The Reason For The Shearer/Keegan Fall Out!

Shearer revealed on Saturday that he has spoken with Keegan about a role on The Magpies coaching staff, and that was the first conversation in 18 months.

The pair spoke briefly on Friday for the first time since Keegan agreed to take the St James' Park job for a second time.

Keegan, who signed Shearer for £15million from Blackburn Rovers in July 1996, offended the GOALden Boy after he failed to attend his testimonial when invited.

Keegan: "I would like to think there is no animosity there but if you are asking me if Alan rings me as much as he used to, then no he doesn't.

"I couldn't come to Alan's testimonial as I was on a family holiday in the US and I didn't come back for it.

"Things like that, sadly, may have affected him. But it hasn't affected me and I want to talk with Alan.

"It is possibly true that it did offend him in some way. But flying all the way from America is something I would not have expected him to do for me.

"If that is the reason he doesn't ring me anymore, then that disappoints me. But I will ring him and ask him.

"I would like to think we are great friends - from the minute I met him and signed him in David Platt's farmhouse in Cheshire. We had a fantastic relationship and a very honest one.

"There is an involvement for Alan at this football club. That involvement at the moment could be on his terms.

"I know he would be a fantastic person to have around the club and help people in the art of goal-scoring and finishing - and just talking to the players.

"If he cannot be there on Saturday because he has television work then he can't even think of himself as a No.2.

"But I will probably say: 'I am here now, do you see any role for yourself?'

"That would be the sensible approach but Alan and I need to have that conversation.

"People talk about Alan being my successor and if you ask the Geordie public they will say yes to that.

"I had a conversation with Alan about management and the manager's job at Newcastle.

"I said to him, 'It will come for you one day, you don't have to go looking for it'."

Thursday 11th May 2006
ALAN SHEARER TESTIMONIAL: NEWCASTLE UTD 3 CELTIC 2

The Geordie public gathered at St James' Park to say goodbye to the man who will always remain a legend on Tyneside. How often have we heard this week "he won nothing", but when he says "I lived the dream and I couldn't care less about medals" you know it comes from the heart.

Others, like Gazza and Peter Beardsley, told of their pride of wearing the Toon shirt. I'm sure they did. But they didn't know how quick to get away from the club in search of stardom - Shearer turned down the biggest clubs in the world to come to Newcastle. THAT'S the difference - and THAT is what we should always remember. 

The 35-year-old striker, whose playing days were ended three weeks prematurely by a knee injury, started and finished his testimonial game against Celtic - scoring the winner from the penalty spot after returning to the pitch as a substitute in injury time.

For the record, £9.5million signing Albert Luque volleyed the Magpies in front on 70 minutes - but a Shaun Maloney penalty and a John Hartson header put Celtic ahead before Paul Lawson's own goal and Shearer's spot-kick won it.

Newcastle old boys Steve Watson and Gary Speed each played part of a first half in which the home side - with all the players wearing number nine on their shorts - enjoyed the better of the chances.

Caretaker boss Glenn Roeder made six changes at the break, one of them handing Steven Taylor his first football since Boxing Day. The noise was not quelled by the arrival of Rob Lee as a 67th-minute substitute, and it grew further when Luque volleyed home Peter Ramage's 70th-minute cross to open the scoring.

Les Ferdinand - the man Shearer regards as his best partner at the club - entered the fray seconds later. But Celtic were level on 79 minutes when Maloney was tripped by Ramage, and the midfielder converted the resulting penalty.

Hartson looked to have won the game for the visitors with a trademark header eight minutes from time. But after Lawson had deflected Ferdinand's cross into his own net, the ending the script demanded duly arrived. Referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a 'diplomatic' penalty after Ferdinand went down in the box in injury-time, and Shearer returned to the pitch to score from the spot - just as he had done in his final competitive game at Sunderland.