Alan Shearer, Blackburn to Newcastle for £15m, July 1996
All my family are Blackburn; my dad went to school there, my grandparents bought a house from Jack Walker overlooking Ewood Park. Born to northern parents in the south I was the only kid in school who supported Rovers, but it was ace – we were promoted to the Premier League when I was four and crowned champions when I was seven. A year later everything changed: Kenny Dalglish was no longer our manager and Alan Shearer was on the verge of joining Newcastle. Aged eight, I scrawled a tear-stained letter pleading for my hero not to leave and handed it to Martin Tyler – I was best mates with his son at school. He promised to hand it to Alan but I’m 99% sure he never did. Can you imagine: Martin in the tunnel before a game, walking up to Shearer and saying, “Oh Alan, before you go, you know your move from this sinking ship of a club to your hometown side for a world-record fee? Well, thing is, my son’s friend has written you this note asking if you’d reconsider.” Shearer didn’t stay. You broke my heart, Alan. MB
