Brian Dear
Personal information
Full name Brian Charles Dear
Date of birth (1943-09-18) 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

  1. 1 2 "Brian Dear". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hogg, Tony (2005). Who's Who of West Ham United. Profile Sports Media. p. 61. ISBN 1-903135-50-8.
  3. ↑ "Brian Dear". westhamstats.info. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 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.
  5. ↑ Shilton, Peter. "Lessons from a life in sport: Peter Shilton". The Times. London.
  6. ↑ Marsh, Steve. "Brian DEAR ... (1962–1969)". theyflysohigh.co.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "TSV Munchen 0-2 West Ham, European Cup Winners Cup final 1964-65". West Ham Stats. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
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