bradley headstone
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Posted: April 1st 2009
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It’s traditional that as the season turns, Newcastle change managers and I laugh about it here. Spring 2009 is no different, Newcastle announced last night that Alan Shearer would take over the reigns until the end of the season. I think a wry smile rather than a full-scale laugh was in order.
Alan Shearer is no fool, unlike his two predecessors; everything he does is coldly calculated to advance the cause of Alan Shearer. He doesn’t always get it right, choosing the money at Blackburn over Manchester Utd has left the maid with rather less silverware to polish. He can also take bad advice, whoever picks his shirts for Match of the Day is surely taking the p***! What is very clear is that no decision is taken lightly.
So having shown a good deal of sense in not touching Toxic Newcastle with the proverbial barge pole, why has he jumped on board now? Romantics would say that as a Geordie with a heart of coal, how could he ignore their plight? This response would have figured high on his considerations, careful courting of the Geordie nation has to be a good thing. But why not step in six weeks ago when his chances of saving the club from relegation were much better?
The timing is everything, if Newcastle survive now and let’s face it they’ve got as good a squad of players as any languishing down there, what we should be saying is of course they survived, it’s Newcastle. Now the cry will be ‘Hurrah for St Alan’ as he rescues his beloved Toon. Should the unthinkable happen, instead of criticism of a ship of fools giving an untried, inexperienced manager the responsibility of steering them to safety, the world at large will sigh ‘well, if Shearer couldn’t save them, no one could’.
Both Ashley and Shearer will come out of this ok, but will the club. That magnificent stadium will be a great place for marauding championship clubs to come, especially when half full.
Remind me why you are doing this again Alan?