Former England captain and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer is set to return to the place where he gained fame, this time on the sidelines. Controversial owner Mike Ashley is expected announce tomorrow that Shearer will be given the reins of the once-proud club through the end of the current campaign, which finds Newcastle in 18th place and on the verge of an exit from the English Premier League for the first time since 1993.
Shearer, a Magpies favorite from 1996 to 2006, fills a coaching role that (at least officially) has been empty for almost two months after interim Coach Joe Kinnear took a leave of absence due to health problems back on February 7. Under “caretaker boss” Chris Hughton, Newcastle was 0-3-2 and now finds itself in the relegation zone with eight matches left to play.
According to ESPN Soccernet, Shearer “has little formal coaching experience and does not possess the UEFA Pro Licence usually required to manage a Premier League club” but after turning down “a number of attempts to lure him back into the Newcastle fold” has finally accepted the challenge.