LOOKING BACK

Heyday: Len Shackleton in action for Sunderland

WHILST Paul Gascoigne may lay claim to being the crankiest footballer to be associated with the North East, 40 years before he made us laugh or cringe, or both, with his daft antics on and off the pitch, the unorthodox Len Shackleton of Sunderland was the self-proclaimed “clown prince” of British football.
Shackleton, like Gazza, was a huge natural talent and entertainer given to taking the mickey out of opponents during matches with a whole repertoire of tricks.
Popular with his Roker Park teammates, a notable exce...