Shearer Ready To Step In!

But in contrast, owner Mike Ashley was right in the heart of the Toon supporters and he KNOWS the feeling is reaching boiling point.

Freddy Shepherd was always one for doing things HIS way; never consulted the fans; and drove on with an attitude he was Lord God almighty at St James' Park.

And that was why he got it wrong time and time again. He brought in his own men, and from Day One, he had to convince the supporters HE was right.

Did anyone seriously want Graeme Souness? There was patience with Glenn Roeder because he was from the backroom staff, but the ex-West Ham boss was never anyone's first choice.

As for Sam Allardyce? What could he bring to Newcastle that Roeder couldn't?

Never a success as a player, and a manager known for getting the best out of players at the end of their careers and making the most of the long-ball game.

Shepherd thought he was always right, when nine times out od ten he was clueless! And he made a rod for his own back by going against the wishes of the fans.

Ashley KNOWS what they want ... and that seems to be Alan Shearer. The man has never tasted league management and he would be a risk, but he would have Newcastle fans UNITED.

Something that only Kevin Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson have experienced for decades.

Shearer has made it known he is ready to step into management, and we all know where he wants to end up. Whether it be now or later.

United had a magnificent and vocal 5,000 following at the JJB Stadium - but their chants after Wigan took the lead left nobody in any doubt what they thought of the team ... and their manager.

Nobody knows what Ashley is thinking, but we have a good idea.
 
Allardyce still has two-and-a-half years of a £3m-a-year contract to run, and there is also the little matter of the 20 or so backroom staff who have joined the club recently, and who are presumably under contract.

It was noticeable at the JJB that, unlike 11 days earlier at Fulham when there were chants from the United fans of "Big Sam's black-and-white army", there was no support for the manager.

One reporter said: "I watched United file off the bus at the JJB Stadium and they looked a beaten team before the game.

"I hate to think what they will be like when they arrive for Saturday's game with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge."

After that United's next four away League games are at Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Liverpool, with a potential banana skin in the third round of the FA Cup at Stoke City a week on Sunday.

By then Oba Martins, Geremi, Habib Beye and Abdoulaye Faye will be heading to the African Nations Cup, and Alan Smith's booking yesterday means both the stand-in skipper and Nicky Butt are now both just a couple of yellow cards away from a two-match ban.

Sam has allegedly three games to get things right.

Some say there is trouble behind the scenes, and now he has started to distance himself from the players, giving THEM the blame. And that was the start of the end of both Souness and Roeder.

But he has one thing going in his favour ... our visit to Stamford Bridge could be the best time to play them.

Chelsea are having their problems for the visit of United, where they are protecting a run of 72 matches unbeaten in the Premier League.

They are without injured pair John Terry and Didier Drogba, while Ashley Cole and Ricardo Carvalho were sent off in yesterday's thrilling 4-4 draw with Aston Villa and face suspensions, although Cole has appealed.