Alan Shearer is arguably the best player to ever turn out for Newcastle United, but Sir Bobby Robson very nearly didn’t even give him a chance.
After scoring 206 goals for Newcastle United over the years, it’s safe to say Alan Shearer did his part for the Magpies.
Is Alan Shearer’s 260-goal Premier League record in danger after Erling Haaland netting his 100th?⚽
“I know about it but I don’t think too much about it.”
Erling Haaland on Alan Shearer’s record
He more than repaid the £15m fee and established himself as a bona fide Newcastle United legend as well as becoming one of the greatest strikers to ever grace the Premier League.
The idea of him not being good enough or being replaced is ludicrous, but Sir Bobby Robson had more than a few doubts about Shearer when he first came to Tyneside.
Bobby Robson wanted to replace Alan Shearer
On the latest episode of Beyond the Back Four, former Newcastle scout Paul Montgomery shared some insight into Robson’s initial thoughts when he took over as Newcastle United manager in 1999.
Montgomery recalled: “I said, ‘So what’s your main priority?’ He says, ‘Well, a striker.’ And I went, well Shearer was there and I say, ‘You’ve got the best striker.’
“He says, ‘Yeah. I have. But he’s been injured. I’m not sure, you know, on the fitness.’ And he says, ‘And secondly, the other manager [Ruud Gullit], was playing him all over the place. I need to get him back to being Alan Shearer the way he is in the box, scoring goals.”
It didn’t take long for Robson to be proven wrong, to be fair. Montgomery added: “I think if I remember right the first game, he scored five goals and we won by eight and beat Sheffield Wednesday.”
Should Alan Shearer have achieved more at Newcastle?
Alan Shearer was a leader at Newcastle, and his goals carried the Magpies for so many years. But, throughout that time, it counted for very little, really.
Newcastle’s best achievement during Shearer’s time at the club was to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. No trophies. No genuine success.
Alan Shearer can’t quite put his finger on Newcastle United’s away form 🤔
“Away from home Newcastle have really disappointed. I think that’s the conundrum they’ve added. Their home form is excellent. But I’ve said before about when you’re being rolled in front of your own fans at home, it’s difficult, you can’t give anything but 100%. When you drop a fraction in football, we know the differences that can make.
“Obviously they have made too many errors away from home, that’s one of the reasons why they haven’t had the results and have been really poor. That has to change if they’re going to start and climb the table. We’ve seen what they’re capable of last week against Manchester City.
“Now, they need to put that in again, just because it’s against Everton and it’s away from home shouldn’t make any difference. So, I’d be looking for them to replicate the energy that they showed, and everything else about their performance against Man City, and we need to see that away from home as well.”
Alan Shearer on Newcastle United’s away form
Shearer’s Premier League goalscoring record is a phenomenal achievement, and one that should stand for a long time still, despite Erling Haaland’s best efforts.
It’s not Shearer’s fault that Newcastle didn’t win any silverware. But it will certainly be a big regret of his that he was never able to take the Magpies to the next level.
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