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.

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Following on from England’s calamitous attempts at qualifying for Euro 2008, my mind has been cast back to the summer of 1982. The World Cup in Spain has and always will have a special place in my heart. It was a pulsating competition which, in the eyes of some, is second only to Mexico in 1970.

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There has been a lot of conjecture of late, particularly in the printed media, about an alleged conflict of interest concerning Michael Owen and whether his priorities lie with his club or his country. Much of this is undoubtedly the press stirring things up in order to sell newspapers. In particular the recent articles in The Sun seem to have gone out of their way to drive a wedge between Owen and Sam Allardyce over the player’s participation in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. And, however lamentable its prose may be at times, it is still the best-selling newspaper in the country and is hugely influential amongst its predominantly male, working class readership.

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The defensive frailties of Newcastle United have so often been overplayed by elements of the national press, preferring to use clichés first mooted in the Keegan era over the cold, hard facts shown in the goals against column of the league table. That said, in recent years the backline has always had the tendency to self-destruct at crucial times, leading to our exit from many a competition. Now, on paper at least, the defence is starting to look good. With Beye, Enrique, Cacapa, Faye and Rozenhal adding to the potential of Taylor and bringing some much needed experience and quality to the United back four, there is some cause for optimism amongst supporters. So, where does that leave the other elements in the team live-up?

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Glenn Roeder placed a lot of hope and expectation on the shoulders of Obafemi Martins when he became his major signing last summer. It was perhaps inevitable then that the player’s fortunes would mirror those of his new club so closely in the months that followed.

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You have probably heard it all before. Sometime in the Nineties the people’s game was hijacked by the middle classes who then proceeded to price poor fans out of the market, sucked the atmosphere out of the stadiums and transformed football into the Sky-funded leviathan it is today.

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