The Return of the King

 

So Newcastle F.C. has finally relented to the overwhelming pressure of the Toon army. After the continued health problems of Joe “F***ing” Kinnear (get well soon Joe!) and the failure of Chris Hughton to carry the baton as caretaker, controversial chairman Mike Ashleigh (of cockney mafia fame) has bowed down to supporter pressure and opted for the fans favourite choice to steer the club from the relegation mire they are so deeply in. No they haven’t resurrected Kevin Keegan’s managerial career once again, they’ve gone one better. Alan Shearer after constantly reiterating his desire not to go into management at this stage of his life, has emerged on his white (or should that be black and white?) charger in an attempt to rescue the club to whose fans he is regarded as being on a higher plane than many of the other mere mortals who have failed to live up to the ultra-high expectation at the Geordie club. The question on everyone’s lips is, will it work?

 

Well it just may do. Look at Trevor Brookings’s late season impact at West Ham a few years ago. However, Brooking remained a vastly experienced name in the world of football. Shearer at 38, although certainly retaining the right credentials as a player, is an unknown quantity in a managerial capacity. By appointing Shearer, rather than a more experienced candidate such as the mooted prospect of Terry Venables last week, Newcastle have taken a massive gamble on their short term future, by thrusting an untested fans favourite into the grim situation Newcastle find themselves in. It has got Mike Ashleigh into trouble before – his appointment of another “legend” in Kevin Keegan, although ensuring he remained briefly popular with the St. James’s Park faithful, is what started the club’s malaise which has seen them drop into the bottom three, with only 8 games remaining of the Premier League season. Does Shearer’s career as a player and his experience from playing at the top level, give him enough to turn the team’s fortunes around?

 

Only time will tell on this particular situation. The Geordie boys have a tough run in with Chelsea and local rivals Middlesboro still yet to come to St. James’s and with tough trips to Anfield, White Hart Lane, Villa Park and the Britannia Stadium to meet fellow strugglers Stoke, it looks a formidable task that lays ahead for the former England striker and his new charges. Ultimately though, precedent is not with Newcastle’s all-time leading goal-scorer. Other players who have lit up the game on the pitch have struggled to make a sufficient impact as managers or coaches. Glenn Hoddle, Bryan Robson, John Barnes, even Keegan himself, although enjoying some periods of success as managers have never been able to get over the troubling reality that many members of their sides are simply not capable of producing the level of performance they had been able to in their playing days. In contrast, the games best managers by enlarge, have not had outstanding playing careers – for example Wenger, Ferguson and Mourinho, despite enjoying mixed fortunes as players, (the latter indeed never played at a professional level) have gone on to become some of the most outstanding managers of their generation.

 

If Shearer can break out of this cycle then all credit to him. If he succeeds in wrestling United away from the drop zone he will further cement his reputation as the most important and well loved figure in the club’s history. However, by taking on the difficult task that awaits him he has put his reputation on the line. Will Newcastle fans ever be able to think of him in the same reverential light again if it is by his hand they face the drop into the second tier? And more importantly will Mike Ashleigh risk getting “Shearer 9” on the back of his replica shirt?