Premier League - Shearer: I can keep us up

Eurosport - Fri, 03 Apr 08:54:00 2009

Alan Shearer has said he is confident Newcastle United have enough quality to avoid relegation from the Premier League and that his main job in the eight games remaining is to restore confidence.

2008-2009 Newcastle United Alan Shearer - 0

The club's record goalscorer has returned to the North-East as manager with the task of keeping them up.

"I love this club and realise they are in a very bad position and have been give the opportunity to do something about it," Shearer told a packed news conference at St James' Park.

"I feel the pain that the fans are going through...but I wouldn't be sat here if I didn't think there was enough quality in that squad. The quality is there, they just need the confidence.

"The fans know they will get 100 per cent, 24-hours-a-day for the next eight games. I hope that will be good enough because it would sadden me and thousands of supporters if we were in the Championship. They don't deserve that, they deserve better."

Shearer said he agreed to take on the short-term role on Sunday, having been given an eight-week sabbatical from his TV punditry role, and completed contract details on Wednesday night.

"I spoke to the players and staff this morning and the training was superb," he said.

"They've set a standard we want to keep to and I said after training that if they kept that standard up then we'll be OK.

"I've watched Newcastle in the last few months and it didn't seem as if they were enjoying their football. But they did this morning and we need to transfer that into Saturday's game."

Shearer's first game in charge is at home to Chelsea and with time running out and the club third-last in the standings, he said they had to hit the ground running and get something from the match.

"I think it's a great game for us," said Shearer, who repeatedly insisted that his tenure was for eight games only, after which he hoped Joe Kinnear would return to the manager's role having recovered from heart surgery.

Shearer has no managerial experience and said that was why he brought in former Crystal Palace, Charlton Athletic, Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers manager Iain Dowie as his number two.

"Iain's an experienced manager and he will tell me if he thinks I'm getting it wrong," he said.

"I felt it was important to bring him in, to give it a fresh look."

Sporting Life / Eurosport

Comment 93 - 112 of 112

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  1. the article should be shearer : the toon are doomed i­ cant save them im no newcastle legend im a blackburn­ legend! go back to match of the day your safe there­ alan!

    From chris, on Wed 8 Apr 11:20AM

  2. Theres gonna be alot of tears,and humiliation at­ newcastle utd.

    From farsical, on Sat 4 Apr 2:05PM

  3. Mon the Toon!!! Staying up!!!

    From mcluskyisms, on Sat 4 Apr 1:55PM

  4. another hero again did u newcastle fan already 4get­ about so called king keegan

    From chinomsoigwe90, on Fri 3 Apr 12:31PM

  5. Is it deja vu? Or did I just see 10,000 thick Geordies­ at the Steps of Syd James Park championing another­ hero?

    Their aggressive idiotic fans are going to ruin­ Shearer, I squarely blame the fans for the clubs demise­ I hope you go down, lets see how loyal the fans are­ next year in the championship! Back to the 80's­ when they were getting 15,000

    From jimoggie, on Fri 3 Apr 9:37AM

  6. But do you think there going to be chanting that out­ loud in the Stadium . NO WAY. Hes the newcastle hero so­ don,t ruin it by putting him in the hot seat if­ newcastle drop. have him on the training pitch and on­ the bench to motivate the Team but not as the Manager .­ I see it as the players responcibility to keep­ newcastle up and hold off on paying them until the last­ game of the season . Let them play for there wages

    From , on Fri 3 Apr 8:52AM

  7. I'm a L'pool fan and I predict Nufc will stay­ up, they will beat Chelsea at the weekend Chelsea know­ the league is beyond them now, this will give them a­ timely boost and the will win at stoke too. In my­ humble opinion

    From FoeyP, on Fri 3 Apr 8:35AM

  8. This appointment is a big mistake by the newcastle­ board, its insane to appoint a manager with absolutely­ no experience of management so late in the season when­ they are in the relegation zone. Unless he makes an­ instant impact on the team newcastle will go down­ because 8 games in simply not enough time.

    From Brian B, on Fri 3 Apr 8:33AM

  9. Lets hope he does it and get a bit pride back for us ­ newcastle fans

    From Thomas C, on Fri 3 Apr 8:22AM

  10. newcastle wont go down!!!!

    From yvonne.armstrong4, on Fri 3 Apr 7:55AM

  11. GOING DOWN NEWCASTLE

    From PHIL, on Fri 3 Apr 7:35AM

  12. sherer the geordie god is going to save newcastle lol.­ all the nufc fans need to follow a real tyneside­ football team like blyth or gateshead.

    From PHIL, on Fri 3 Apr 7:32AM

  13. lineker might be managing spurs soon too :)

    From simonblanchard, on Fri 3 Apr 6:55AM

  14. at last someone has the guts to tell it as it is with­ regards to the comments by oldrec37. what a waffler­ shearer was on match of the day, all he did was agree­ with the other muppet hansen then collect his fee and­ swan off for another 2 weeks to bore anybody who would­ listen to him.

    From fridopete, on Fri 3 Apr 3:50AM

  15. Newcastle have got their hero back and the rest of­ England have got rid of the biggest time waster on­ Match of the day at last, perhaps alan hansen is in­ line for Rafa s job at Liverpool. Watch this space.

    From oldrec37, on Fri 3 Apr 3:39AM

  16. Hope that Shearer can turn the team round, doubt it,­ but I do wish him luck. He was great talent as a­ player, lets hope he can bring along some of his magic­ for the next 8 games. I am an avid MU fan, but love the­ north east and wish them well.
    Should they stay up,­ then they need to revamp the club during the summer.

    From , on Fri 3 Apr 3:21AM

  17. i wish shearer the best of luck, but recently­ there's been a few ex-premiership players going­ into top-flight jobs too early in their managerial­ careers and getting things pretty wrong e.g. southgate,­ keane, ince, adams... it doesn't look good for­ newcastle

    From Non, on Fri 3 Apr 2:31AM

  18. i support man united,i think alan will do it.pl wouldnt­ be the same without new castle.good luck alan

    From bigbanger, on Fri 3 Apr 1:40AM

  19. My heart goes to my ex who is Hardcastle by last name­ and all the geordies like her. She would find it hard­ like all Newcastle fans when they go down. Shearer­ coming in was a suspect to me but with Dowie by his­ side, they stand no chance to avoid the drop. Cry for­ the beloved team!

    From al.barney, on Fri 3 Apr 1:03AM

  20. Gazza's looking for a job; just a thought.

    From Trev, on Fri 3 Apr 12:40AM
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