Shearer not thinking about the drop

Alan Shearer has refused even to contemplate the prospect of relegation as he prepares for a final-day showdown with Aston Villa.

Newcastle will run out at Villa Park tomorrow knowing defeat will send them back into the Football League after 16 years, while even a draw or a victory would not be enough to keep them up should Hull match their result at home to Manchester United.

The implications would be massive for a club which twice finished as Premier League runners-up during the 1990s.

However, Shearer, who will be kept fully informed of developments elsewhere in the dug-out, remains convinced they will retain their top-flight status, and will not countenance the alternative.

He said: “No. I can’t, I won’t think about that. I will be as positive as possible and my players will be, and we will see what happens.”

Shearer, of course, is a legend on Tyneside after giving 10 years service and a record 206 goals to his hometown club, and no one would feel the pain of relegation any more acutely than him.