Shearer Wonderland

Book excerpt: Duncan Shearer's incredible rise from non-league football to the international stage was a football fairytale. Beneath this seeming fairytale, however, lies a heart-rending story of personal tragedy and a heartwarming tale of triumph in the face of adversity. Discover how the demon drink cost him his big break as a teenager; find out why he spurned advances from Sir Alex Ferguson in his 1980s Aberdeen glory days; and, read his own account of his unwitting involvement with the English hooliganism scene as a young Chelsea player. There's also the inside story of Duncan Shearer's time both at Huddersfield Town and at Swindon Town and how his goalscoring exploits and incredible scoring record made him a legend with fans at both clubs. As well as giving the inside track on his footballing youth, Shearer recalls his transition to coaching. He tells of his partnership with Steve Paterson which lead to their turbulent period in charge at Pittodrie. Candidly, Shearer looks back at his battle to save his manager's career amidst Paterson's well publicised personal problems.