Stan Collymore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stan Collymore

Collymore in 2018
Personal information
Full name	Stanley Victor Collymore
Date of birth	(1971-01-22) 22 January 1971 (age 54)
Place of birth	Tittensor, Staffordshire, England
Playing position	Striker
Youth career
1987–1988	Walsall
1988–1989	Wolverhampton Wanderers
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1989–1990	Stafford Rangers	35	(11)
1990–1992	Crystal Palace	20	(1)
1992–1993	Southend United	30	(15)
1993–1995	Nottingham Forest	65	(41)
1995–1997	Liverpool	64	(28)
1997–2000	Aston Villa	46	(7)
1999	→ Fulham (loan)	6	(0)
2000	Leicester City	11	(5)
2000–2001	Bradford City	7	(2)
2001	Real Oviedo	3	(0)
Total		287	(110)
National team
1995–1997	England	3	(0)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Stanley Victor Collymore (born 22 January 1971) is an English football expert and former player. He played as a striker from 1990 to 2001. He is well-known for playing for Nottingham Forest and later Liverpool. In 1995, he joined Liverpool for a record transfer fee of £8.5 million. Today, he works as a senior football strategist at Southend United.

After leaving Wolves' youth team, Collymore joined Stafford Rangers. His talent there caught the eye of Crystal Palace, who signed him in January 1991. He then moved to Southend United, where his goals helped the team avoid being relegated. This led to him joining Nottingham Forest in 1993 for £2.25 million.

Collymore had two great seasons at Forest, helping them get promoted to the Premier League. He scored 22 goals as Forest finished third in the 1994–95 season. In 1995, Liverpool signed him. He played well with Robbie Fowler at first. Later, he was sold to Aston Villa in 1997. After playing for Leicester City and Bradford City, he finished his career at Real Oviedo in Spain in 2001. In 2021, he started working with his former club, Southend United, again.

Stan Collymore's Football Journey

Early Years and First Clubs

Stan Collymore was born in Tittensor, Staffordshire. His father was from Barbados and his mother was English. He loved football from a young age and supported Aston Villa. He started playing as a centre forward for local youth teams.

He began his professional journey as a young player with Walsall. Later, he moved to Wolverhampton Wanderers. After leaving Wolves, he signed with Stafford Rangers, a team in the Conference league.

Playing for Crystal Palace

While playing for Stafford Rangers, a scout from Crystal Palace noticed Collymore. He signed with the club on 4 January 1991 when he was 19. He played his first game for Palace on 23 April, coming on as a substitute against Liverpool.

Collymore stayed with Palace for almost two years. However, it was hard for him to get a regular spot in the team. This was because of the strong partnership of Mark Bright and Ian Wright. He left the club in November 1992.

Helping Southend United Stay Up

On 20 November 1992, Collymore joined Southend United for £150,000. Southend was struggling in the First Division and trying to avoid relegation. Collymore scored 15 goals in 30 league games that season.

His goals helped Southend climb out of the bottom three. They finished 15th, even though many thought they would be relegated. Collymore later said that helping Southend stay in the First Division was one of his best achievements.

Success at Nottingham Forest

Promotion to the Premier League

Collymore's great performances at Southend caught the attention of many teams. These included his childhood club Aston Villa and recently relegated Nottingham Forest. Frank Clark signed him for Forest on 5 July 1993 for £2.25 million.

Collymore continued to score many goals for Forest. He scored 19 goals in 28 games. Forest became a top team in the league, aiming for automatic promotion back to the Premier League. This happened on 30 April 1994. Collymore scored a last-minute goal, helping Forest beat Peterborough United 3–2. This secured their second-place finish and promotion.

Shining in the Premier League

He played his first Premier League game for Forest on 22 August 1994. He scored a goal in a 1–1 draw against Manchester United. Collymore scored 22 goals as Forest stayed a strong team in the 1994–95 season.

They had a 13-game unbeaten run and finished third. This earned them a spot in the UEFA Cup for the next season. His impressive goal-scoring made teams like Manchester United interested in him. However, he stayed at Forest for the rest of the season. By the end of the season, Liverpool, Everton, and Newcastle were all trying to sign him.

Joining Liverpool FC

The Exciting 1995-96 Season

Roy Evans signed Collymore for Liverpool on 3 July 1995 for £8.5 million. This was a new English transfer record. Collymore first played alongside Ian Rush, but soon formed a successful partnership with Robbie Fowler.

Collymore and Fowler scored 55 goals together in the 1995/96 season. This made Liverpool strong contenders for the Premier League title. On 3 April 1996, Liverpool played league leaders Newcastle in a thrilling 4-3 win. Collymore scored the winning goal in the final minutes. This game was later voted the best match of the decade by the Premier League.

Collymore also played in the 1996 FA Cup Final against Manchester United. He was substituted in the 74th minute. Manchester United won the game, meaning Liverpool did not win a major trophy that year. This was the closest Collymore came to winning a major trophy in his career.

The 1996-97 Season and New Challenges

There were high hopes for Liverpool and the Collymore/Fowler partnership in the next season. Roy Evans' young team led the league for much of the first half. However, they had some difficult games in early 1997 and finished 4th.

Collymore continued to score goals and create chances. However, the media started to focus on him and his teammates. The squad was even nicknamed the "Spice Boys" by newspapers. Collymore eventually played less as Michael Owen started to play more. Rumors began that Collymore would leave Liverpool.

Time at Aston Villa

First Season at Villa

On 16 May 1997, Collymore joined his childhood club Aston Villa for a club record £7 million. He played his first game for Villa on 9 August 1997. He scored his first goal for the club on 27 August.

His first season at Villa was challenging. He scored 6 goals and found it hard to get into the starting team. This was because of the strong play of Dwight Yorke.

Challenges and Changes

In the 1998–99 season, Collymore scored only once in 19 games. In a game against Liverpool on 20 November 1998, he was shown two yellow cards and sent off. He later spoke about his personal struggles and took time to focus on his well-being.

He returned to the Villa team later in the season. However, after a game against Chelsea on 21 March 1999, manager John Gregory did not play him for the rest of the season. This was his last game for Aston Villa.

Loan Spell at Fulham

After a planned move to a Greek team did not happen, Collymore was loaned to Fulham for three months. This was at the start of the 1999–2000 season. He did not make a big impact and was not signed permanently. However, he did score the winning goal in a League Cup game against West Bromwich Albion on 12 October 1999.

Moving to Leicester City

A Strong Start at Leicester

Collymore and Aston Villa agreed for him to leave the club. He spent the end of 1999 training and looking for a new team. He eventually joined Leicester City for free on 11 February 2000.

In his second game for Leicester, he scored three goals in a 5–2 win against Sunderland. He scored 4 goals in 6 games for Leicester that season. Leicester reached the League Cup Final and won, but Collymore could not play because he had already played for Fulham in the competition. He suffered a broken leg in a game on 2 April and missed the rest of the season.

Changes and Leaving Leicester

After recovering, Collymore stayed with Leicester. However, the manager Martin O'Neill left, and the new manager Peter Taylor often played new signing Ade Akinbiyi instead. Collymore scored one more goal for Leicester in a 2–0 win against Chelsea on 17 September 2000.

After some disagreements, Collymore asked to leave Leicester. The manager put him on the transfer list, mentioning his fitness and attitude. Collymore and Leicester agreed to part ways, and he left for free in October 2000.

Short Time at Bradford City

Bradford City immediately signed Collymore on 26 October 2000. He made his Bradford debut on 29 October in a game against Leeds United. He scored a memorable overhead kick in a 1–1 draw.

He played only 8 games and stayed for 10 weeks with Bradford. Due to his high salary, he was put on the transfer list. He decided to sign with Real Oviedo in Spain.

Final Club: Real Oviedo

Collymore signed an 18-month contract with Real Oviedo in Spain on 31 January 2001. He played his first game for Oviedo on 4 February 2001. He played only three games for Oviedo.

On 7 March 2001, at the age of 30, he announced his retirement from professional football. He had been with Oviedo for just five weeks. He said he wanted to explore other career opportunities. He was offered chances to return to football but did not take them.

Playing for England

After a great season in the Premier League, Collymore was called up to the England squad in June 1995. He played his first game for England at Wembley Stadium against Japan. He played alongside Alan Shearer in a 2–1 win. He played his second game as a late substitute against Brazil.

Collymore played his third and final game for England as a substitute. This was in a 4–0 win over Moldova during qualification for the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Life After Playing Football

Collymore helped write his biography called Stan: Tackling my demons. In 2005, he acted in the film Basic Instinct 2 with Sharon Stone.

In 2008, Collymore won money back from his financial advisers. A judge ruled that he had been given bad advice about his investments.

Collymore worked as a football expert and presenter for TalkSport radio for eight years. He also worked as a commentator for BT Sport. He writes a column for caughtoffside.com.

Returning to Southend United

In April 2021, Collymore offered to buy Southend United from its chairman. He also had discussions about a close associate becoming the club's CEO. In May, Tom Lawrence was appointed CEO.

In October, Collymore joined a group to choose a new club manager. He offered more free help to the club. On 4 November 2021, Collymore was announced as the club's senior football strategist.

Personal Life and Awareness

Collymore has spoken openly about his personal challenges. He has used his Twitter account to raise awareness about these issues.

He supports Republic, a group that wants an elected UK head of state. He used to support the Labour Party. He later supported the Scottish National Party in December 2015.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Individual

• PFA Team of the Year: 1993–94 First Division
• Premier League Player of the Month: January 1996

See also

In Spanish: Stan Collymore para niños