Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:06 pm
At first, I was a bit gutted to say the least. I was desperate for an enthusiastic manager with at least some experience with a Championship side. Hell, even Derek McInnes would have been alright with the job he's done at St Johnstone. Also getting in a manager on substantially less wages than Dave Jones would give us vital funds that we so desperately need to rebuild our tiny squad. Then seeing an inexperienced and potentially expensive man like Shearer coming in, kind of went against everything I, and most people I think, wanted in our new man.
But the positives are starting to make sense to me. First off, the profile of Shearer will help us a lot in the short term, both here and abroad. A big name might be enough to sway those who were off down the M4 to see the Jacks next season instead stick around to stay in the mental ward that is Cardiff City. Also, with Shearers apparent links to Malaysia (Apparently was lined up to manage Newcastle permanently if a Malaysian consortium were able to take them over), new investment from fans of Shearer, VT's special guests at the CCS and those involved in the previous bid for Newcastle could be forthcoming. This leads on to my second point, that if the alleged high wage for Shearer is true, then surely he's going to be backed substantially. He surely wouldn't have risked his reputation as a manager so early on on a job that looks seemingly impossible what with lingering financial perils, the many exiting fans and players and the tiny playing squad. He's obviously got some balls in taking this job, not taking into account any money involved; he could have easily sat back on his BBC wages which I'm guessing were vast, but instead he still has the drive and determination to be involved in football even after 20 years of playing, which can only be applauded and is a testament to the passion that he has for the game. Other positives are that he will be looked up to by the players, he definitely won't be someone to put up with any shit from the players and he is well respected by many other clubs which will make transfers potentially easier, not to mention the links he may already have.
The one thing I will say annoys me is the way in which this appointment is pretty much a publicity stunt rather than an actual footballing move. There's no way that those in charge of the manager hunt will have put his name forward ahead of the likes of Hughton, Di Matteo, Mackay and if we're banding the money around, O'Neill. In a club where Gethin Jenkins reputation is pretty much in the toilet with the fans, it's doesn't say much that his bosses are even ignoring his input, despite two weeks of searching, scouting and interviews.
All in all though, I'm warming to the idea of Shearer and if he's paired with an experienced assistant manager, it could prove to be a masterstroke from the Malaysians.
Also thanks for reading all that is you can be bothered. Just felt like putting forward my two cents.