Roeder: Shearer can’t be replaced

NEW Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has admitted it would be a waste of time looking for another Alan Shearer.

The 50-year-old’s last game as caretaker manager was Shearer’s testimonial, and the biggest test facing him in the short-term after being appointed as permanent boss yesterday is the task of replacing the man who scored the goals which fuelled the Magpies’ ambitions for a decade.

Ruud van Nistelrooy’s situation at Manchester United has been monitored in recent weeks, and the club’s scouting network has been running the rule over Feyenoord hitman Dirk Kuyt and a series of other potential targets.

However, Roeder knows the chances of finding a replica are non-existent. He said: “You don’t replace Alan Shearer in terms of finding another Alan Shearer. Alex Ferguson just recently said he’s been looking for an Alan Shearer for the last 10 years since he turned him down.

“All he gets is, his scouts come back and say, ‘The only strikers we can find are strikers who tend to play in the hole’, strikers who don’t play like Alan, right up on the edge and play a physical game against defenders. But there are goalscorers out there, there are strikers who score goals, and we will need to find a striker to play with Michael (Owen).

“I have great faith in Shola Ameobi, who did particularly well for me, but there’s no doubt about it, I need to find a striker who will score the amount of goals we need him to score to be at the right end of the table.”

Roeder’s comments came as he was unveiled by chairman Freddy Shepherd at St James’ Park yesterday. The former West Ham boss has been handed a two-year contract, and although his coaching team is yet to be finalised, Shearer will act as a sporting ambassador for the club.

“I want to make Alan’s position quite clear,” said Shepherd. “He’s sporting ambassador and for the next two years at least, has a lot to do with his sportswear sponsor and the BBC. For the next two years, he will be doing quite a lot for them and for Newcastle.”

Roeder’s appointment may have gone down well on Tyneside, but it has not with the League Managers Association, who have repeatedly voiced their disapproval of the decision to allow him to take charge without a UEFA Pro Licence.

The former Magpies defender was diplomatic when asked about their stance, but Shepherd launched into LMA chief executive John Barnwell after he accused the club of opening the door to “the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker”.

“I think it’s a disgrace he’s said that, by the way, and shame on him,” he said. “The League Managers Association are a union, and for a union leader to try to stop someone getting a job, I find it incredible that he should go to these lengths, and I’m very, very disappointed. He’s an old neighbour of mine when we were kids. I can’t believe this guy has said that.”

Shepherd’s anger also took in the likes of Sam Allardyce and Paul Jewell, who along with other current managers, have been vociferous in their opposition. “I’m very disappointed,” he said. “Throughout the search for the right man, we have kept a dignified silence, but I feel today enough is enough. It’s a bit rich that some of the ones that have been making the most noise are the ones that Newcastle turned down for the manager’s job.

“You can see how upset I am with these guys.”

For Roeder, however, the only concentration is the future and the task of rebuilding his squad to meet Shepherd’s requirement of a top-six finish next season.

He said: “The chairman has given me a huge chance to manage successfully, and I like the expectation of working for a club that has to be in the top six, and even better. After a period of time, let’s aim higher, but to start with, the top six makes expectation high, and I like that pressure, and I want players who also enjoy that pressure.”