The Beatles and Newcastle United

.
Younger daughter, like her siblings, has a very catholic taste in music, ranging from hip-hop to jazz through rock to Sinatra so it should have come as no surprise when she recently began raving about some old Beatles tunes from their "No.1s" CD. She however was very surprised indeed to learn that a family friend she had visited in Sweden several years ago was a close relative of one Albert Stubbins.
.
Those of you who are familiar with the cover of Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band may know that Albert Stubbins appears on the cover wearing a red shirt and standing next to Marlene Dietrich's shoulder
.

.

The red shirt is that of Liverpool FC a club for which Albert scored 83 goals in 180 appearances after joining the club in 1946. His goals included 24 goals in 36 games when Liverpool won the First Division title in the 1946-47 season. Despite his success at Liverpool many believe that Albert's peak years coincided with World War Two when the regular leagues were cancelled. During the 1945-46 season before regular League football was restarted, Albert scored 39 goals in the Northern League for Newcastle when, by comparison, the second-highest Newcastle scorer was Jackie Milburn with just 14 goals, yet it was Milburn who went on to become a legend on Tyneside scoring 200 goals for the club, a record only recently equalled by Alan Shearer.

.

.

programme for Aston Villa v NUFC 1945/46 Albert Stubbins at Centre Forward. No.9

.

Freddy Shepherd, the current chairman of Newcastle United, once suggested that Alan Shearer was the greatest player in the 110-year history of the Tyneside club. When Sir Bobby Robson, former Newcastle and England manager, was asked whether he agreed he replied: "Well, there was Albert Stubbins, you know." (Stubbins scored 245 goals in 199 games for Newcastle)

.

.

Albert Stubbins. 13 July 1920 - 28 December 2002

.