It was a widely held view that, despite his massive contributions on the pitch, Alan Shearer was too influential in off-the-field matters during his playing days at St. James’s Park. It should come as no surprise then that his name continues to be linked with the manager’s job at the club, especially given the poor form the team has recently shown under the guidance of Sam Allardyce. To add fuel to the speculation, Shearer has been somewhat reticent in ruling himself out of the job.

Were he to takeover, Shearer would benefit from a number of ‘goodwill’ factors. In the years following the dismissal of Sir Bobby Robson expectations have gradually been whittled down and this would perhaps ease the pressure, in the short-term at least. He would also be afforded some time in which to get things right, or so one would hope, given the esteem in which he is held. There is also the personality of the man himself to consider. Gary Neville once commented that he wished that Alan Shearer had joined up with him at Manchester United. Obviously the talent of Shearer the player was the major reason behind this but Neville also spoke of how the forward, who he knew well from England get-togethers, shared the mentality and desire to win that would have seen him fit in perfectly with Alex Ferguson’s regime. Judging by his comments as a pundit (both now and when he was still playing), it would suggest that he would play a no-nonsense, attacking style of football with wingers, not unlike the ethos of Kenny Dalglish at Blackburn, under which Shearer enjoyed his best football. While there are limitations in this style of play, it would make a good starting point and would probably go down well with Newcastle fans craving some entertainment at present.

Of course there is no way of being able to say how successful Shearer would be. There are obvious parallels with Kevin Keegan, who took the club from the brink of extinction to being tantalisingly close to being the champions of England. However there are many more precedents where excellent former players have failed in their first managerial appointment. And therein lies the first obvious problem with Shearer’s potential appointment, namely a lack of experience. He is currently acquiring the necessary coaching qualifications with Uefa and he did enjoy a fairly successful sojourn as Glenn Roeder’s assistant, but that is a bare CV to say the least. One would also have to question whether or not Shearer has working links with enough player’s agents to be able to operate fruitfully in the transfer market. And, especially with the apparent dearth of English and (more specifically) local talent appearing in recent times, it may be disadvantageous to have a manager with no experience of playing overseas or with any obvious contacts in terms of foreign players. Even Shearer’s mentors – Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish – have been out of the game for so long now that it is unlikely they would be able to provide anything more substantial than vague advice on this matter. Sadly, another of Shearer’s ex-managers, Sir Bobby Robson is now too frail and elderly to play what could have been an invaluable supporting role.

All of which ignores perhaps the most important issue, which is whether or not Newcastle fans really want Shearer as manager now. One cannot help but feel that much of media’s obsession with him taking over is a myth they have created for their own malignant purposes. The indifferent form of Newcastle United has given the press a sniff of blood and by manufacturing a fans’ movement in favour of Shearer they are serving their own agenda, i.e. the creation of yet another story at a club who has had more than its fair share of lurid headlines. Under the previous chairman, there was a steady stream of quotes proclaiming Alan Shearer as the man every Geordie wanted to be the next manager. Now these have dried up so the press are saying it themselves. The mood amongst Newcastle fans is markedly different though. Despite there being some serious misgivings about the incumbent manager there is at least the feeling that he needs to given time, as the club simply cannot keep going through managerial appointments at the rate they have in recent times. That would only change if a manager of true pedigree were to make himself available. Alan Shearer does not fit that mould and, putting sentimentality to one side, why on earth should the club take what amounts to a sizeable risk? Thankfully the new owner, possibly because he is not a native of the North East (or a lifelong fan for that matter), seems less willing than the previous board to base his decisions on appeasing the more vociferous elements of the fan base.