A huge thank you to Newcastle-Online for compiling these Alan Shearer quotes, from the man himself or from former managers, fellow pros and ex-players. Visit their website at www.newcastle-online.com
 

Quotes from Alan Shearer himself

"I went through a hell of a lot of people to speak to managers, coaches, scouts, friends, players who have packed it in, and what came back was unanimous. They all said to me they feel I was playing too well to retire so I thought I just can't retire because I've said it. I'm big enough to admit I did say it and it was a bit hasty. I did have the full intention to retire." - Alan Shearer announces that he will not be retiring as he had initially planned and that he had signed on for another year (April 2005)

"I made no secret of the fact I'd love to stay in football and to do that, you need badges. I'm starting them and that's the next step for me - to continue this next season." - Alan Shearer reveals he is taking his coaching badges (April 2005)

"This is a huge club and a huge job and I don't think I'm ready for it." - Alan Shearer claims the Newcastle job is not for him... yet (September 2004)

"I can't afford to feel sorry for myself after what I regarded as a pretty ordinary personal performance. I felt I worked hard enough without getting any scoring chances, but as a team we were unable to make headway against a well-organised Manchester United defence. It was the loneliest feeling in the world to walk out of that famous old stadium on the receiving end. This time it was doubly difficult to accept. Once is bad enough but to go back for a second successive year and return home to the North East empty-handed is totally and utterly distressing. It hurt me as much as any game I've been involved in, but I felt even more pain for our fans.

"They were magnificent, but that didn't surprise me. I knew they would out-sing and out-chant the Manchester United fans. We've come to expect that from them. I had vowed that any tears shed at Wembley this year would be out of enjoyment rather than despair, but it wasn't to be. We gave everything, though I suppose we'll be accused of letting the fans down again after a performance in which we never did ourselves justice. They deserve so much better than we offered them on Saturday. It remains my eternal wish to bring some success back to the town where I was born and the club I have supported since I was a boy. - Alan Shearer on the 1999 FA Cup Final defeat (May 1999)

"I've head all the rumours flying around. I'm supposed to be past my best, to have lost a yard in pace, and so forth and so on. Well, everyone said the same when I did my cruciate ligaments in my first season at Blackburn Rovers and was out for nine months. Eight years ago that was an extremely serious injury - but since then I've been top scorer in the European Championships, sold to Newcastle for a then world record £15 million, and been made captain of England which shows that injury really affected me. No, I haven't lost a yard since my latest injury. I feel as fit, strong and confident as I ever have. There's a lot of years left in me yet. My inner strength tells me when people have a go that one day I'll prove them wrong. I have real mental toughness." - Alan Shearer fires a blast at his critics (January 1999)

"I went to Newcastle to win things and although it hasn't gone as well as people had hoped, with the injury to me and the sale of Les Ferdinand, I still believe we can do it. How long it will take, I don't know." - Alan Shearer on winning trophies (1998)

"I couldn't understand why he (Gullit) said it and we had a chat on Friday. I just said, 'look this speculation has got to end.' It's got to stop somewhere. The chairman says I'm not going, the manager says I'm not for sale and I say I'm staying. I really don't know where the speculation comes from and, as far as I'm concerned and the club is concerned, we'd like to put an end to it all. For the third time this season, I've had to come out and say that I'm staying at Newcastle. It won't be happening again because I'm not going to do it again. I'm sick of doing it and I shouldn't have to do it. The fact is that I am staying." - Alan Shearer on press speculation linking him with moves to Italy, Spain, Liverpool, Celtic and Chelsea (November 1998)

"I wouldn't have got a reception like this anywhere else in the world." - Alan Shearer on the 20,000 Newcastle fans who turned up to his official unveiling as a United player

"It was the challenge of returning home and wearing the famous black and white shirt which made up my mind." - Alan Shearer on why he turned down Manchester United to join Newcastle
 

"I would play in any number shirt for Newcastle United, but the No 9 at Newcastle is something very special and I've always wanted to wear it. I mentioned it to the manager, he mentioned it to Les and Les has been very kind and given it to me." - Alan Shearer on becoming United's latest No.9 (August 1996)

"I've always said I wanted to play for Newcastle and I can't wait for the first game to come. I think this team is good enough not only to win the Premier League, but to conquer Europe as well. The price tag is nothing at all to do with me. I don't set the price. All I can do is go out and try to do my best and, if that means I score goals, which makes me worth £15 million, that's fine. If pressure is going out and enjoying yourself and being sung to by 30,000 or 40,000 fans, then give me more." - Alan Shearer on signing for Newcastle (August 1996)

"I came for a trial with a lot of other lads and there was a shortage or something, so everyone had to take a turn in goal. I was no different from anyone else, I had my 20 minutes just like everyone else, but I said to someone that I'd played in goal for Newcastle when I was on trial and I've never heard the last of it." - Alan Shearer explains how he once had trials with Newcastle as a youngster - in goal (August 1996)

"I don't know what I'd have become if I hadn't been a footballer; I wrote down 'dustbin man' on a careers questionnaire at school till my dad made me change it to 'joiner'." - Alan Shearer on school life

"I said that only a Geordie would understand how much I love Newcastle. The people up there are so passionate about their football and they want to win things badly. I'm no different to that and hopefully I can do that with Newcastle. If I wasn't playing for them I'd be supporting them. I'm the same as them, hungry for success." - Alan Shearer on the passion for Newcastle

"Coming from here is special to me. I can relate to the supporters because I was one of them and still am." - Alan Shearer

"You can improve on all parts of your game - no-one has got anything perfect about them. But I will get better because I work hard." - Alan Shearer on working hard

"I have always said that the best feeling in the world is scoring a goal. Don't tell my missus that, but it is. When that ball hits the back of the net, it is fantastic." - Alan Shearer on scoring goals

"I'm lucky and I appreciate that. I love every minute of every day." - Alan Shearer on his life

"First is first. That's the way I was brought up. Second or third are nowhere." - Alan Shearer on losing

"I've got two girls. I like to play golf. Apart from that there's not a lot goes on in my life. So I am boring, aren't I?" - Alan Shearer on his life

"There is another side to me which people don't often see, but it's very hard for me to show that. When I do interviews, I'm talking to people I don't know and when you speak to a stranger you don't open up, do you? In my position, people are always looking for something to say about me. And anything I do say, given half-a-chance they'll turn it round into something spectacular so I've got to be very careful. That's why it's only my friends and family who know the real me. Now my wife, Lainya, she could tell you a few stories." - Alan Shearer on why he gives little away in interviews

"People can say what they like about Alan Shearer. That's their right." - Alan Shearer on criticism

"At international level, it is a more patient game. You have to be ready for the chance when it comes. I love chances. I live for them." - Alan Shearer on international football

"I like the tag of being the world's most expensive player. It's an honour and a privilege." - Alan Shearer on being the world's most expensive player

"They know they don't have to do it. But they love it. Dad likes the company of his mates and still goes down the pub at weekends." - Alan Shearer on his parents decision not to give up their jobs despite their son's fame and riches.

"The Mary Poppins thing doesn't bother me. People are entitled to their opinion about me whether it's on the pitch or off the pitch. Just saying it doesn't make them right. If everyone had the same opinions then life would be pretty boring!" - Alan Shearer on the infamous 'Mary Poppins' Jibe.
 

"I only did it on a few mornings because I knew by then I was going to be offered the chance by Southampton to become an apprentice footballer." - Alan Shearer admits he once played truant at School

"It's all we've known and it's all we do know. Here in Newcastle they work all week, pick their wages up on a Thursday or a Friday and they want to spend it. They like to live life to the full and they'll blow the lot following United before starting all over again on the Monday. You very rarely hear anyone say a bad word about us when they come up here. It's a great place to play football because they're so fanatical. I'm on the same level as them and I think they appreciate that." - Alan Shearer when asked why Geordies love their football so much

"I was brought down by Neil Lennon and we both fell clumsily. As I tried to get to my feet I had to really tug my left foot free and the momentum of doing this looked on television liked a kick. It certainly wasn't and the fact that Neil is virtually unmarked confirms this. If I did accidentally catch him, I certainly did not mean to. I would never try and deliberately hurt a fellow professional." - Alan Shearer on his incident with Neil Lennon

"It bothers me what the supporters think of me, certainly of the team that I am playing for. You are always going to get stick from opposing fans. That is a fact of life, it has been going on for donkeys' years and that will continue, whether it is me or whoever comes along in ten years. But it bothers me more what my manager thinks of me and what my own supporters think of me because if they like me, then I must be doing the job I am being paid to do." - Alan Shearer on criticism from the stands

"Not really, no, never have done." - Alan Shearer when asked whether he ever loses control

"If people are going to write bad things about me because it makes news, I can brush it aside because I've had this for 10 years. I'm big enough and strong enough to cope with it. It's what comes with being Alan Shearer." - Alan Shearer on criticism from the press

"Any change of my style, the way I've played for 10 years, will not be a drastic one. Yes, I've always given as good as I've got; as a forward you have to do that because, if you don't look after yourself, you might find yourself being thrown in a hole and buried." - Alan Shearer on calls for him to change his style in the face of overzealous refereeing

"I drove past the old house and the old piece of grass where I used to play. Why? Just to officially say, 'Look, I am back in Newcastle, and this is where it all started'. There is a special feeling of being a Geordie. If you go away you always want to come back." - Alan Shearer on returning home

"People are very proud of Newcastle, very proud to come from here. This is a working class City and they just want to enjoy themselves and live life to the full. They work all week, pick their wages up at the end of the week and they spend it over a weekend by having a good time and watching the football. That's our life." - Alan Shearer on his City and being a Geordie

"It can make their week or it can break their week, really. It can be the difference between enjoying the week or not. I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but that's always been the case here." - Alan Shearer on the importance of Newcastle United to it's City and people

"It was depressing. You used to get on the Metro and sit with your head in your hands and didn't know what to do. Fortunately enough, a man called Kevin Keegan came along and cheered things up really, both as a player and as a manager." - Alan Shearer reveals how upset he used to get as a bairn when Newcastle lost or weren't doing too well

"I've never possessed the same skill as a Matthew Le Tissier or a David Ginola or a George Best. I've never had that skill and I certainly won't ever have it now." - Alan Shearer on technical ability

"You just can't buy that. There's only 100 people ever done that." - Alan Shearer on Captaining England (he became the 100th Captain of his country)

"Compared with people like doctors and nurses and others who are not properly rewarded for the vital work they do, we are massively overpaid." - Alan Shearer on footballers wages

"I have never wanted to go abroad before but you can never say never in football." - Alan Shearer on playing abroad

"I like fun. On the training ground I'll hammer the lads, I love stitching them up. I love the banter. They have a go back too - I remember coming out of training one day and being unable to find my car. It was hidden under a mound of grass - and I'd only cleaned it the day before as well. Mind you, someone paid for that. I got my own back. - Alan Shearer reveals he likes a laugh with his team-mates

"I have to remember that I'm Alan Shearer but it won't stop me enjoying myself. I've got to have a private life and have some fun. I was concerned when I signed for Newcastle that I wouldn't be allowed to have a life with my family. I'd moved away to Southampton when I was 15 and came back 10 years later not knowing if I'd have to become a recluse. But the fans have been great." - Alan Shearer on being able to walk the streets of Newcastle

"I was brought up to believe you must work hard - it's all I know. My dad still grafts from 7am until 5pm every day. Many's the time I've asked him to quit and take life easy but he'll have none of it. It's his way of life, the way it is with so many Geordies. I believe that if you give sweat and blood and do your best no one can have a go. You can sleep easy in your bed. What they like up here are footballers who fight and scrap every one of the 90 minutes because that's what they do every week. When I was in the crowd we marvelled at Kevin Keegan, who worked hard as well as being an outstanding player, but also at the likes of Kenny Wharton because of his work rate. The supporters will forgive a lot as long as you have a go - but if you're a fancy dan who can play but won't graft for the team they don't like it. Warren Barton is a prime example. He's now getting his rewards after a lean time because he's a 100 per center." - Alan Shearer on working hard out on the pitch at all times

"If you want to have a great party at Wembley, don't invite the Germans." - Alan Shearer on losing the Euro 96 Semi-Final to Germany

"I've never wanted to leave, I'm here for the rest of my life and hopefully after that as well." - Alan Shearer on his love affair with Newcastle United

"I was going to wear the famous black and white shirt, what's more, it would have the No.9 on the back. That was a very important detail for me. As a Newcastle fanatic, I knew what it meant to wear it. I wanted to follow in the proud tradition. It meant a lot to me to be able to join the long line of Newcastle centre-forwards who had worn the number before me. What appeals to me more than anything is wearing the No.9 shirt for my home-town club. It was always my dream." - Alan Shearer on the No.9 shirt

"I always dreamed about scoring at St. James' Park. I fancied my chances and the ball flew into the net. I was ecstatic." - Alan Shearer on scoring on his home debut for Newcastle (August 1996)

"As a kid I always wanted to be a centre-forward. I wanted the buzz and thrill of scoring goals from an early age." - Alan Shearer on scoring goals

"I want to savour every second, because I know how special it is going to be." - Alan Shearer on his home debut

"It's an unbelievable feeling for a Geordie, scoring in front of thousands of your own people." - Alan Shearer on scoring goals for Newcastle

"I'd like to play for Newcastle United before I retire. The club is in my blood." - Alan Shearer while at Blackburn Rovers (1993)

"It's good if we can get very, very high-quality foreigners in. If we are flooded with them it can be of detriment to the English game." - Alan Shearer on the influx of foreigners in the English game

"I want to be around when Newcastle win a trophy because I want to see this place lift off. It will be one hell of a party for a long time." - Alan Shearer on winning a trophy for Newcastle

"Newcastle fans never cease to amaze me. If there was a trophy for best supporters this lot would win it hands down every year." - Alan Shearer on Newcastle fans

"If I could buy any player in the world right now and money was no object then I'd go for David Beckham." - Alan Shearer on who he would buy if he was Newcastle manager

"I've turned down Barcelona, Inter Milan, Juventus and Manchester United to play here. I hope everyone already knows how much it means to me to play for Newcastle United." - Alan Shearer reveals the club's he turned down to play for Newcastle

"The FA Cup means a lot. There is a real passion here for the competition which you don't get elsewhere. It's a love affair. It's part and parcel of living up here. People might think I'm daft, but I'm not wrong; I'd rather win the Cup than the League." - Alan Shearer on the FA Cup

"I'd never been dropped in my career before that match so to find myself on that match so to find myself on the bench for such an important game was a big shock." - Alan Shearer on being dropped for THAT game against Sunderland

"There was a big possibility that I would have had to leave Newcastle had Ruud Gullit stayed as manager." - Alan Shearer on the Ruud Gullit incident

"I still believe this club can win things" - Alan Shearer's annual speech

"You have to go out onto the pitch feeling good about yourself. That can give you that extra 30 per cent." - Alan Shearer on just how important it is to feel good in football

"When I go home every night, I can look in the mirror and say I have given 110 per cent for Newcastle United. If people aren't happy with that, I can't give any more." - Alan Shearer on what's important

"I give as good as I get. If a centre-half is going to kick you he may as well know you'll have a go back. It's the same in the air - I'll have a go against the biggest defenders." - Alan Shearer on his battles with centre-halfs

"I score goals because I have a belief that I'll get onto the end of things and because I'm not afraid to miss. Coaches try to coach these things into you but it's an instinct. There are going to be times when I miss sitters but they only make me more determined to go back in there. A striker mustn't be worried about 30,000 or 40,000 people having a pop at him. - Alan Shearer reveals the secret behind scoring goals - instinct and determination

"I'm not the most gifted of players. My game is not about tricks. I won't run 40 yards with the ball and glide past three defenders. I need players to create chances for me - then I'll put them away, which I guess is an art in itself. I need someone willing to get hurt for me. Without help I can't score as regularly as I'd like. - Alan Shearer on the need for good quality service

"I spend time with my family. I have got two daughters who are too young to know their Dad's a footballer. They just want to play with their Dad. I like to play golf, too, but apart from that, that's me, I'm afraid." - Alan Shearer on life outside of football for him

"Yes, I do like to be in control. I do like everything to be laid out, to know what I'm doing. I'm very impatient. I like things done yesterday, which is probably a fault of mine. I like things to be neat and tidy and organised. I say what I want and show what I want and I keep things private." - Alan Shearer reveals he's a bit of a control freak

"It does not bother me that some say I'm dull and boring because the people that do know me will tell you a different story. It is very difficult to be open with people you don't know. There is nothing I can do about the fact that the real me does not get across and it is probably difficult to know the real me." - Alan Shearer shrugs off the perception that he's boring

"My motto in life is 'if you give 100 per cent then no one can ask any more'." - Alan Shearer reveals his motto on life

"If people don't like my style, then I can't do anything about that. I have been like that since I first entered into the game and it hasn't done me bad in the past, so I am not going to change now." - Alan Shearer on his abrasive style of play

Quotes from others on Alan Shearer

"He has had an operation to repair torn ligaments and without putting an exact figure on it, he will be out for a wee while. It will be months rather than weeks, but exactly how long we don't know yet." - Former Toon manager Kenny Dalglish on Alan Shearer's ankle injury (July 1997)

"The lad has got absolutely everything. England have had many great strikers over the years who have excelled in certain parts of the game but there is no chink at all in Shearer's armour, even to the point of magnificent mental strength. He works so hard. He's not afraid to put himself around physically and won't be intimidated by aggressive tactics. He is a clever player, who is capable of understanding tactical instructions and then carrying them out, even if it means defensive duties. He is not just after the glory of scoring goals. You see him running to the wings, demanding the ball, searching for space, especially down the right, where he crosses the ball in as good as any winger in the game. Not only will Alan score from close in. He can score from outside the box, he takes free-kicks and he scores with his head, his right foot and his left foot. There are no real weaknesses.

Many people forget he has suffered setbacks and responded. Look at the build-up to the European Championship, when his place in the team was being questioned because he hadn't scored for some time. His answer was to finish as top scorer. That's mental strength. That's character. Don't forget he's returned from a serious knee ligament injury and then had two hernia operations in the last seven months. He is a formidable force. Every manager in the world would want him - with a possible exception of the Brazilian coach, because he has quite a few good players himself. We are the envy of every other country." - Former England manager Glenn Hoddle on Alan Shearer

"Alan can become the greatest English striker of them all." - Geordie and former World Cup winner Sir Bobby Charlton on Alan Shearer

"I would compare him to Careca who is the only striker who would keep me awake the night before a game." - Former AC Milan defender Alessandro Costacurta on Alan Shearer

"I have been keeping an eye on Alan Shearer for a long time and I like his style very much. He can shoot from any position and his goalscoring record is excellent." - Italian football legend Paolo Maldini on Alan Shearer

"I wouldn't swap Alan for ANYONE - and that includes Ronaldo and Weah." - Former team-mate David Batty on hearing how Alan Shearer finished behind those two strikers in the world player of the year awards

"He's the kind of striker you want - someone who gets three chances and scores three goals. There's not a lot in the world can do the same." - Former team-mate Phillipe Albert on Alan Shearer

A jack-of-all-trades who, in defiance of the proverb, has mastered them all." - Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith on Alan Shearer

"What a player. What a man. What a signing!" - Kevin Keegan sums up Alan Shearer

"This is the big one we wanted. Even with the great players we've got, we know that this guy is going to improve them. This is a signing for the people of Newcastle. It's lovely to see a Geordie like Alan coming home." - Kevin Keegan on Alan Shearer's signing (August 1996)

"This is a great day for the club. This club is going places and Alan, together with all the other players, is an investment for the future. It is very difficult to improve on the squad we have, but I'm sure everyone today will agree that we found the right player." - Sir John Hall on Alan Shearer's signing (August 1996)

"Shearer is a very physical player and a very clever player. He uses his body well and protects the ball very well." - Former Tottenham manager Christian Gross is worried about Shearer's physical presence ahead of a NUFC Vs Spurs match

"Alan Shearer personified the English mentality like no other during the Euro 96. His fighting spirit and his will to win made him the star of a strong English team. All through the tournament, the whole nation pinned its hopes on his shoulders. It was time for Europe's most prestigious trophy to come home. His biggest strengths were his inimitable heading and his marvellous right foot. In scoring 5 goals – two of which came in the 4-1 win against the Netherlands – and one in the semifinal against Germany – he won the tournament's Golden Boot." - A UEFA Committee on Alan Shearer's performances during Euro 96

"History has a tendency to rosy up the memory of players and matches from the past. While Jackie Milburn is a legend, Alan Shearer has earned the right to be ranked up there with the very best. Fifty years from now when memories are fading, all that will be left are the record books. Shearer has equalled and bettered so many records in the hardest aspect of the game – scoring goals. He's done it in his homeland and been so consistent, he scores season after season. Without doubt, there hasn't been a better No9. - Former Newcastle No.9 Malcolm Macdonald on Alan Shearer

"The best bit of business ever done!" - Newcastle Chairman Freddy Shepherd on paying all that money for Alan Shearer (August 1996)

"The biggest deal in football history was wrapped up in an hour and a half." - Kevin Keegan reveals that Alan Shearer was so eager to join Newcastle, that the deal was over and done with in no time (August 1996)

"Alan jumped in his car, headed for the ground and drove round and round St. James' Park." - Local journalist Alan Oliver reveals how Alan Shearer, on a return to Newcastle to visit his parents while a Blackburn player, took in a bit of sightseeing of his own

"I shudder to think where Newcastle would be without Alan Shearer." - Sir Bobby Robson on Alan Shearer

"If you get the ball across goal he is going to be there to put it into the back of the net." - Sir Bobby Robson on Alan Shearer

"You can rely on him to put the ball in the back of the net and if you had to put your house on any one player taking an opportunity in a game, he is the man." - Robert Lee on Alan Shearer

"Alan is not particularly quick but he usually reaches balls clipped over the top. He is not particularly tall but he scores frequently with his head. For someone who isn't particularly skilful, Alan can drop his shoulder and drill a 30-yard right-footer past a keeper." - John Barnes on Alan Shearer

"Alan has lots of qualities, on and off the pitch, and one of them is certainly his determination. That's possibly his biggest asset." - Kenny Dalglish on Alan Shearer

"He is almost the perfect centre-forward for the English game. he closes people down, he can hold the ball up, run with it, he's good in the air and he's dangerous inside and outside of the box." - Chris Waddle on Alan Shearer

"Alan has everything; attitude, presence, confidence, influence, character and ability." - David Batty on Alan Shearer

"I think he's up there with any centre-forward have ever had. He's an absolute legend." - Graeme Souness on Alan Shearer

"Alan Shearer is a great striker. I'm a big fan of his." - Ronaldo on Alan Shearer

"Same old Shearer, always scoring." - Newcastle fans on Alan Shearer

"He's been phenomenal. He's our main man, our Captain and our talisman." - Shay Given on Alan Shearer

"At his peak I felt Shearer was as good as there has ever been." - Former Newcastle player Len Shackleton on Alan Shearer

"His leadership, his professionalism and his attitude are all magnificent." - Newcastle Chairman Freddy Shepherd

"In the last 10 years, Alan Shearer has been unquestionably the best - head and shoulders above everybody else." - Jimmy Greaves on Alan Shearer

"Everybody knows his talent, he is the kind of player I would want in my team." - Brazilian and world football legend Pele on Alan Shearer

"He is very special." - Marco Van Basten on Alan Shearer, commentating on Holland during Euro 96

"No-one can teach him anything, he already has it all." - Gianluca Vialli on Alan Shearer

"He leads the attack with courage and quality. He's a superb team player and an inspirational captain. As a player he is up there with the very best, with the Lofthouses, Lawtons, Linekers and any other great striker you care to mention." - Sir Bobby Robson on Alan Shearer

"He's a natural leader who conducts himself in a totally professional manner on and off the pitch. Alan has the respect of players at club and international levels and he's a fine role model for youngsters." - Kevin Keegan on Alan Shearer

"He's terrific, always ready with advice and a word of encouragement. He's done so much for me - he'll put himself out for all the young lads," said Steven.
"Alan commands so much respect from every player. He's a real leader, a man who when he has his say in the dressing-room everyone listens. Definitely management material if he wants to be. He's made a load of big decisions throughout his career and all have proved to be right.
"I was nine-year-old when I first got near him. Now I'm a team-mate - amazing isn't it?
"I call him The Terminator because he's so hard. Like granite. Nothing seems to hurt him. He's built like the side of a house and he dishes plenty out. But that's great, the way I want it. Shola is also physical and Michael Owen is so quick. There's plenty to face day in and day out to help me polish my game." - Steven Taylor on Alan Shearer (September 2005)