Alan ShearerAngels of the Tyne
The River Tyne and the magnificent Tyne Bridge are the city of Newcastle's most popular icons and a symbol of Tyneside and the North East of England's rich industrial heritage. Support for the city's team Newcastle United, is ubiquitous. Football is religion to the Geordie faithful. The team and fans are referred to as Magpies interchangeably. The stadium, St James' Park, rises like a cathedral out of the centre of the city, and it is here where the trio of Geordie goalscoring legends Gallacher, Milburn, and Shearer are worshipped as the club's magnificent number 9’s. Hughie Gallacher, although not a Geordie by birth, was a prolific goalscorer for Newcastle, netting 143 in 174 games in the 20's and 30's. In the 50's local lad, 'Wor' Jackie Milburn had a fantastic goal ratio netting 177 in 353 appearances. In recent years, Alan Shearer, a world record signing when he came home to Newcastle from Blackburn Rovers, went on to become the greatest Newcastle No 9 of them all. He is the record holder with 206 goals in 395 games over a 10 year period from 1996 to 2006. A 30ft Shearer shirt was draped over the Angel of the North, another iconic landmark which marks the gateway to Tyneside, lives in the memory of most Newcastle fans. The 65ft sculpture was dressed with the shirt back in 1998 to mark the Magpies’ FA Cup Wembley Final appearance.
'It is a big responsibility because it is a huge shirt, there have been some big, big names that have worn the shirt and some great players.'
Alan Shearer