How highly do you rate... Robert Pires?

[Cronky]

If anything, I'd have said Shearer was better at heading in open play rather than set pieces. In open play, his ability to read the game and time his runs to exactly where the ball was going to end up was quite uncanny.

 

Sir Les might have had a better leap on him, but no-one was better than Shearer at arriving at the right place at the right time, and getting the better of defenders, one way or another.

[Oakie Doke]

Quick fact: His first name can be used as a French equivalent of the word 'the', when preceding a plural noun.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Quick fact: His first name can be used as a French equivalent of the word 'the', when preceding a plural noun.

 

That's innacurate. 'Les' is an abbreviation of the word 'Lesley'

[Belfast Mags]

Quick fact: His first name can be used as a French equivalent of the word 'the', when preceding a plural noun.

 

That's innacurate. 'Les' is an abbreviation of the word 'Lesley' Leslie

 

FYP

[Minhosa]

I remember watching Sir Les from the old Milburn stand back in the days when he played for QPR. In the season before he signed for us, he absolutely battered our centre backs into submission.

 

Three performances, from back in the day, stand out for me from opposition players at St James'.....................Ferdinand for QPR who was unplayable and actually had a surprising turn of pace back then, Tony Adams marshalling an Arsenal back four like a roman general. Unreal. Finally Sol Campbell for Spurs before he made the move across North London was a total brick wall of a centre back.

 

 

[Guest Howaythetoon]

I'm not having Shearer was somehow inferior in the air to Sir Les, in open play or not. Sir Les was better, but Shearer wasn't far off. As for Sir Les as a player... he had it all! When he ran at defenders, he didn't use step-overs or trickery, just sheer pace and power. He played the game with a smile too and was never nasty or a bully. For someone who wasn't huge by any means, he was a tank of a forward. A joy to watch, a more aesthetic forward than Shearer.

[Tooj]

KK got a lot of stick at the time for buying Shearer when everybody said we needed defenders but IMO if we'd have had Shearer the year before instead of Sir Les (despite how great he was) we'd have won the league as Shearer was a lot tougher mentally than him and he would have buried some of the chances that he missed.

[Belfast Mags]

I remember watching Sir Les from the old Milburn stand back in the days when he played for QPR. In the season before he signed for us, he absolutely battered our centre backs into submission.

 

Three performances, from back in the day, stand out for me from opposition players at St James'.....................Ferdinand for QPR who was unplayable and actually had a surprising turn of pace back then, Tony Adams marshalling an Arsenal back four like a roman general. Unreal. Finally Sol Campbell for Spurs before he made the move across North London was a total brick wall of a centre back.

 

Remember commenting on him when he started to break into the QPR team (very early 90s) a real powerhouse of a forward, quick, strong, could shoot, head, had all the tools at his disposal.

 

Yet again, some really great memories of NUFC through Sir Les

[cp40]

I remember watching Sir Les from the old Milburn stand back in the days when he played for QPR. In the season before he signed for us, he absolutely battered our centre backs into submission.

 

Three performances, from back in the day, stand out for me from opposition players at St James'.....................Ferdinand for QPR who was unplayable and actually had a surprising turn of pace back then, Tony Adams marshalling an Arsenal back four like a roman general. Unreal. Finally Sol Campbell for Spurs before he made the move across North London was a total brick wall of a centre back.

 

 

 

 

yep had a season ticket in the milburn paddock- he was literally head shoulders and torso above our defenders that day- so much so the stopped challenging him, and picked up the second ball.

 

.

[Minhosa]

I remember watching Sir Les from the old Milburn stand back in the days when he played for QPR. In the season before he signed for us, he absolutely battered our centre backs into submission.

 

Three performances, from back in the day, stand out for me from opposition players at St James'.....................Ferdinand for QPR who was unplayable and actually had a surprising turn of pace back then, Tony Adams marshalling an Arsenal back four like a roman general. Unreal. Finally Sol Campbell for Spurs before he made the move across North London was a total brick wall of a centre back.

 

 

 

 

yep had a season ticket in the milburn paddock- he was literally head shoulders and torso above our defenders that day- so much so the stopped challenging him, and picked up the second ball.

 

.

 

That was right - My memory is shit but did he get a hatrick that day? I'm sure he scored a really early goal but I may be wrong.

[cp40]

I remember watching Sir Les from the old Milburn stand back in the days when he played for QPR. In the season before he signed for us, he absolutely battered our centre backs into submission.

 

Three performances, from back in the day, stand out for me from opposition players at St James'.....................Ferdinand for QPR who was unplayable and actually had a surprising turn of pace back then, Tony Adams marshalling an Arsenal back four like a roman general. Unreal. Finally Sol Campbell for Spurs before he made the move across North London was a total brick wall of a centre back.

 

 

 

 

yep had a season ticket in the milburn paddock- he was literally head shoulders and torso above our defenders that day- so much so the stopped challenging him, and picked up the second ball.

 

.

 

That was right - My memory is shit but did he get a hatrick that day? I'm sure he scored a really early goal but I may be wrong.

 

 

I thought we lost 2-1?

[Minhosa]

I remember watching Sir Les from the old Milburn stand back in the days when he played for QPR. In the season before he signed for us, he absolutely battered our centre backs into submission.

 

Three performances, from back in the day, stand out for me from opposition players at St James'.....................Ferdinand for QPR who was unplayable and actually had a surprising turn of pace back then, Tony Adams marshalling an Arsenal back four like a roman general. Unreal. Finally Sol Campbell for Spurs before he made the move across North London was a total brick wall of a centre back.

 

 

 

 

yep had a season ticket in the milburn paddock- he was literally head shoulders and torso above our defenders that day- so much so the stopped challenging him, and picked up the second ball.

 

.

 

That was right - My memory is shit but did he get a hatrick that day? I'm sure he scored a really early goal but I may be wrong.

 

 

I thought we lost 2-1?

 

Honestly can't remember, but thought Ferdinand got off to a flyer and ended up with a hatrick. Perhaps not, like I say my memory is really bad.

 

I do remember that Milburn Paddock though. Brilliant craic. Do you remember those opposition wingers waiting for the ball back and getting endless abuse?

 

I was a kid at the time and always sat perched on a concrete upstand thing. The banter between the players and fans back then was completely different to anything of today.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

Force of nature, nice bloke as well! Must have been a nightmare to defend against.

 

The goals I love the most are the ones where he arrives late on the defenders and smashes a couple out of the way while planting a bullet header in the net.

[cp40]

I remember watching Sir Les from the old Milburn stand back in the days when he played for QPR. In the season before he signed for us, he absolutely battered our centre backs into submission.

 

Three performances, from back in the day, stand out for me from opposition players at St James'.....................Ferdinand for QPR who was unplayable and actually had a surprising turn of pace back then, Tony Adams marshalling an Arsenal back four like a roman general. Unreal. Finally Sol Campbell for Spurs before he made the move across North London was a total brick wall of a centre back.

 

 

 

 

yep had a season ticket in the milburn paddock- he was literally head shoulders and torso above our defenders that day- so much so the stopped challenging him, and picked up the second ball.

 

.

 

That was right - My memory is shit but did he get a hatrick that day? I'm sure he scored a really early goal but I may be wrong.

 

 

I thought we lost 2-1?

 

Honestly can't remember, but thought Ferdinand got off to a flyer and ended up with a hatrick. Perhaps not, like I say my memory is really bad.

 

I do remember that Milburn Paddock though. Brilliant craic. Do you remember those opposition wingers waiting for the ball back and getting endless abuse?

 

I was a kid at the time and always sat perched on a concrete upstand thing. The banter between the players and fans back then was completely different to anything of today.

 

 

aye, hit a leicester player taking a throw in,full on the back of the head with a snowball once.

[HawK]

Pure confidence player and on his day unplayable.

[Disco]

It was 1-2, we missed a last minute pen IIRC.

[littlelunchbox]

top top player, but err didn't Shearer nick his shirt number when he signed for us.

 

Shearer was like,  " err yeh Les i know you been banging them in but that number 9 shirt is mine"

 

Very harsh.

[AyeDubbleYoo]

He talked to Les and he "agreed" to give up the shirt!

[Guest firetotheworks]

Loads of players have said that the only harsh thing about it was that he wasn't asked. He's said a few times that he would have given it up if it was a clincher.

[littlelunchbox]

He talked to Les and he "agreed" to give up the shirt!

 

Didn't need to, i heard it was part of his contract agreement to have that number.

 

Didn't he also had a clause in his contract that will make him always amongst the highest paid player at the club,  so like when a new player comes in on 105K a week.  Shearer gets a pay rise.

 

I loved the player but he sure did have some outrageous demands.

 

 

[Guest firetotheworks]

He talked to Les and he "agreed" to give up the shirt!

 

Didn't need to, i heard it was part of his contract agreement to have that number.

 

Didn't he also had a clause in his contract that will make him always amongst the highest paid player at the club,  so like when when a new players comes in on 105K a week.  Shearer gets a pay rise.

 

I loved the man but he sure did have some outrageous demands.

 

It's not really outrageous though. It's exactly the same as Real Madrid giving in to whatever Bale wanted. If a club wants a player enough then the player and the selling club is obviously in the position of power. When you're a player that is being bought as the most expensive player in the world at the time, then even more so. If I was wanted by Man United, Newcastle and Barcelona, I reckon I'd be asking for things like purple M&Ms and a Scrooge McDuck money room.

[Guest firetotheworks]

Suggestions for next players

 

Enricho Chiasa

Jurgen Klinnsmann

Ruel Fox

 

[Disco]

 

Enricho Chiasa

 

 

Not sure if poor PES joke.

[Guest firetotheworks]

*Chiesa

[matta]

One of my biggest heroes in football.  (Sir Les)