It has been reported that Alan Shearer turned down Manchester United twice.
That's not true. The fact is he only turned them down once.
In 1992 Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United both registered an interest in Alan Shearer. Ultimately he was sold to Blackburn Rovers for a then British record fee of 3.3 million pounds.
92-93 saw Blackburn finish in 4th place which in all likelihood would have been higher had Shearer not sustained a serious injury midway through the season. The following season he continued his goalscoring form, leading the club to a 2nd place finish.
In the summer of 1994 Blackburn and Man United once again registered an interest in a top class forward. On this occasion it was Chris Sutton whom the sellers made available for a fixed price of 5 million pounds to prevent a "saga" scenario.
This went against Man United's usual policy of tapping up players and unsettling clubs so they decided to withdraw. Good to see them get a taste of their own medicine regarding Ronaldo wasn't it? First they lose a major final to the Spanish champions now they lose their star player to the runners up! Does this mean Real Madrid have the right to self proclaim themselves as the biggest club in the world now?
Ultimately Shearer and Sutton formed a successful partnership and BRFC ended the 94-95 season as champions. Shearer was the Premier League's top scorer and indeed still holds the all time EPL scoring record.
The following season was one of colossal failure from a Rovers standpoint. Shearer was not at any personal fault for this as he once again dominated the scoring charts. In Euro 96 he finished as the tournament's top scorer. This led to multiple offers of interest both domestically and abroad. The leading contenders for Shearer's signature in England were Manchester United and Newcastle.
As per their usual policy Man United began a deliberate campaign to unsettle Shearer and undermine Blackburn, who remained confident of retaining Shearer. Indeed Shearer himself stated he would remain at Ewood. Jack Walker even went as far as to offer Shearer a player manager's role intending for a gradual process which would see him take over from the late Ray Harford.
As far as club supporters were concerned the worst case scenario would be Shearer leaving for Man United. Local journalist Peter White summed up the anti-Man Utd feeling perfectly and accurately.
White wrote, "Rovers should never be forgiven for allowing that to happen. They know they would never be forgiven if they let Shearer go to the club the Rovers fans love to hate. Fans might just live with a move to Barcelona or Milan. But not to "that lot."
Fortunately Jack Walker shared the dislike of Manchester United. Indeed after completing his takeover in 1991 he stated that he intended to make Man United "look cheap." Note that Liverpool had been the dominant force at that time for many years.
Even though Manchester United submitted a higher bid than Newcastle for Shearer it was still rejected. Jack Walker would not have sold Shearer to Man United under any circumstances. Shearer realised he would not get his first choice.
Upon signing for Newcastle Shearer took the opportunity to boost his reputation. He claimed that Newcastle were his first choice to enhance his hero status. Though some media outlets knew the truth realising Jack Walker had blocked his true wish gullible Newcastle fans took Shearer's word as gospel.
Don't be fooled by Shearer. When he took the manager's role for the last few games of the season he cleverly inserted himself into a no lose situation. He knew that if he was unsuccessful in saving Newcastle he would not be blamed.
If he succeeded he would take all the credit and his hero status would shoot through the roof. It dosen't look like he will take the Newcastle role for the upcoming season. That's because Shearer dosen't want to risk getting the blame. He wants to play the white knight role as the last minute saviour.
Shearer does at least have some justifiable questions regarding transfer funding. People should remember that Shearer is used to management with huge budgets available to them. Aside from his time at Southampton this is what he's used to. It's no surprise that his demands are anything different.
It should also be noted that Kenny Dalglish (whom Newcastle had the incredible audacity to sack just so Frederick Shepherd could boost his ego) and Bobby Robson are the only managers he had whom spent well. They are the men he should learn from not the likes of Kevin Keegan. A managerial loser who Ashley should never have appointed in the first place. One of his many mistakes.
So how did Alex Ferguson (I don't refer to anyone as sir especially not the likes of him) react to the Shearer refusal? Unsurprisingly with typical vitriol. He accused Jack Walker of hating Manchester United (which was accurate and I hate them too for the record) and even went so far as to claim Jack portrayed Shearer's sale as a victory to BRFC fans because at least they hadn't sold him to Man United.
I wouldn't quite go so far as to say Jack considered it a victory but Newcastle was a better alternative to Man United as far as he was concerned. It's likely Ferguson read Peter White's comments when he stated in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that the one consolation was that Shearer hadn't been sold to Manchester United.
As for Blackburn fans the current view of Shearer is a strange one. At first when he returned he was heavily booed. If you were at Ewood Park when Newcastle visited for a FA Cup fixture in 2000 that was the night Rovers supporters answered the question of whom they blamed most for the club's downfall. I wasn't there for his first return in 1996 but I bet it wasn't as bad as the 2000 reception.
Gradually the relationship got a little better though it would perhaps be best described as strained. The boos stopped and when he was substituted in his last premier league appearance at Ewood he was clapped by all sides of the stadium.
He also returned for a testimonial in 2005 in which he received a hero's welcome. Jason Wilcox appeared too and for the first time ever wasn't treated like garbage by the BRFC support.
He was first choice last summer for the manager's role with the club board and many supporters. He wasn't my first choice but I would have accepted his appointment. By the end of the season though mocking chants were aimed at Shearer suggesting he hasn't been entirely forgiven. This is because he claimed he wasn't leaving Ewood and subsequently did so. There will always be a certain degree of bitterness for that.
Do I hate Shearer? No but if he's going to make false claims I'm not going to accept that without a response. The truth is that Jack Walker refused to sell Shearer to Man United. It's about time the whole footballing world realised that.
Deep down inside Newcastle fans know the truth as well.
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