Whelan: "I have every sympathy with referees these days when we are seeing players diving. But there is one man, Alan Shearer, who can never be accused of this and others should look at him and learn from him. Alan Shearer is the hero of every little boy with a genuine passion for football.
"He is a true icon and you can never ever accuse this fellow of bending the rules. If he goes down it is because he has been fouled or tripped or he has stumbled.
"We have learned this week that his testimonial is a 52,000 sell-out, but are we surprised? Not in the least. I have said it before and I'll say it again the Premiership is not going to be the same without him.
"There has always been argy-bargy in the penalty area. It is now possibly increasing due to the influx of foreign players. Perhaps the time is ripe for referees to be given help because theirs is a thankless task.
"But it's a great pity that more players do not play the game in the same way Alan Shearer has through his career."