Shearer forced to learn quickly

Alan Shearer admits he has found himself thrust into a crash-course in management since taking over at Newcastle.

The 38-year-old former Magpies and England striker worked under a series of hugely experienced men during his playing career, and can call upon the expertise of the likes of Bobby Robson, Terry Venables and Kenny Dalglish as he attempts to drag his home town club out of the relegation mire.

However, while he has drawn on the methods of some of those men during his first few weeks at the helm, he has revealed the ever-evolving nature of the game means he is having to learn on the job.

Shearer takes his side to Tottenham tomorrow desperate to emerge with a positive result to go with the hard-fought point they claimed at Stoke last weekend and keep their hopes of Barclays Premier League survival alive.

Asked if he has been able to use what he gleaned from his own managers in his preparations, he said: “Yes and no, really.

“You can look at different circumstances, what happened to you in your own career.

“But even in the three years I have been outside of the football club, football is changing all the time and personalities are changing.

“Whatever problems you face, you have to deal with them at that particular time.”