Alan Shearer appointed Newcastle manager
Details of Newcastle's Latest Managerial Appointment
Apr 2, 2009
The Newcastle legend will oversee the clubs remaining eight fixtures of the Premier League and will instantly find himself embroiled in a relegation dogfight as Newcastle currently sit third bottom in the table.
The Magpies are two points from safety and face a difficult run of games, starting with a home fixture against Chelsea.
Shearer comes in to take the reigns from temporary managers Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood, who were put in charge after former boss Joe Kinnear fell ill and was deemed unable to return to work until later in the season.
It is thought that Joe Kinnear will return to the club in some capacity after his layoff and former Crystal Palace, Coventry and QPR boss Ian Dowie will also join up as part of Shearer's back room staff.
Second Coming for Shearer
Despite having no previous managerial experience, Newcastle fans are delighted with the appointment of local hero Alan Shearer. Supporters have been calling for this appointment for a few years now, ever since Glenn Roeder's sacking in 2007.
Shearer played for Newcastle between 1996 and 2006 and is the club's all time leading goal scorer with 148 goals.
He failed to win any major trophies with his beloved side, but was an F.A Cup runner up and played in the Champions league during one of Newcastle's more successful periods.
Shearer Reunited with Michael Owen
One of the more interesting aspects of Shearer's return to the club is the reuniting of himself and his former England strike partner Michael Owen.
Owen has missed a majority of the season through injury and has recently been accused by some sections of the English media of lacking commitment to football.
Owen is just starting to regain fitness and should be fit for the relegation run in, providing there's no recurrence of his injury.
It will be interesting to see if Shearer's presence can reignite Owen's form, and turn him back into the prolific goal scorer everyone knows he can be, at such a crucial time in Newcastle's season.
No April Fools Joke
There had been an air of caution in the media to reporting this sensational story. With the appointment coming on April 1st and Newcastle being slow to confirm the details, some thought this may have been a cruel April fools joke started by rivals Sunderland or Middlesbrough.
However, Shearer himself has confirmed that he has indeed taken the job for the next eight games. Whether he is offered any further deal after that must surely depend on if he can keep the Magpies in the Premier League against all the odds.
