback]

 

 

Not funny either tbh

 

 

:D

90213[/snapback]

 

I don't think he was trying to tbh...

90221[/snapback]

 

I know ;)

90225[/snapback]

 

Were you just spamming then? <_<

90227[/snapback]

 

Trying to catch you up.

 

By the way, still not funny. try again.

90230[/snapback]

Neither was that, etc.

90232[/snapback]

 

Is that a joke?

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Share on other sites

What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

90202[/snapback]

 

 

Not funny either tbh

 

 

:D

90213[/snapback]

 

I don't think he was trying to tbh...

90221[/snapback]

 

I know ;)

90225[/snapback]

 

Were you just spamming then? <_<

90227[/snapback]

 

Trying to catch you up.

 

By the way, still not funny. try again.

90230[/snapback]

Neither was that, etc.

90232[/snapback]

 

Is that a joke?

90234[/snapback]

If I say yes, you'll just say it wasn't funny.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I find amusing is that people with demonstrably no sense of humour think they are qualified as comedy critics;there must be better career options.

90202[/snapback]

 

 

Not funny either tbh

 

 

:D

90213[/snapback]

 

I don't think he was trying to tbh...

90221[/snapback]

 

I know ;)

90225[/snapback]

 

Were you just spamming then? <_<

90227[/snapback]

 

Trying to catch you up.

 

By the way, still not funny. try again.

90230[/snapback]

Neither was that, etc.

90232[/snapback]

 

Is that a joke?

90234[/snapback]

If I say yes, you'll just say it wasn't funny.

90236[/snapback]

 

:blush:

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