Shearer: this game is not about me
Shearer, who retires at the end of the season, goes into what could be his last cup tie tonight when the Magpies face champions Chelsea in a quarter-final clash at Stamford Bridge.
The 35-year-old Geordie talisman would love to sign off with an elusive Cup winner’s medal in May, but is acutely aware that it is 37 years since Newcastle won a major trophy - the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup - and 51 since they last lifted the FA Cup.
He said: “People keep saying this season’s FA Cup is my last chance of winning silverware for Newcastle, but forget about that. It doesn’t mean anything to me personally.
“I won’t feel any different when I’m getting ready for this game. It’s the club’s last chance of silverware this year - not mine individually. It’s a team game. I’ve firmly believed in that team ethic throughout my career,” said the former England international.
“You never win any major honour for being an individual in our sport. You have to do as well as you can individually, but it’s the team that really matters.
“Sometimes you don’t always get what you deserve. I’m not saying I deserve anything. You’ve just got to work hard and then see what you get out of it.
“It’s another game and we are aware it’s a chance for us to get to the semi-finals and nothing else enters our minds. It’s a big game, but it’s not about me.”
Shearer is looking forward to facing Jose Mourinho’s men - and, in particular, ‘locking horns’ with Blues skipper John Terry.
“They are a great team,” said Shearer. “They are flying and have a great record.
“It’ll be tough, but who knows? There haven’t been too many shocks in the FA Cup this season and, if we were to win there, it would be regarded as a shock.
“Do I like the manager? I’ve never met him to be honest, but you can’t argue with his record.
“John Terry is a top player. I like his attitude and the way he goes about things.
“He loves to be a winner, which is a quality I like to see and he drives his team forward. I’m a big fan of his. I’ll be locking horns with him for the last time there and I’m sure it will be interesting.
“If we can get a result and bring them back to our place, hopefully we can go one step further. Nothing is impossible in our game.
“We can certainly take heart from our win against them in last season’s competition at our place, when no-one expected us to beat them,” said Shearer.
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