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Famous Like Me > Footballer > C > Stan Collymore

Profile of Stan Collymore on Famous Like Me

 
Name: Stan Collymore  
   
Also Know As:
   
Date of Birth: 22nd January 1971
   
Place of Birth: Stone, Staffordshire
   
Profession: Footballer
 
 
From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia

Stanley Victor Collymore (born Staffordshire, England, January 22, 1971) was a skilful and controversial footballer of the 1990s who has become as well known for his off-field activities.

A talented and bulky centre forward, Collymore started his career in the non-league game with Stafford Rangers before being given his chance as a full-time professional with Crystal Palace at the age of 19.

Unable to get regular football, Collymore dropped down the divisions to Southend United and there scored a huge amount of goals to the extent that he was given a second chance in top-flight football by Nottingham Forest. Despite rumours of a spat with team-mates, Collymore's goalscoring record with Forest was so phenomenal that Liverpool came in for him with a club record bid of 8.5 million pounds.

Collymore scored a spectacular goal on his Liverpool debut and began a fruitful, enigmatic and controversial two year spell with the club. Highs included scoring frequently in a superb partnership with Robbie Fowler and winning two caps for England; lows saw Collymore fined after refusing to play for the reserves, refusing to move closer to Merseyside from his home town of Cannock, publicly criticising manager Roy Evans and his tactics, and playing badly in the 1996 FA Cup final against Manchester United during which Collymore was substituted and Liverpool lost 1-0.

Though undoubtedly a great footballer on his day, Collymore proved more trouble than he was worth at Liverpool and he was sold to his boyhood club Aston Villa in 1997 after the emergence of Michael Owen through Liverpool's ranks. Collymore's time at Villa was eventful only off the pitch, with his long-term treatment for depression earning him lack of understanding and lots of ridicule from manager John Gregory, successor to Brian Little who had brought Collymore to the club.

Collymore failed to cement himself as a star at the club and things got worse socially as he also became a national hate figure when he admitted to punching girlfriend and popular television presenter Ulrika Jonsson during an argument in Paris in 1998 when the couple were out watching the World Cup. Jonsson herself was photographed with bruises from the attack on show.

Thereafter, Collymore tried to revive his flagging career again with Leicester City but immediately got embroiled in an incident involving a fire extinguisher during some hi-jinks on a club break abroad. He was then taken on by Bradford City but after scoring on his debut against local rivals Leeds United F.C. was transfered to Real Oviedo in Spain when the financially-pressured club needed to slash their wage bill. Collymore told ESPN that one of the reasons he left for Real Oviedo was so that he could rekindle his career on the advice of his former teammate who had set the precedent for success overseas, Steve McManaman.

Unfortunately for Collymore, a lack of form compounded with difficulties adapting saw Collymore leave Real Oviedo to retire from football at the young footballing age of 30 shortly after signing for them- incurring the wrath of the club who then began legal action against him.

Collymore admitted to his career downslide and later described the goal against Leeds United a year earlier as probably his "last hurrah in football". After he finished playing, Collymore took up a role as a summariser for BBC Radio 5 Live and showed promise at the job, proving his long-time assertion that he was far more intelligent and articulate than the majority of footballers, but was then relieved of his duties after publicly admitting that he took part in open-air sexual activity known as dogging.

His autobiography, Tackling My Demons, was released in 2004.

In 2005 he was attempting to continue his colourful life by making a move to Hollywood to try and emulate Vinnie Jones's move into films.

This content from Wikipedia is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Stan Collymore