‘Heart over head’ - Alan Shearer told he ‘should have rejected’ Newcastle United manager role
Newcastle United took a punt on club legend Alan Shearer as manager in April 2009.
Former Newcastle United captain Alan Smith has claimed Alan Shearer should have snubbed the chance to become manager in 2009.
With the Magpies in dire straits, detested ex-owner Mike Ashley turned to the Toon icon in his hour of desperation. Just eight games of the Premier League season remained and the inexperienced Shearer arrived to try and beat the drop.
Ultimately, he won just one game as manager and Newcastle were relegated. Smith was an unused substitute as the Magpies lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on the final day of the season.
Alan Smith on Alan Shearer appointment
Reflecting on Shearer’s appointment, Smith - who stayed to help achieve promotion the following season - suggested he should have never taken the job. He said: “Shearer was the manager when we got relegated. It was difficult because he only came in for a short time, and it was difficult because there were so many changes in a short period of time.
“The season before we got relegated, Big Sam (was) fired, Keegan came in and stayed until Christmas the following year and left, Joe Kinnear came for a bit and left, and then Shearer came in. We ended up getting relegated and that bit was difficult, and no one could get their teeth into it with the new ownership group, and there was nothing relatable for the fans.
“Changes all over. It was difficult for a lot of people. It must have been difficult for Alan as in his heart of hearts, he should probably have said no. Unfortunately for him, it was probably his only shot at it and he didn’t get a fair crack at it.
“Sometimes you let your heart rule your head and you back yourself, but I think he felt the responsibility to do it because it was his club and that was the difficulty. I don’t think anyone really knows if he was offered the job the next year.”
Championship season the crowning moment
Smith also admitted that Newcastle fans never saw his best form but gave a special mention to the Championship campaign. He added: “The Championship season was obviously the big one. Everything before that was under a big cloud, the managers, the ownership, it was all over the place for a while. I think that stability we found under Chris Hughton really solved everything and we won the Championship.
“Realistically, the Newcastle fans never saw what they probably expected from me, and that was kind of sad. But I'd say the Championship season was amazing, because I think they saw more the personality of me as a player than anything else, which was always me.
“I could do that, that season, in that league. It needed big personalities after we'd been relegated to try and kind of keep spirits up, trying to get us promoted.”