Where’s Shearer When You Need Him?
Long time self professed fan and lover of Newcastle United, the great Alan Shearer has always maintained that he would, one day, like to return to the club in a management role. However, he has always avoided us like the plague, which some might fully understand since the club is perpetually in turmoil. But why not grab the opportunity to take the club over, consortium or otherwise, and change it from the ground up?
We know why. Because it is a tough job, and Shearer, no matter how much he might love the club, does not want to spend another half century of his life showing that he truly loves Newcastle United. When you’re rich, been there, done that, why bother doing it all over again when you can sit in a comfy little lounge and criticise the club instead, whilst maintaining what should be done instead to revive it. Shearer isn’t silly. Why risk his reputation as a legend, unlike Keegan who allows his heart to rule his head so often and has been exposed countless times for being quite clueless as a manager.
But Shearer could still do it differently. Just buy the club over and put a new structure in place. Get rid of hanger ons. Be ruthless.
There’s another problem with that though. Newcastle United fans will go up in arms and turn on him when he does that. Because it will hurt egos, and hurt fans who are over sentimental and quite frankly, deluded. They want success, but not at the cost of running the club properly, as a business. Just look at what happened to Mike Ashley (not that he was doing it well – might have been better if he did not show his love for Dennis Wise so openly).
So what’s next for us as a club? At the present moment, it really depends on who is willing to buy us over. And whether they know what to do with a football club. It sure wouldn’t be Alan Shearer.