Alan Shearer believes he has one person to thank for helping save his Newcastle United career when things looked very bleak.
The Magpies have had many players and figures arrive and become legends on Tyneside due to sheer commitment or their ability to get fans off their seats by scoring masses of goals.
Alan Shearer is undoubtedly one of them and has gone down as arguably the best Newcastle United player in the club’s history. 206 Premier League goals across 10 years on Tyneside makes him the all-time top scorer at the club, a record nobody has ever come close to.
Alexander Isak’s number of goals since his arrival in 2022 suggests he could catch up to the Newcastle legend if he stays at the club for several more years, but that remains to be seen with Liverpool interested.
Several managers came and went during Shearer’s time at Newcastle, but he has always hailed one as the man who saved his career and the football club.
Alan Shearer claims Sir Bobby Robson saved Newcastle United
When one looks at Newcastle’s best managers in their history, Sir Bobby Robson must be up there with the likes of Kevin Keegan. Arriving in 1999, Robson took Newcastle from likely relegation to Champions League football in less than three seasons.
The former England manager even had some of the best wanting to play for Newcastle at the time. Wayne Rooney had talks with Robson over a move to Newcastle before ultimately deciding that Manchester United was the right move. At the time, Shearer had struggled to form a good relationship with Ruud Gullit and was considering his future on Tyneside until Robson came in.
From there, Shearer regained his form and thrived under Robson. Appearing on the Overlap podcast in 2021, Shearer made it clear how much of an influence Robson had on his career and the future of Newcastle.
“The late great Sir Bobby came in. He saved my career here at Newcastle and saved this football club because it was going down, we were going to be relegated,” he said.
“When he came in, we were in the bottom three, couldn’t beat anyone. Went to Chelsea in his first game, put up a really good performance, were beaten unfortunately. But in his first game here (at St James’ Park) against Sheffield Wednesday, we put eight past them.
“He got all the senior players into his office. This is what he wants to do; this is how he’s going to treat everyone. He got everyone smiling again, so much energy back into the football club, not inside the dressing room but also in here (inside St James’ Park.)
“Where he took us at the bottom of the league to Champions League football. He was a genius as a man manager, how he got the best out of young players and experienced players. He was the very best at that.”
Eddie Howe saved Newcastle United like Bobby Robson did in 1999
Robson paved the way to a bright future for Newcastle, but it was sadly torn apart when Mike Ashley took over the club in 2007. Years of neglect, mismanagement and relegation followed before normality resumed when Newcastle were taken over in 2021.
Eddie Howe was appointed, and Newcastle are now thriving as one of the best clubs in England. Some will look at what Howe has done and liken it to what Robson achieved over 20 years ago.
However, Howe has achieved more than Robson in less time. Howe has been at Newcastle for three years, and has managed to help the club win their first piece of silverware since 1969 and guide them to the Champions League for a second time in three seasons.
Robson’s legacy will always be remembered on Tyneside; his statue outside St James’ Park is proof of that. He gave future Newcastle managers the benchmark which should be expected of everyone on Tyneside.
Howe also put Robson on his Mount Rushmore of managers, a huge sign of respect and another way of cementing the Newcastle legend’s legacy.
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