Alan Shearer's Future Hanging By A Banker's Thread
It is difficult to understand how, after more than a week of talks, Alan Shearer has still not been confirmed as Newcastle United's manager but at the end of a season of slowly unraveling farces we probably should have expected another one.
It looked like a no-brainer to me, even from the piazzas of Verona and Venice. Went Newcastle went down there was only one direction for the club to turn - towards the slightly balding former skipper who feels the club in his bones.
Shearer wants the job and Mike Ashley wanted to give it to him. It should have been wrapped up in a couple if stays. Instead, after a week of deadlock we are told Shearer's future will be decided by a bunch of bankers and we all know what that rhymes with.
They are in control of the purse strings at St James's Park following the decision by Ashley to put the club up for sale for the second time in 10 months and they will decide whether Shearer's appointment can go ahead within the strict financial perimeters they have been forced to impose following relegation..
It is interesting that details of Shearer's wage demands have been leaked. At £2.5m a year Shearer is asking for a lot and don't forget Iain Dowie and Paul Ferris also need to be looked after), especially when you consider the average wage for a Championship manager is only £500,000, but is he worth it?
Shearer won just one game out of eight and he failed to keep the Magpies up. Does that really offer value for money? That is what the men in suits might think when they are presented with the cruel hard facts to accompany their balance sheets this week.
As for putting the banks in charge of a managerial appointment? Didn't exactly cover themselves in glory with the old credit crunch did they!
It's quite scary when you think about it. Accountants making a call based purely on money which potentially has dire consequences for the future of Newcastle United.
It's not quite that black and white. The banks have been asked to seal the deal, but there is a feeling within the club that Shearer's wage demands, as well as his request for a £20m transfer kitty and the guaranteed non-sale of certain players, could cause the whole thing to come tumbling down.
And if Shearer walks away, back to the BBC studio with the Match of the Day sofa, who on earth would want to take charge of a club which is up for sale? Oh no, what's that coming over the hill it's Joe Kinnear, Joe Kinnear......
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Luke Edwards - is Chief Sports Writer of The Journal and uses his blog to give a unique and entertaining insight into events at Newcastle United and Sunderland.
That's a ridiculous amount that Shearer's asking for if correct. With his run of results he should take less money just to cut his teeth. I was optimistic as he seemed to influence the team when he was a sidekick to Roeder, but our last few games were very poor and his demands cannot warrant those figures.
Any new manager should be given a short-term deal until any takeover happens anyway.
Far better we start to live within our means, that goes for managers as well as players.
I just hope that the mass clearout happens regardless.
Welcome back Luke, I hope the Italian wine, sunshine and the distance from Tyneside helped shelter you from last weekend's debacle...a debacle however which has once again become protracted to the point of despair.
I must say I'm surprised by the £2.5m per year wage demands (if they're actually true) - surely a lower wage with the incentive of it being increased upon promotion would be a fairer arrangement from the club's perspective. (I stress 'Club' and hope no-one interprets that as 'Ashley'.)
It all smacks a bit of Groundhog Day to me. "Ashley puts Newcastle up for sale", "Club could be sold within a month", "X number of interested parties", "Decision expected by the end of this week", "no wait, make that next week", and so on.
I feel I've been one of more quiet observers of the Ashley situation, but this laughable setup needs to be erased at the earliest opportunity, this being the "top" in the goal of rebuilding the club from top to bottom - I just hope that whoever comes in knows enough to put football people in charge of the football club. We can't have the club run like this any longer. It's time for professionalism to return to Newcastle United - whatever league we're in.
Ya right Luke, Shearer should be in charge and the new buyers would have a better club.
What's the crack with these Omani guys wanting to buy the club?
We had all these stories last year but this seems to have some truth in it I reckon.
The thing with credible business people who are interested in buying football clubs is that they do things quietly. This Oman thing was a tip off by someone involved on the outside rather than directly so there is more likely to be something in it. However, as of Monday afternoon no bids have been made so it's just speculation at the moment I'm afraid.
Whoever leaked this seems to have failed to point out that Michael Owen's reported £90k a week is over 4.5 million a year.
A manager is far more important than an individual striker - even one who is performing.
A good manager is worth far more than the overpaid players who populate the league - who don't have any of the pressure / focus placed upon them.
It seems the same mistakes are being made again and again - treating football in the same manner as a discount sports business does not work.
Hi Luke,
Hope you enjoyed your little break- back to the soap that is NUFC!
What's the likely hood of this Omani group buying us? You say they have made their interest known but David Craig says there has been no interest at all!
We heard all this last year- What's different this time round?
Just hope it's done quickly!
It's good to see atleast a couple of sensible heads on here not automatically thinking Shearer is right in everything. His wages and other demands are basically outlandish if you ask me. Personally, he's holding the club to ransom, and i think he's doing it cos he doesn't really want the job. Atleast, not in a way that doesn't make it much easier on him...anyone could manage newcastle in the championship with the kind of transfer kitty and wages he wants to play with. If he really cared for the club, he would take the job regardless of the money available, and he wouldn't be asking for 5 times the average wage for a manager in that division. It's obvious to anyone that Newcastle need to atleast half their wage bill, yet Shearer appears to want to spend atleast 10% of that half just on the management. Ashley, for all his mistakes, is giving up over £150million to try to help newcastle, what is shearer prepared to give up?
The interest was leaked by people who are close to the deal but not directly involved if that makes any sense. As I've said before, I never believe any takeover speculation until it has been confirmed by Seymour Pierce, the bank in charge of selling the club. I've been told by them that there is definitely some interest, but I do not know the identity of the consortia and no bid has been made yet. It's all just talk. You're right Thomas, we went through all this last time and Ashley ended up staying didn't he. I rule nothing out at this stage, I just hope this Shearer thing is finalised sooner rather than later!
I take it you haven't heard Shearers statement then ActionSteve?
I imagine his wages are the last thing on his mind!
Hey Luke,
Great blog again.
I take it from your comments that you have spoke to Keith Harris?
The man on Sky said that there hasn't even been any interest.
Who to believe.....
Sultan qaboos bin said!
If he has proved he has the money to Seymour Pierce he is serious!
He's the man!