AyeDubbleYoo

"Would you have joined any other club at this stage of the season as manager?" or something like that. It was "would you have done this for any other club".

Feel even better about our chances now I have heard Shearer and Dowie speak then. Al seems like he already knows some of the pitfalls and challenges he will face, was very good when he stressed listening to Dowie and wanting to be told when he goes wrong. Sounds like he won't be very Souness-like after all!

No work until this is over man.

How immense will it be if he keeps us up and stays on? I don't even want to let myself imagine it, but I can't help it!

Dowie sounds like he will be a big asset.

The club have already made plenty of criminal decisions, seeing Shearer off and bringing Kinnear back would be exactly at their intelligence level. I know what you're saying, but I don't think even they would be that stupid (assuming Shearer is a success). I don't think they even wanted Keegan out really, the situation was just beyond saving. What if we go down? i know id rather have shearer as our boss in the championship than Kinnear. is it what shearer would want and he does have a say in it. but these questions breed instability and unsurety. id rather they came out, thanked kinnear for his job, said he is being appointed head scout or whatever, and then said shearer is the man to lead the club, relegation or not. i can appreciate the 8 games thing gives an extra emphasis on the survival aspect but it strikes me as a bit of a gimmick atm. Well it is a gimmick, but that's exactly what we need at the moment - a short term boost to the players.

He's going to speak to Glenn Hoddle!

The club have already made plenty of criminal decisions, seeing Shearer off and bringing Kinnear back would be exactly at their intelligence level. I know what you're saying, but I don't think even they would be that stupid (assuming Shearer is a success). I don't think they even wanted Keegan out really, the situation was just beyond saving. What if we go down? i know id rather have shearer as our boss in the championship than Kinnear. Well I don't know, that would obviously make it easier to bring Kinnear back. There are different ways to go down though, we could go down and still do quite well in the next 8 games. That might be enough to get Shearer the job. There are too many unknowns to answer that really aren't they? Shearer might not want the job in the Championship. Kinnear might not be well enough to return. Etc etc.

I thought that exactly. He's used to the media as well, and the press don't seem to patronise or take the piss out of him (yet!).

The club have already made plenty of criminal decisions, seeing Shearer off and bringing Kinnear back would be exactly at their intelligence level. I know what you're saying, but I don't think even they would be that stupid (assuming Shearer is a success). I don't think they even wanted Keegan out really, the situation was just beyond saving.

They have to be careful how they treat Kinnear at this point, but it's clear from the way Shearer is avoiding the question that he won't write off staying for good. If he does well then there's no way he will be booted out for Kinnear to return. I just can't see it happening. The club have made some weird decisions but that would be criminal.

They have to say that now though. There's no way if Shearer does well then he will leave and Kinnear return. I just can't believe it would happen.

How good is it to have a competent person in front of the camera for once?

Llambias reading word for word from the paper, makes him look like a right fool. Also, he looks suspiciously like Theo from Dragon's Den.

Surely the main reason he fell out with Gullit was that he dropped him? Not that he disagreed with Shekshy Football.

Hasn't started on the BBC website yet.

Yep, he also knows how to put partnerships together after benefitting greatly from younger, quicker legs alongside him (Bellamy, Dyer etc).

True, just getting the Shearer era started is a big weight off our shoulders.

It just looks and feels right.

I like the booing idea, prepare them for the matchday experience. Like the SAS, train hard fight easy!

Should lift the players as well, having a few fans their to cheer them on. Can only be a good thing IMO.

I used to go and watch training all the time when I was younger, still remember getting Keegan to sign my training top, along with most of the squad at the time. Stupidly washed it though, and the signatures all disappeared!

Even if that's all true, it doesn't mean that Wise was doing a bad job.

Roy Hodgson is a good example of a player who never had much of a playing career but turned out to be a quality coach. There are no guarantees either way, but being Alan Shearer helps you get respect from the players from day one, something that we really need at this point.

like ? Dunno, that post was a cheeky quip actually! We were going down without a fight, and now we've got a fighting chance, that's the main point I'd want to put across.