Alan Shearer: The Story So Far Book

I will never be satisfied with past achievements. After all, as many Manchester Utd and some Blackburn fans will confirm, I'm a greedy so-and-so and my appetite for success is nowhere near satisfied. It's a precarious life, harvesting the enormous rewards of having a talent for scoring goals, especially when that talent can desert you without warning. England's most prolific goal scorer and the man shepherding the dreams of the Toon Army, Alan Shearer is a man with a lot of expectation riding on his every kick of the ball.The reality of this responsibility has often made Shearer seem taciturn to the point of surliness in interview, but his own version of events reveals a quietly serious man who regards the game as his workplace, not a lifestyle accessory.A sheet-metalworker's son, Shearer began his career at Southampton before moving to Blackburn and scoring the goals that won Jack Walker's club the Premiership title in 1995. His move to success-hungry Newcastle after Euro '96 made him the most expensive footballer in history and while he kept on scoring, a succession of serious injuries prompted debate as to whether his powers would ever fully recover.His performance at France '98 went some way towards answering his critics and while he has his say here on Dalglish, Gullitt, Hoddle, Taylor and all the controversies that follow in the wake of a career in the public gaze, he knows that it's his football that will have the final word.Shearer recognises what his great hero and now international manager, Kevin Keegan, realised during his career: To be a "manufactured" player at the highest level--to overcome your apparent lack of natural ability through effort--is simply success by another route. The game is littered with players who are more gifted than Alan Shearer, but few can match his achievements. This is an inspirational account of a career that is far from over. --Alex HankinRead More