One of Alan Shearer’s former England team-mates spoke about his relationship with the Newcastle United legend
A former England star discussed his relationship with Alan Shearer(Image: Paul Mcfegan/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Stan Collymore confessed to never getting along with Alan Shearer during their time together on international duty. The former Nottingham Forest and Liverpool striker earned his first Three Lions cap in 1995, when Newcastle United legend Shearer was a crucial player for England.
Collymore had earned his place in the squad following a prolific first season in the Premier League, scoring 22 goals for newly-promoted Nottingham Forest. England boss Terry Venables rewarded him with a starting spot alongside Shearer in a 2-1 victory over Japan in the Umbro International Trophy.
It was a career highlight for Collymore, who would join Liverpool for an English record £8.5million fee in July of that year. However, he struggled to connect with Shearer, despite both players enjoying plenty of successes at club level.
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“I remember being around England camps and my England debut – I made my England debut with Alan Shearer. And we didn’t really get on either,” Collymore told the Liverpool ECHO last year via William Hill Vegas.
“Didn’t really speak, didn’t really say much to each other. So, yeah. I think that there always is a little bit of push and pull – famously Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham didn’t get on.”
Reflecting on his dynamic with Shearer, he added: “I think that when you score goals, and goalscorers have to have some sort of ego, I think that you’re always thinking, ‘I want to be better than them, and I’m going to do everything I can do to be better than them’.
“So I think that that always provides a healthy tension, as long as there’s goals going in on the pitch, it really doesn’t matter if you get on with somebody on or off the pitch.”
Stan Collymore earned three caps for England(Image: Paul Mcfegan/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Collymore admitted to having a similar lack of chemistry with strike partner Robbie Fowler during his two years at Anfield, although the duo still had a productive partnership, with the 55-year-old scoring 35 goals in 81 games for Liverpool.
He earned his second England cap during the Umbro International Trophy, coming on as a late substitute in a 3-1 loss to Brazil. Collymore then had to wait until September 1997 for his third and final international appearance against Moldova in a World Cup qualifier, assisting a late Ian Wright goal in a 4-0 win.
Shearer was not involved in Collymore’s final game for England but had been named Three Lions captain in 1996. He retired from international duty after Euro 2000, having scored 30 goals in 63 caps for his country.
Collymore began his career in non-league with Stafford Rangers and earned moves to Crystal Palace and Southend United in the early 1990s. Following his spells with Forest and Liverpool, he joined Aston Villa and had other top-flight stints at Leicester City and Bradford City before hanging up his boots with Spanish outfit Real Oviedo in 2001.
Meanwhile, Shearer won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995 and later made a world-record move to Newcastle. During his decade at St James’ Park, the club legend played 405 games and scored 206 goals.
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