THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEWCASTLE, England — Alan Shearer was hired Wednesday to manage Newcastle for the remaining eight matches of the season in a bid to prevent the Premier League club from being relegated.
After a year of disarray on and off the field, the Magpies hope the 38-year-old Shearer can haul them out of the three-team relegation zone despite having no coaching experience and not yet starting his UEFA Pro License course.
Shearer, who will be assisted by former Crystal Palace and Queen’s Park Rangers manager Ian Dowie, has been a TV commentator with the BBC since retiring in April 2006 after scoring 206 goals in 395 appearances for the northeast club.
"I, just like many thousands of people, desperately don’t want the club to go down and I will do everything I can to try to prevent that," Shearer said. "It’s a tough situation Newcastle are in and I feel deeply for this club. I believe I can help it along with the players. There is a nucleus here that can get this club out of trouble.
"They are very good players lacking confidence and it’s up to me and the staff to get the best out of them."
Newcastle was forced into recruiting Shearer after another temporary manager, Joe Kinnear, had to relinquish control to undergo heart surgery.
Relegation to the League Championship — 16 years after being promoted — could be costly for owner Mike Ashley if the club doesn’t make an instant return.
Shearer faces a daunting first test Saturday with a home match against third-place Chelsea. Newcastle is third from bottom in the 20-team standings with 29 points, ahead of Middlesbrough by two and West Bromwich Albion by five.
"This is for an eight-game spell. I’m looking no further than that," Shearer said. "Joe Kinnear is in the job at the moment and recovering well from his operation.
"I’m here for eight games and eight games only and I aim to try to keep this team in the Premier League."
Newcastle’s all-time record scorer has resisted the club’s interest in the past because of concerns over the management structure. But Shearer’s appointment coincided with the exit of Dennis Wise, the executive director of football, and there are no plans to replace the former Leeds manager, who was hired in January 2008 to oversee transfers.
"Everyone at Newcastle United is absolutely delighted that Alan has taken on this challenge," said managing director Derek Llambias, who approached Shearer with Ashley last weekend. "Already there is a buzz around the club and the city. The news has given everyone a massive boost."
Shearer will hold his first training session with the squad on Thursday morning before holding a news conference in the afternoon.
Shearer is the team’s fourth manager this season after Kevin Keegan and temporary managers Kinnear and Chris Hughton..
After several years of failure, the club recalled Keegan as manager for the second time in January 2008 to revive its hopes. But he departed in September less than a month into this season after a dispute with Ashley and Wise over transfers and interference from other officials at the club.
Unpopular with the fans, Ashley tried to sell the club but failed to get the price he wanted amid the global economic downturn.
Kinnear took over as temporary manager but his health problems returned and, with assistant Chris Hughton in charge while he underwent a triple heart bypass operation, the club slipped into the relegation zone. Hughton and Colin Calderwood will continue their coaching roles with the first team.
Newcastle has won four league titles and six FA Cups. Its last major trophy was the 1969 Fairs’ Cup, the forerunner of the UEFA Cup. It last won the league title in 1927 and the FA Cup in ’55.