Alan Shearer: Right Messiah for Newcastle, Wrong Time

(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

At the risk of being lost under the deluge of top-four jostling, title posturing, and Champions League hype, a story must surely be shared about the prospects of one of the nation's greatest-loved clubs and the plight facing their legendary fans, with one of their own steering a rapidly sinking ship.

Newcastle United—who pack out their 52,000 capacity stadium week-in, week-out—are staring relegation square in the face.

Their end of season run-in makes morbid reading for Geordies the world over. With visits to Tottenham, Villa and Liverpool still to come, as well as a Tyne-Wear derby, hope is in short supply at St. James' Park.

But all is not lost. They have a new messiah to pin their hopes on.

Alan Shearer's managerial debut as Newcastle's saviour came and went without a great deal of coverage from the media, with the national press preferring to use a teenager's (albeit crucial) debut goal to inflate career expectations to insurmountable levels.

But football fans are surely more savvy than that. Football fans will want to know what is to become of everyone's second team. Football fans must be aware that the real story of the season is not the prospects of a 17-year-old Italian, but a 117-year-old institution.

Newcastle's performance at the weekend against title contenders Chelsea showcased a problem that might prove a step too far for their fledgling leader; plenty of perspiration and application, but a worrying lack of quality in all areas of the pitch.

The perennial issue of slack defending reared its head in Newcastle colours once more. Defensive issues are so much a part of the furniture on Tyneside they could fill a showroom at DFS. This is a mindset that many managers have tried, and failed, to rectify and is what surely holds the key to Newcastle's Premier League survival.

Having said this, the back is but one area that is in a terminal condition at Newcastle.

Ever the pundits' favourite soundbite, one is compelled to pose the age-old question, "Where are the goals going to come from?". It would appear that the triumvirate of Owen, Martins, and Lovenkrands cannot come up with the solution to that problem.

There can be no doubting that eventually Alan Shearer will become a manager of genuine quality. There can be equally little doubt that at some point he will hold the permanent position at the helm of Newcastle United Football Club when he is better prepared to steer them in a positive direction.

But he, like so many of us, followed his heart rather than his head when he took this appointment.

Shearer saw a club he loved in the mire and felt compelled to step in to do whatever he could to help in the eight games before the season's close. The cold steel in his face during Saturday afternoon showed the world he fully appreciated the gravity of the situation and his sheer will to pull them out of their predicament will inspire many.

However, this probably won't be enough to save them from the drop. He and his backroom staff know they are swimming against the current with a woefully short period of time to reach their goal. If he pulls it off, he'll be more than the messiah; he'll be a bona fide miracle worker.

Alan Shearer is the right man to lead Newcastle out of the darkness and fill the Kevin Keegan-shaped hole in the fans' hearts. But not now. He needs to do what 95 percent of the best managers around did—start at the bottom and learn the trade.

Football management is one of the hardest jobs going, made even harder under the intense media spotlight that follows the Premier League. It is becoming more and more crucial to learn in the lower leagues before you take the dream job, the one you've always dreamed of doing.

Rafa did it at Extramedura and Tenerife before taking over at Valencia and Liverpool. Alex Ferguson took charge at St. Mirren before leading Aberdeen to a host of silverware and their only league titles in 50 years. Arsene did it at Nancy-Lorraine and Monaco. Jose did it at Uniao de Leiria and Porto. The list goes on.

Shearer might just have let his emotions get the better of him this time. If he goes away after the end of this season, gets his badges, and learns the job, he could be one of Newcastle's managerial legends. Just not now.

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