TRon

Spot on mate. Spot on. So when KKs fcks off people say oooo its kev having a session again. DW stays and its all that quitter KK again. AS soon as Shearer comes in Wise is f***ing GONE. Hmmmm. Was Wise doing a good Job? Ashley obviously doesn't think so now? Does he? He obviously thought he was doing well up until relegation meant he had to make a hard decision. If Ashley thought Wise was doing a useless job I doubt he would have survived this long. Basically Ashley needs Shearer in and has to agree to his demands which means no DOF. It doesn't necessarily mean that Wise was doing a bad job (whatever it was) just that it isn't going to work with managers like Keegan or Shearer.

If only all posts were as well thought out and logical as this one

I seem to remember Shearer being asked what was missing from Newcastle's team early on this season on MOTD and he answered "someone to pick a pass through the midfield". I doubt Allardyce or his like would make that a priority.

Agree with most of that, I just hope Dowie doesn't ever get considered for promotion to the no 1 spot if Shearer decides he doesn't want to hang around as manager. Some people just aren't meant to be managers and the temptaion is always there for Chairmen to take the cheap option and promote from within when the proper manager leaves.

I go along with the theory that there is probably an investor waiting to buy into the club and Shearer might have been sounded out to be the next manager. By coming in early he is just making sure that the club is still in a position for him to manage in the Premier. There were strong rumours of a buyer being set to appoint Shearer when the club was for sale before Christmas, and the Wise exit stories have been circulating for some time now as well.

Not all former footballers are born leaders so it's not surprising that many fail as managers. I don't know how Shearer's career will pan out long term but I think he has all the attributes of being a very good manager: decisive, single minded, carries authority and has a strong work ethic. We'll have to see about what style of football he prefers, but I'm not sure he'll necessarily follow Souness's example. Shearer is a fantastic figurehead for the club and for the next eight weeks the players will be galvanised. I'm only looking that far ahead at the moment.

Good Question. It took Keegan 9 or 10 games last season to get his first win, and they only drew 3 of them before finally beating Fulham. good point. the state we're in and the timing of the appointments means a 'period of adjustment' will almost certainly relegate us. Unlike Keegan last season shearer has no time to learn from his errors and must hit the ground running, which is a huge ask no matter who the manager is. im just praying the impact of his arrival motivates to pick up the points. The difference is Shearer watches us regularly from his box at the ground so he'll have a fair idea what he's got to work with. Shearer's not the type to go into a job like this in blind hope so he must think he's got a good shot at saving the situation.

Better late than never.

Things are changing right through the club. If we stay up we might be able to look forward to next season.

Agreed. Ashley has rightly taken the flak for the disastrous handling of the management situation, I could forgive him for just about anything else in the interests of getting the club stabilised financially. I think this is an inspired appointment even if it's only short term. I wouldn't expect people who aren't Newcastle supporters to understand but it just feels right.

Without Keegan we could well have been relegated last season. Just because it turned sour shouldn't take away from the turnaround we needed at this stage last season.

Caught Alan Parry and Townsend on Talksport this morning and there was all the usual crap about Shearer being a novice, no experience, disastrous not to go for a tried and tested manager etc. Heard it all the last time when keegan was appointed in '92. I knew they were wrong then and I know they are wrong now.

oh fuck me can you imagine them going down at our expense with shearer as manager... lordy! I'm already rehearsing the song in my head: He sent you down, He sent you down, he sent you... Shearer sent you down! It has the ring of destiny I feel.

I think it's more of an advantage he's got an executive box at St James' so he'll know just what to expect from this shower of shite.

I can see Beye being detailed to mark Drogba on Saturday in the absence of Bassong and Taylor. I'm sure Al played against Beye in Europe so he'll know our Habib doesn't get bossed easily.

Shearer's been quite canny if you ask me. He'll only be looking at the next 8 games for now and will probably assess it again at the end of the season. if we stay up he'll want his own set up with decent funds, if he gets them he'll stay, if not adios. I would think there might be a buyer for the club if we survive assuming one hasn't already been lined up.

I would have thought Rob Lee was a shoe in so Dowie is a bit of a shock. At least it shows there's no old pals act with Shearer.

Back from a 6 to a 3 for me. The Mackems have just been condemned to relegation

Full respect to Shearer for taking this on. I have always had a nagging doubt that Shearer was being a bit of cock tease with the Newcastle manager's job but for him to accept the responsibility when we are up against the wall speaks volumes for the man. I know there is a feeling of he's got nowt to lose but I don't think that's true. No one wants to be the manager that takes his local team down and it's a massive risk whatever anyone says. FWIW I think he'll keep us up.

Clever attempt to replicate Leeds self destruction maybe?

The "credible manager" lined up seems to be Steve Bruce which would mean that it's an appointment that won't take place till next season by which time we might already be in the Championship. That would explain partly why Ashley has been so reluctuant to hire a fire fighter short term.

People disagree with you because you make up what they think. no I don't. You are now telling me what I think ? You have done it to me in this very thread man BTW mate, the general opinion on the other message boards is that this one has the most Ashley-backers on it. So it isn't just me. What does that mean though? I don't "back" Ashley but I have given him probably more leeway than he deserved. I think like a lot of people here I'd far prefer to "back" someone else, a Geordie consortium, rich arabs, billionaire yanks or the Mittal family. I just wish someone would buy the club so I could give them some proper backing.

It would be ironic if he actually scored goals once he's playing in the Premier.

1: Disagree with quite a bit personally, no suprises there. You cannot say all he does is get sitters, nothing more. As ive said before, look at both west ham games....look at the portsmouth game, look at the stoke game. No one else in our side has finished better than he did in those games all season, bar Martins strike v aston villa which id say is right up there. You could easily say the same of martins scoring sitters. The reality of it is, Owen gets no space. He doesnt have a trick bag of skills or pace like Jonas, Martins etc but he probably gets marked more than they do. Add on top of that the fact thats he's basically a small lad who never had a massive frame....and ofcourse he isnt running down flanks, assisting endless goals. He's put defenders under as much pressure as Martins, Lovenkrands etc this season...so dont understand the claim that he doesnt pressure em. One part i agree with is the fact that had Keegan not moved Owen behind the front two, we'd have probably been relegated. Simply because this position gave him space.....a player like viduka who could actually hold up the ball and pass it like a half decent midfielder in a far more attacking position made him much more efficient for us. Dont agree with your claim that very few sides would be able to accomadate owen, any side with only 1 midfielder capable of through balls could EASILY. But how can you claim to want rid of a player who you have agreed saved us from relegation through scoring lots of goals when he was played in a position which they havent tried once since ? How is this owens fault for being ineffecient & not simply down to our management being complete sh*te. Think the real problem here is people wanting Owen to be effective in our crap tactics & being annoyed that he cant do more for us regardless of how we're ignoring every single strength he's ever had and playing directly towards his weaknesses. As if they're bored of blaming Kinnear, Hughton etc...so Owen just needs to suddenly transform into some strong...tall player who can control a long ball easily....hold off a defender...do a few nutmegs and cross it in. He was never that player, yet he was world class. So you cannot really blame him for being ineffective in our side currently.....even at his best he probably largely would have been..seeing as the MAIN issue is the fact that our side cannot pass the ball along the ground for boll*cks and we all know it. 2: The basic reality of it is Owen knows he's playing in a side which isnt playing to his strengths. He knows he isnt even touching the ball in these matches. His career has taken a gigantic knock simply through being injured & now when hes not injured he plays in a team who cannot pass from midfield & so barely gets any chances. Then when he finally does he hasnt touched the ball for 5-6 games so doesnt have the usual confidence in his ability...etc etc gets slated etc etc career goes further down hill etc etc. The guy will be 30 at the end of this year. He probably wants to finish his career on a high & we all know if he keeps playing in this CURRENT side (assuming no miracles take place and we actually get a decent manager) the end of his career will be seen to have done nothing but gradually fade away. Always seen as the guy who never recovered the top of his game. Facts are, if you're Michael Owen & you know other sides are interested who you're far more likely to suceed in.....you only have a few years left. You're completely out of the England set up...playing in a side fighting relegation.....You're going to look for other opportunitys. Regardless of how much you've been paid. Whilst owen has been a let down for us, Newcastle will have been a let down for him. Doubt he expected to be playing in such a crap side years down the road, just as we didnt expect his endless injurys. Regardless he showed more loyalty than even Given over the January transfer window. Atleast looking to keep us up before he goes (assuming he does), where as Given preferred to have a moan and leave his club in it instead of helping out. Good luck to Mikey in finding a better club then. Looks like City aren't interested so there's one door shut. This might explain why Owen's spokesman Nicky Butt has suddenly started making noises about him staying here, he's not likely to get that sort of cash elsewhere.

Although Bruce, who would even consider taking the job if Newcastle were relegated, was far from popular with United fans during his illustrious playing career at Old Trafford, he would be a popular choice as manager as a result of the excellent work he has done at Wigan. I definitely think he wants the job, the only doubt in my mind was if we were relegated. I wonder if there is something already lined up like the rumours earlier in the season suggested?