Confirmed – Shearer To Take Temporary Charge of Magpies!

By: Wayne Farry | March 31st, 2009

The Newcastle soap opera has taken another interesting turn.

According to Sky Sports and now the club, Newcastle legend Alan Shearer is to take over at St. James’ Park until the end of the season.

In a move that will look to please Toon fans, the former striker will take over from interim co-managers/headless chickens Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood. Joe Kinnear, Newcastle’s current manager is still recovering from triple bypass surgery and it has been said lately that he’d favour a role upstairs at St. James’ Park, as opposed to the pressure of the sideline.

The reports are now confirmed as of last night (or this morning, early). I would have updated earlier but I was up doing a college project until 4am.

So it’s been confirmed by Newcastle that the big man will take over managerial duties on Tyneside until the end of the season. Newcastle are looking ever more likely to go down this season as they sit in 18th in the EPL with a particularly difficult run-in to the season. They haven’t won for ages and confidence appears to be very low.

This is probably the most major threat to Newcastle’s EPL existence in a long, long time and to me, calling upon Shearer now is a strange one. What is equally strange is that he’s accepted the call. He turned down the opportunity earlier in the season when the house was in better order but accepts it now, when the club appear to be in the mire.

I would have said before Shearer’s appointment that Newcastle chances of survival were 50/50. Now I’m leaning 30/70 (with the 70 being on the relegation side of things). Shearer’s incredibly inexperienced in terms of management and his decision hints at heart-over-head. We all know he could do this sort of thing as a player, let’s hope he’s equally skilled at management.

Who knows, this could be the most inspired managerial appointment in decades, but as of now I’m not too sure. The Messiah may have returned, but in my opinion it’s at the detriment of the club he loves.