Can Shearer Save Newcastle?

Finally, Newcastle United land Alan Shearer as manager and has 8 games to help avoid them slipping into the Championship. Newcastle fans are of course ecstatic, as the Geordie Messiah takes his rightful place in charge of this massive, troubled club. Till the end of the season anyway! Shearer has been given 1 target : avoid relegation! Something, even the great Alan Shearer doesn’t want to see happen, as Shearer said, “It’s a club I love and I don’t want them to go down. I’ll do everything I can to stop that.” Newcastle’s destiny now lies in the hand of a BBC pundit, with no managerial experience and a big heart.

What is wrong with Newcastle United? They seem to self-implode each and every season, staggering from one crisis to the next like some unashamed toxic banker all the time hurting the genuine fans who care greatly about this club. Perhaps, relegation is what they need. A bit of hard love to help sort this club out. Weed out the chaff that pick up extraordinary pay cheques every week. Build a developing youth program that used to bring us gifted players like Gascoigne, Waddle, Beardsley and co.

As much as Alan Shearer loves Newcastle – there have been plenty of big named courtiers before him who have tried to bring this club around. Look at the managers it has devoured in just the last 20 years :

* Jim Smith (88 – 91)
* Osvaldo Ardiles (91 – 92)
* Kevin Keegan (92 – 97)
* Kenny Dalglish (97 – 98)
* Ruud Gullit (98 – 99)
* Sir Bobby Robson (99 – 04)
* Graeme Souness (04 – 06)
* Glenn Roeder (06 – 07)
* Sam Allardyce (07 – 08)
* Kevin Keegan (08 – 08)
* Joe Kinnear (08 – 09)
* Alan Shearer (09 – )

That list is a whose who of big names in World football. Newcastle fans have been put through the mill, but they also make a rod for their own backs. Demands are so high, that the club physically buckles under the pressures. Realisticaly, their just not good enough to challenge the top 6 in recent seasons, never mind winning the Premiership. Now, Chelsea arrive this Saturday and Alan Shearers baptism of fire begins … it’ll probably be the toughest 8 games of his career, as Shearer tries to turn this clubs nosedive around.

Newcastle Relegation Odds
Newcastle to be Relegated	1	1	6/5	11/10	25/19	11/10	11/10	1	11/10	6/5