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Alan Shearer didn't get along with Stan Collymore(Image: Mark Leech/Offside, Getty Images)

Stan Collymore has revealed he struggled to hit it off with Alan Shearer on international duty.

The former Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, and Aston Villa forward never played alongside Shearer at club level, as the latter became a legend at both Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United.

But while they never teamed up in domestic football, Collymore and Shearer did share time on the pitch for England, where their rapport was seemingly less than harmonious.



In an exclusive chat with the ECHO via William Hill Vegas, Collymore reflected on his various strike partnerships and the dynamics he experienced with different players.

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He confessed to a lack of chemistry with Robbie Fowler during his stint at Anfield, despite their impressive output while playing together in attack, and he acknowledged similar difficulties in connecting with Shearer for England.

Recalling his time with the English national team, Collymore said: "I remember being around England camps, and my England debut – I made my England debut with Alan Shearer.

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 why the two never seemed to gel, he added: "I think that when you score goals, and goal-scorers 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'."

However, Collymore also put a lack of a bond down to a healthy rivalry between two players, explaining: "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."

Collymore's international debut for England was marked by a 2-1 victory over Japan in the Umbro International Trophy in July 1995, where he played alongside football greats such as Shearer, Peter Beardsley, Darren Anderton, and Gary Neville.

He earned his second England cap just eight days later in the same tournament, coming on as a late substitute in a 3-1 defeat to Brazil.

His third and final appearance for England was during a World Cup qualifier against Moldova in September 1997, where he came on for Les Ferdinand.

Stan Collymore didn't get along with Alan Shearer(Image: Bob Thomas Sports Photography via Getty Images)

Despite not scoring in his three appearances for England, unlike Alan Shearer who netted 30 times in 63 games, Collymore had a notable club career.

He then transferred to Aston Villa, his childhood team, followed by a loan to Fulham, and stints at Leicester City, Bradford, and Real Oviedo, before hanging up his boots in March 2001.

Post-football, Collymore has carved out a career as a pundit with talkSPORT, a commentator for BT Sport, and as a columnist for football website Caughtoffisde.

Meanwhile, after retiring in 2006 with an impressive Premier League goalscoring record of 260 goals, Shearer briefly ventured into management with Newcastle.
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