Oh, to have been a fly on the wall during Mike Ashley’s meeting when he decided that Alan Shearer was the man to replace Joe Kinnear as manager of Newcastle United:

Blimey! Okay men, we ‘ave a problem. Old Joe Kinnear ‘as a dodgy ‘eart, an’ aaahr team is in freefall an’ looks likely ter be relegated. Who can we get ‘ire that’ll get da fans off me back, is desperate ter manage Newcastle on a short-term basis, an’ll excite da suppawters? I’ve got it. Alan Shearer. Nuff said, yeah?

The move by Mike Ashley smacks of desperation, but these are desperate times at Newcastle United. The Tyneside club sit third from bottom, have been floundering under the most useless caretaker/assistant manager in English football (Chris Hughton) and the fans have been turning against Ashley and the club all season long. The frustration seen on Newcastle supporters faces as they were overpowered by Arsenal was plain to see, and shows how this once mighty club has fallen so far in such a relatively short amount of time.

While Alan Shearer has no management experience, he will at least ensure that his Newcastle side will go down fighting. Whether there’s down to the Coca-Cola Championship or down to the last day to escape relegation, we will have to see. But the tenacity and passion that Shearer exhibited as a Newcastle and England legend will undoubtedly cause his players to rise to the challenge. If anyone was to give the Newcastle United players a kick up the backside, it’s Alan Shearer.

Short-term, it’s a good move. Long-term, it’s a massive gamble. Whether Shearer has the management know-how to guide his team out of the relegation battle and to maintain a consistency is a complete unknown. Let’s just hope his management skills are miles better than his TV punditry.

Newcastle United are expected to unveil Alan Shearer as the temporary manager of the club on Thursday morning.