Brian Dear
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Brian Charles Dear | ||
| Date of birth | 18 September 1943 | ||
| Place of birth | Plaistow, Essex, England | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| West Ham United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1962–1969 | West Ham United | 65 | (33) |
| 1967 | → Brighton & Hove Albion (loan) | 7 | (5) |
| 1969 | Fulham | 13 | (7) |
| 1969–1970 | Millwall | 6 | (0) |
| 1970 | West Ham United | 4 | (0) |
| Woodford Town | |||
| Total | 88 | (45) | |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Brian Charles Dear (born 18 September 1943) is an English former professional footballer who played as a striker in the Football League for West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, Fulham and Millwall.[1]
Career
Dear, nicknamed Stag, started his career with West Ham United, joining the club at the age of 15,[2] and represented England Schools.[1] He made his Hammers debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 29 August 1962,[3] and went on to make 69 league appearances for the club, scoring 33 goals. He was a member of the 1964–65 European Cup Winners' Cup-winning side.[2]
He holds the record for the quickest ever five goals in an English game, 20 minutes either side of half time, in a home tie against West Brom on 16 April 1965.[2]
Out on loan to Brighton & Hove Albion, Dear managed to score five goals in seven games. He moved to Fulham for £20,000 in 1969 but, after a short spell at Millwall, moved back to West Ham in October 1970.[2]
His second spell at Upton Park was short-lived and Dear featured in only four games during the 1970–71 season. Dear played his last game for the club on 19 December 1970, wearing the number 9 shirt against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.[2] The following month, he and three West Ham teammates – Bobby Moore, Jimmy Greaves and Clyde Best, along with the club's trainer – were all fined a week's wages and banned for two games by West Ham manager Ron Greenwood after going out drinking in a nightclub until the early hours of the morning prior to an FA Cup third-round tie against Blackpool. "The game was played on an awful pitch and we lost 4–0. Blackpool had a lad called Tony Green, who probably had the game of his life."[4] The directors wanted to sack all five individuals.[4] "I never played very much after that, and at the end of the season I was given a free transfer. I went into non-League with Woodford Town. Jimmy only had another year's contract and he too ended in non-League. Bobby played on, but they never made it easy for him and he moved to Fulham."[4]
Peter Shilton named Dear as his toughest opponent.[5]
After football
After retiring as a footballer and working as a publican for some years, he joined Southend United as catering manager.[2]
Dear was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2001 in recognition of his charity work.[6]
Dear provides a weekly column on West Ham United for the Yellow Advertiser online newspaper.
Honours
West Ham
References
- ^ a b "Brian Dear". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Hogg, Tony (2005). Who's Who of West Ham United. Profile Sports Media. p. 61. ISBN 1-903135-50-8.
- ^ "Brian Dear". westhamstats.info. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Gillatt, Peter (30 November 2009). Blackpool FC on This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-905411-50-4.
- ^ Shilton, Peter. "Lessons from a life in sport: Peter Shilton". The Times. London.
- ^ Marsh, Steve. "Brian DEAR ... (1962–1969)". theyflysohigh.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
- ^ "TSV Munchen 0-2 West Ham, European Cup Winners Cup final 1964-65". West Ham Stats. Retrieved 26 June 2021.