Shearer ready for Toon job

Hero returns to Magpies

Published:

RETURNING HERO: Alan Shearer.

ALAN Shearer was today expected to be confirmed as new Newcastle’s manager – with eight games to save his boyhood club from relegation.

Shearer, 38, is poised to take over from Joe Kinnear, pictured below, as he recovers from heart surgery.

Kinnear’s assistant, Chris Hughton, has been in charge of team affairs since early February, but has been unable to stop the slide in the club’s fortunes which began when Kevin Keegan left the club in September.

Shearer is set to start work straight away, but reports suggest he will not be unveiled to the media until tomorrow.

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson reckons Shearer has what it takes to rescue the Magpies.

He said: “If anyone can lift Newcastle out of the doldrums it’s Alan.

“He’s got no management experience, but people like Jurgen Klinsmann and Franz Beckenbauer came in with no experience as well.

“He is regarded as a god up there in Newcastle.”

The Magpies sit third from bottom and two points from safety in the Barclays Premier League and face a tough run of fixtures in their fight to avoid the drop, with Guus Hiddink’s Chelsea visiting St James’ Park on Saturday.

Former England captain Shearer has made little secret of his desire to turn to management one day, and set about attaining his coaching badges while carrying out the media work which has kept him in touch with the game since his retirement three years ago.

He has on more than one occasion distanced himself from the job at Newcastle, which has become available at regular intervals over the last few years.

It is understood he was keen when Sam Allardyce was relieved of his duties in January last year, but was considered too inexperienced, and he was inevitably linked with it once again when the former Bolton boss’ successor, Keegan, sensationally quit earlier this season.

But with the club in complete disarray on and off the field, the time may now be right to launch his managerial career.