Blues braced for Shearer effect
Hiddink has suffered twice at the hands of Shearer the player and the Dutchman expects him to lift the relegation-haunted Magpies when he takes charge of the side for the first time today.
Shearer was among the scorers when England beat Hiddink’s Holland at Euro ‘96 and he also netted as Bobby Robson’s Newcastle knocked PSV Eindhoven out of the UEFA Cup five years ago.
“You have to respect the decision that has been made by whoever is in charge and there is always a reaction when something happens in a club,” said Hiddink.
“It was the same here. There will be a reaction from the team and the crowd and we can expect a tight game and a lot of fighting spirit from our opponents. I respect him very much. I know him as a player. He is quite a personality and will have an influence on the team. There will be a hectic atmosphere tomorrow. It forces us to give everything we have.
“I cannot judge whether he will stay longer than eight games, that is not my big problem. But it is always good to have big players making a transition to a manager.’’
Chelsea have been rocked by an ankle injury to Ivorian striker Didier Drogba but, with one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Liverpool, Hiddink will be hoping he can quickly regain his fitness.
Drogba jarred his ankle during shooting practice in training and, along with right-back Jose Bosingwa, who injured his hamstring on international duty with Portugal, the Chelsea medical staff face a race against time to get them back for the trip to Anfield.
“Bosingwa got a hamstring injury and will not be available,” said Hiddink. “We will see what he can do up to Wednesday.
“Drogba has a problem. We did an exercise where he got injured and he will not be in the squad tomorrow.
“He has a problem in the ankle. We did some shooting practice and he hit the ground with his foot and it jarred in the ankle. But Nicolas Anelka is fit and will be in the squad.”
Meanwhile Shearer has warned his players they face a stark choice between playing in front of packed houses in the Premier League or 10,000 fans in the Championship.
However, while the new Newcastle boss is taking a bullish approach and is convinced the squad has enough quality to stave off relegation, he is fully aware of the alternative.
Shearer said: “What do we want now? Do we want to be playing in front of 10,000 or 12,000 people next season in grounds not as good as ours next year?
“Or do we want to be playing here at St James’ and going to Old Trafford and Anfield? There’s no choice. We need to stay up, and it has to be done. And I have seen enough from the players already to suggest that they are capable of it.
“It’s now a case of getting them to believe that. I believe it and hopefully they will as well.”
Two points adrift of safety with only eight games to play, the Magpies are in deep trouble and serious candidates for the drop.
Four of their remaining fixtures will be played on Tyneside and seem likely to hold the key to their future.
Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and Fulham are still to visit St James’ after high-flying Chelsea, while next weekend’s difficult trip to fellow strugglers Stoke will be followed by away games at resurgent Tottenham, Liverpool and, on a potentially make-or-break final day, Aston Villa.
Shearer said: “I keep hearing people say it is a tough (opening) game (against Chelsea). I understand that.
“Chelsea have world-class players and a great, experienced manager.
“However, I still think it is a great game for us to have. I’m not having the fact people keep saying, ‘We will not get anything here’.
“I do not accept that. If we do not gain anything (today) and other teams win, they will be five points ahead of us. We have to take something.”
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