Sir Bobby Robson: "Alan might not have any experience, but he knows what the club is all about, he knows the supporters, he knows how they feel and he'd be dedicated to it.
"Alan will make a good manager. He has got clout. He had that in the dressing room as a player, he loved the club. He wanted training and everything around the club right."The one thing he hasn't got is experience and to run a club like Newcastle you'd need an experienced man.
"So if Alan came in, he'd need someone else to coach for him or be a good liaison with him.
"What Newcastle need is a top manager and without that they won't succeed.
"The club, financially, has to be stable.
"But the most important thing for me is the same as it's always been. The appointment of a top manager is crucial. He's the puppet master, he pulls the strings.
"All the big, successful clubs have top managers who know the game, can impart that knowledge, who are a good judge of a player, a good tactician, an enthusiast, who get on with the players and know how to handle big players and discipline them.
"Without that sort of manager, you will not run a big club. All the top managers have it: Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, I'd like to think I was one of them. And it takes time. "I was at Newcastle five years and it took two years to get it together. Then we finished third, fourth and fifth and then they sacked me.
"What Newcastle needs is a top-class manager and without that, they won't succeed. We need someone who comes to Newcastle and lives in Newcastle.
"Whether Kevin will come back or whether they'll give it to Alan or a combination of the two or someone else entirely, I don't know.
"But I think both (Shearer and Keegan) are realistic prospects. And I think they'd be welcome, too."
The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation was set up to raise money for the early detection and treatment of cancer in the North East.
To donate to the fund, visit www.justgiving.com/thesirbobbyrobsonfoundation or post a cheque payable to the "Sir Bobby Robson Foundation" to: The Sir Bobby Robson Foundation, PO Box 307, Heaton, NE7 7QG.