10 Hardest Men That Ever Played For Newcastle United
4. Alan Shearer
Shearer was the archetypal, battering ram centre forward of yesteryear that would delight in bullying defenders into absolute submission. There wasn't a centre half in the Premier League that didn't fear Newcastle's record goalscorer or the physical punishment that he would dish out across a brutal 90 minutes when he'd cunningly leap elbow first into an aerial confrontation with an opponent and gain any advantage he could in the ultimate pursuit of a goal for his beloved Magpies.
"Alan would kick his way through the countrys most feared defenders, hed hang on them and trample his way past to get the goals," said former Toon star John Beresford when he spoke to the Chronicle in 2011. Shearer was one the few of his era to relish a confrontation with Roy Keane and their legendary spats always added a layer of spice to Newcastle's meetings with Manchester United.