Source: Telegraph
Alan Shearer and Iain Dowie backed to steer Newcastle out of relegation trouble
Shearer's appointment as the new St James' Park manager for the rest of the season is yet to be officially confirmed by the club, but he has quickly moved to hire Dowie as his No 2 as the daunting task of fending off relegation looms.
Shearer, 38, is a managerial rookie but the appointment of the former Northern Ireland international will make up for his lack of experience because he has already been around the block a few times as a manager.
Dowie, 44, has taken charge of Oldham, Crystal Palace, Coventry, Charlton and most recently Queens Park Rangers before he became a Sky Sports pundit.
There have been suggestions that Shearer's former England and Newcastle colleague, his close friend Rob Lee, will also join his backroom staff on Tyneside, but those are yet to be substantiated.
However, it has emerged that Newcastle turned to Shearer after learning that Joe Kinnear would not be able to return to the manager's office following heart surgery until next month, when their fate could well have been sealed.
Terry Venables is backing Shearer to prosper despite his rookie status.
The Londoner, and former England, Barcelona and Tottenham manager, said: "He's got a great start in management now and I am pleased for him that it is with Newcastle, which is his club. He's wise enough to know whether this is the right time to come in.
"People will have high expectations, but Alan is big enough to take that responsibility - after all he did captain his country for many years at World Cups and European Championships, and that is the highest level of football.
"I just wish him the very best of luck at Newcastle. Having managed him with England I know what an influence he can be on players and for that alone, he has a great future in the game.
"There's no reason why he can't keep Newcastle up, in fact, it's not a case of why he can't, it's why he can, he's one of Newcastle greatest icons and I wish him the very best."
Newcastle's last eight games:
Apr 4 Chelsea (h) Apr 11 Stoke (a) Apr 19 Tottenham (a) Apr 27 Portsmouth (h) May 2 Liverpool (a) May 9 Middlesbrough (h) May 16 Fulham (h) May 24 Aston Villa (a)
