Dropping Owen was not really a shock - but playing 'Fat Boy' Viduka certainly was.
The Australian is as mobile as a slug, and what the hell was Shearer thinking about playing him off the Liverpool back-line.
Sir Bobby Robson (at 70-plus) is quicker off the mark than Viduka. We were always going to be under the cosh, and we needed someone with pace to stretch the Liverpool defence ... or at least keep them on their toes.
What does Viduka give us? His strength is holding up play in his own two-yard square plot of land. Give him the ball - he won't move with it - but he can find openings for others.
The problem is - getting him in the opponent's penalty area! It takes a JCB and a pick-up truck.
We were NEVER going to beat Liverpool, regardless who we put on the field, but Shearer wrote off the match when he named his team.
Alan Shearer: "This job is not proving harder than I thought when I took over. I always knew it was a difficult job, but not impossible.
"Michael Owen was upset to be left out , but took the decision like the professional he is.
"He wasn't happy to be left out. I didn't want him to be happy.
"But he took it, and he has been very professional about it. That is what he is.
"The frustration has been that we haven't been creating chances. That's the problem. Is Martins more likely to score one from 25 yards than Michael? Probably.
"We knew we would be feeding on scraps, and we had a couple. It wouldn't have been a different story is they had gone in, but I was just trying something different. He took it the right way, (he was) very professional about it.
"Players don't do what they are asked to do. I don't feel powerless, though. It is my job to put a team out I believe can do a job, but it didn't happen at Anfield.
"We have to forget about it, though. The Liverpool game wasn't going to save us, but the next two might.
"We have two home games next, against Middlesbrough who are in as much trouble as we are, and then at home to Fulham before the final game at Aston Villa.
"We have to eradicate (the Liverpool result), get rid of it, it's gone. We will work all week and get ourselves ready for a massive game next Monday against Middlesbrough."