shear - colly

shear - colly

shear

On the face of it, Alan Shearer and Stan Collymore have nothing in common as footballers. One is seen as the consummate professional who always plays to his maximum, the other is cast as the ultimate maverick, destined to waste his enormous talent. However, the two may share a flaw which prevents them from achieving all that they might from their careers; namely, the desire to be a big fish in a small pool.

The thought of playing for Manchester United may be abhorrent to most football supporters. But any player worth his salt would surely jump at the chance of joining them. The majority of Villa supporters who berate Dwight Yorke for moving to Old Trafford would, faced with the same circumstances, do exactly as he did. Yorke's career has evolved in a way that, much as I hate to say it, would never have been possible had he stayed at Villa Park. By contrast Alan Shearer would have achieved much more if he had not twice resisted the allure of playing for Alex Ferguson.

Although he won the championship whilst at Blackburn, this was somewhat of a hollow triumph. Teams which win the title are usually an amalgam of home produced players and shrewd purchases. Blackburn broke the mould when they bought the biggest prize in football with Jack Walker's millions. Newcastle have been trying to emulate them. When Alan Shearer came onto the market in the summer of 1996 it was inevitable that they, along with Manchester United, would be bidding for him. Peter Withe faced a similar situation in 1980 when he had to choose between Everton, his boyhood heroes, and Villa. While Withe's pragmatism was rewarded with the championships of England and Europe, the only rewards that Shearer has the show for being king of his own backyard are losers medals from two feeble FA Cup final appearances. The fact that the England captain has extended his current contract until 2004 shows that there is more to a professional footballer's life than winning the top honours in the game and playing in a great team. There's a reputed wage of £40,000 per week, for a start.

colly

A footballer no longer has to play to his maximum to become financially secure. Stan Collymore probably reached this state on the back of performances for Southend and Forest. Although his form was outstanding during this time, two facts should be bourne in mind. Firstly, he only played one season in the Premiership during his time at these two clubs. Second, he was the main striker with both teams. At his other clubs Stan was never the main man. His league career may have got off to an inauspicious start at Crystal Palace because he played second fiddle to the pairing of Ian Wright and Mark Bright.

His time at Liverpool seemed inhibited by the emergence of Robbie Fowler, his days there were numbered by the coming of Michael Owen. Stan faced similar problems at Villa. He could never replace Dwight Yorke as the fans favourite and also had to contend with the enigmatic Savo. Their departures should have heralded a new dawn for Cannock's most famous son but the rebirth of Julian Joachim and arrival of Dion Dublin thwarted this.

It would be in keeping if there is a renaissance at Fulham. Mr Karren Brady is hardly going to present him with much competition. Like Alan Shearer, Collymore has to be a big fish in a small pond. Andy Wainwright.

Andy Wainwright