| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Fitzgerald Earle[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1965-01-27)27 January 1965 (age 61)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Newcastle-under-Lyme, England[1] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1981–1982 | Stoke City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1991 | Port Vale | 294 | (77) |
| 1991–2000 | Wimbledon | 284 | (59) |
| Total | 578 | (136) | |
| International career | |||
| 1997–1998 | Jamaica | 8 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Fitzgerald EarleMBE (born 27 January 1965) is a formerfootball player and current television commentator. Born in England, he representedJamaica in international football. An attackingmidfielder, he played 578 league games in senior club football, scoring 136 goals.
Initially a youth player withStoke City, Earle broke into the professional game withPort Vale in 1982. He spent nine years at theBurslem-based club, helping "The Vale" topromotion out of theFourth Division in1982–83 and1985–86, and out of theThird Division via theplay-offs in1989; he was later voted the club'sPFA Fans' Favourite. He moved on toWimbledon in 1991, where he also spent nine years. He played nearly 300 league games for each club, scoring 77 and 59 goals respectively. He representedJamaica eight times between 1997 and 1998, scoring one international goal. He appeared in the1998 World Cup, scoring the nation's first-ever goal in the finals.
Following his retirement in 2000, Earle established himself in football journalism. He was dismissed from his punditry role withITV in 2010 after he passed ITVWorld Cup tickets to a third party.[3] After spending time as television broadcast analyst for thePortland Timbers ofMajor League Soccer, he is now a commentator for thePremier League onNBC Sports.
An attacking midfielder, Earle was a junior player atStoke City whilst he attendedLongton High School. However, after suffering from abroken leg, he was released from theVictoria Ground. He was snapped up by Stoke'slocal rivalsPort Vale, where he turned professional in 1982.[1][4] He had been scouted byRay Williams.[5]
Earle made his Port Vale debut underJohn McGrath in a 1–0 defeat bySwindon Town at theCounty Ground on 28 August 1982.[6] He scored his first goal in his next appearance, in a 4–1 win overAldershot at theRecreation Ground.[7] He finished the1982–83 campaign with one goal in nine appearances, as the "Valiants" wonpromotion out of theFourth Division. He made 13 appearances in1983–84;John Rudge replaced McGrath asmanager in December, but could not stop the club from sliding straight back out of theThird Division.
Earle won a regular first-team place in August 1984. He hit 19 goals in 56 games in1984–85, including ahat-trick againstHereford United atVale Park on 2 February; Earle andAlistair Brown's partnership got the club a combined total of 40 goals. An ever-present in the1985–86 Fourth Division promotion squad, he scored 17 goals in 58 games; he and strike partnerAndy Jones bagged a total of 35 goals for the club. Earle made 142 consecutive appearances between September 1984 and January 1987, the run coming to an end due to agroinstrain. The strain led to ahernia operation in the autumn of 1987, but he returned to first-team action in January 1988. He scored seven goals in 35 games in1986–87 and scored four goals in 11 games in1987–88. That season, he played in theFA Cup upset when Vale knocked outTottenham Hotspur.[8] A regular in the1988–89 season, Rudge claimed that Earle andRay Walker was one of the best-ever midfield partnerships at the Vale.[9] He scored both goals pastBristol Rovers in the two-legged1989 play-off final that took Vale through to theSecond Division.[1] After the match Earle wept in the tunnel, such was his emotions to have taken his local team to victory in the play-off final. Throughout the 1988–89 campaign, he scored 19 goals in 57 appearances.
He scored 12 goals in 52 games in1989–90, including one in a 1–1 draw with Stoke City at the Victoria Ground on 23 September. He remained a vital player in1990–91, hitting the net 11 times in 37 appearances. As he was affectionately known, 'The Black Pearl' played 357 times for the "Valiants" and scored 90 goals. A cult hero,[10] he is considered one of the best midfielders ever to play for the club.[11] In July 1991 he wastransferred toWimbledon for a fee of £775,000 (and 30% of any future transfer fee above that figure).[1] It was later reported that Wimbledon chairmanSam Hammam had locked Earle in a room during transfer negotiations and only let him out when he agreed to sign for Wimbledon.
Earle played an important part in the South London club's success during the nineties, and in particular, the club's 'Crazy Gang' mentality, which fostered team spirit and intimidated opposing players. He played alongside cult figures such asAidan Newhouse,John Fashanu,Vinnie Jones,Lawrie Sanchez,Jason Euell,Dean Holdsworth,Marcus Gayle,Andy Clarke andEfan Ekoku. Earle was known for his late runs into the box, his ability to finish, and his agility atheading the ball.
Hisfirst season at the club was turbulent, as managerRay Harford was replaced byPeter Withe, who in turn was replaced byJoe Kinnear; nevertheless, Earle scored 14 league goals to help the "Dons" to maintain to their top-flight status. He scored seven goals in the newly formedPremier League in the1992–93 season, including two in a 3–2 win overLiverpool atAnfield,[12] and nine goals in1993–94 – when Wimbledon finished a club best sixth in the final table.
After injury limited him to nine goalless appearances in1994–95 (when Wimbledon still finished ninth), he regained his fitness for thefollowing season. He was appointed clubcaptain. His 11 goals in 1995–96 went some way towards securing Wimbledon's survival in 15th place; he scored againstManchester United,Tottenham Hotspur,Chelsea,Arsenal,Manchester City,Blackburn Rovers andBolton Wanderers. Under his captaincy in1996–97, theSelhurst Park side reached the semi-finals of both theFA Cup andLeague Cup, where they were beaten by eventual winnersChelsea andLeicester City respectively. In February 1997, he was handed thePremier League Player of the Month award.[13]
The club survived again in1997–98, though dropped from fourth in December to 15th by the season's end. He scored seven goals in all competitions in1998–99 as Wimbledon again reached the semi-finals of the League Cup; however, they finished just two places and six points above the Premier Leaguerelegation zone. The "Dons" then struggled under new managerEgil Olsen, and were relegated on the final day of the1999–2000 season after losing 2–0 toSouthampton atThe Dell.[14]
During areserve team game for Wimbledon in 2000, Earle sustained a heavy blow to the stomach and became seriously ill with a rupturedpancreas.[15] At the age of 35 he was forced to give up playing inNovember 2000.[16] His retirement coincided with the end of the 'Crazy Gang'. In nine years as a Wimbledon player, he made 244 league appearances for theSouth London club, scoring 59 goals.[17] Towards his end of his time at the club he began coaching the reserve team.[18]
"One afternoon in hospital I was told that I had picked up an infection again. By this time I had lost 4 stone (56 lb; 25 kg). My breathing was irregular, I was in agony. If somebody had told me that death was the best choice, I'd have accepted it – anything to take away the pain."
— The stomach injury that ended his career was intensely painful.[19]
Though English-born, Earle was eligible to play for Jamaica atinternational level because of his Jamaican parents. He hoped to be called up to theEngland squad, before he accepted the call-up from Jamaica at the age of 32.[20] Earle was the scorer of Jamaica's first everWorld Cup goal, in a 3–1 defeat byCroatia at theStade Félix-Bollaert, at the1998 World Cup in France.[21] He played in all three of theGroup H games, as Jamaica lost 5–0 toArgentina atParc des Princes and beatJapan 2–1 atStade de Gerland.[22][23]
Since his retirement, Earle has moved into sports journalism. He has worked forCapital Radio,Radio 5 Live,BBC,ESPN,ITV,Sky Sports andOnDigital. Earle was a regular pundit onITV's football coverage, as well asWorld Football Daily, and occasionally joins the team onESPN PressPass.[24] He has also written columns for the LondonEvening Standard and for theStoke-on-TrentEvening Sentinel.
In 2005, he took part in BBC'sStrictly African Dancing as part ofAfrica Lives season; he scored 33 and won the competition. He also appeared in the 2007 edition ofMasterChef.
In June 2010, he had his £150,000 a yearcontract with ITV cancelled for giving awayWorld Cup tickets for theNetherlands vDenmark match. Meant for family and friends, he passed them on to a friend who then sold them toBavaria Brewery. The Brewery company orchestrated anambush marketing event in breach ofFIFA rules.[25] The incident also led to him losing his role as an ambassador for England's 2018 World Cup bid.[26] Earle described his actions as "naive" and insisted that he had "not profited in any way".[27] It later emerged that ITV had given Earle 400 free tickets for the tournament, including 40 forthe final itself. This allocation had a RRP of around £70,000. Not permitted to sell the tickets, Earle had freely given them out to friends and family, unaware that a 'close friend' would then sell a significant number on to the Dutch company.[28]
In March 2011, he became a broadcasting analyst at USMajor League Soccer sidePortland Timbers.[29] In 2004, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame ofShow Racism the Red Card.[30] He has also appeared in television commercials promotingblood donation.
In 2013, he became one of the lead studio analysts forNBC Sports' coverage of the Premier League and a co-commentator on theirMatch of the Day andPremier League Download programmes.
Earle attendedLongton High School inLongton,Stoke-on-Trent.[31] UK magazineThe Vegetarian Society stated that Earle is avegetarian.[32]
He got married in the summer of 1989.[33] His son,Otis, is also a footballer and was drafted byFC Dallas at the2015 MLS SuperDraft.[34]
Earle was appointed anMBE in 1999 for his services tofootball.[35] In 2007, he was voted as Port Vale'sPFA Fans' Favourites. In 2009, he was inducted into theEnglish Football Hall of Fame as 'Football Foundation Community Champion'. He was inducted into the Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame in May 2018.[36] In May 2019, he was voted into the "Ultimate Port Vale XI" by members of theOneValeFan supporter website.[37] His was one of four faces painted onto a community mural at Vale Park in December 2025, alongsideRoy Sproson,John Rudge andTom Pope.[38] In December 2025, supporters voted him onto the official club website's all-time Port Vale XI.[39]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Port Vale | 1982–83 | Fourth Division | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| 1983–84 | Third Division | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 1984–85 | Fourth Division | 46 | 15 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 56 | 19 | |
| 1985–86 | Fourth Division | 46 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 58 | 17 | |
| 1986–87 | Third Division | 35 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 44 | 7 | |
| 1987–88 | Third Division | 25 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 4 | |
| 1988–89 | Third Division | 44 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 57 | 19 | |
| 1989–90 | Second Division | 43 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 49 | 12 | |
| 1990–91 | Second Division | 35 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 11 | |
| Total | 294 | 77 | 21 | 4 | 42 | 9 | 357 | 90 | ||
| Wimbledon | 1991–92 | First Division | 40 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 45 | 15 |
| 1992–93 | Premier League | 42 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 51 | 8 | |
| 1993–94 | Premier League | 42 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 51 | 12 | |
| 1994–95 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| 1995–96 | Premier League | 37 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 46 | 14 | |
| 1996–97 | Premier League | 32 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 45 | 11 | |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 22 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 3 | |
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 35 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 43 | 7 | |
| 1999–00 | Premier League | 25 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 30 | 5 | |
| Total | 284 | 59 | 35 | 8 | 31 | 9 | 350 | 76 | ||
| Career total | 578 | 136 | 56 | 12 | 73 | 18 | 707 | 166 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | 1997 | 4 | 0 |
| 1998 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 8 | 1 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 June 1998 | Stade Félix-Bollaert,Lens, France |  Croatia | 1–1 | 1–3 | 1998 FIFA World Cup |
Port Vale
Individual
