Liverpool FC Forum

by **tubby** » Sat Apr 04, 2009 7:43 pm

Poor guy. I feel sorry for Shearer he seems like such a nice guy. If they go down it's not like he can take any blame anyway.

by **Reg** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:17 am

Dont kid yourself, Shearer's doing it for the money. He'll get 1.8 million quid if they avoid relegation. Not bad for 8 games.

by **Reg** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:25 am

From The Times April 3, 2009

Alan Shearer joins long list of Newcastle messiahsMatthew Syed
The ongoing soap opera on Tyneside had a touch of déjà vu yesterday when Alan Shearer was unveiled as the latest messianic saviour of Newcastle United FC.

The fans gathered outside the stadium to chant his name (just as they had with Kevin Keegan), they took off their shoes and waved them in the air (as they had with Keegan) and they offered the assertion that the glory days are now just around the corner (as they had with Keegan).

Forget religious fanaticism - if you want to get a feel for the power of blind faith, get up to the North East, stick on a black-and-white shirt and mingle.

The reality, of course, is that nobody has the faintest idea how Shearer will cope with the exacting demands of club management, since he has never managed so much as a boys' brigade team. Agnosticism is the only tenable position to take regarding his ambition to keep Newcastle in the Barclays Premier League - they are two points below the safety zone with eight matches to play - but mention that around Newcastle and people think that you are part of some London-based media conspiracy.

There is no doubting the mood, however. Not just at St James' Park, but all around the city, the folk of Newcastle are intoxicated with the news that their most beloved player of the modern era is now in charge and that Dennis Wise, the widely disliked executive director (football), has been deposed. It is not just that the fans love Shearer, but that they believe in him: in his powers, in his essential heroism, in his special meaning to the club and city. He is a modern-day hero in a place that does hagiography better than any other.

And what of the man himself? To judge from yesterday's somewhat chaotic press conference, when his balding pate, rather appropriately, shined as if crowned by a halo, he made it clear that he, for one, is not buying into this Messiah malarkey.

“We have to get away from this Alan Shearer thing,” he said, more, it seemed, in hope than expectation. “It's not about me, it's about keeping this football club in the Premier League and I will be trying as hard as I can to get away from that.”

When it came to the nuts and bolts of securing Premier League status, he seemed to imply that he can emote the club into the safety zone. There was hardly a question after which he failed to remind us of his “love for Newcastle United Football Club”, his “passion” for Tyneside and his special feelings for St James' Park.

At this point, though, it ought to be mentioned that his love does not come cheap after reports that he negotiated a colossal £1million bonus if Newcastle avoid the drop.

Iain Dowie, alongside Shearer, did well in the role of second fiddle, not seeming to be too miffed at being almost completely overlooked by the media and fans. He seized on his one question with gusto, referring to the size of Shearer's cojones, a word (it is slang for “balls”) used by

George W.Bush to laud Tony Blair for supporting the Iraq war. One suspects it was not quite the comparison that Dowie wanted to conjure, but the phrase brought a huge grin to the face of his new boss.

The highlight came when Shearer finally went outside to greet the fans, who had kept a series of Shearer-themed songs and chants going for a good half-hour.

They responded by raising the volume to a level that seemed to shock their new manager, who responded rather sheepishly, with a diffident wave of the hand and restrained smile.

The fans, some wearing black-and-white shirts, some wearing no shirt at all, were somewhat perturbed by this lack of emotion, but were placated when Shearer went down the steps to shake a few hands. The only problem was that, with his shirt tucked in, they had no real opportunity to touch his hem.

Then, after 30 seconds or so, the great man was gone. The fans chanted his name again, then dispersed into the sunny afternoon, still singing: “There's only one Alan Shearer.” How long the chants last is uncertain, particularly given the tough opening match against Chelsea tomorrow. But should Shearer fail in his task and, in the process, lose some of his sheen on Tyneside, it will not take long for another Messiah to arrive in the North East, for despair to be replaced by euphoria and for shoes to be waved in the air once more.

by **Greavesie** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 7:09 am

hes on 250,000k a game

by **Bermenstein** » Sun Apr 05, 2009 11:10 am

Newcastle sure to follow the road to ruin path once traveled by Leeds United, as I think they are doomed to go down this season.
One bad administrative decision after another ad infinitum.

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