Source: Telegraph
Alan Shearer offered £1.8m to keep Newcastle up
The former Newcastle and England captain is expected to be handed a £1million bonus by St James' Park owner Mike Ashley if he succeeds in keeping the club in the Premier League, plus £100,000 per game in his first foray into management.
Shearer, 38, and his representatives were locked in talks with Ashley and managing director Derek Llambias on Tyneside yesterday afternoon as the club prepared to officially unveil him as their would-be saviour at the stadium today.
Ashley had been hoping to officially announce the appointment of Shearer for the remainder of the season yesterday but his plans were thwarted as talks took place over a severance package for director of football Dennis Wise.
As Shearer wasted no time in moving to appoint former Crystal Palace and Charlton Athletic manager Iain Dowie as his right-hand man, with Saturday's visit of Chelsea looming, Wise was also heading to Tyneside for showdown talks with sports retail tycoon Ashley over his future.
Wise was widely expected to leave the club this summer but his departure has been hastened by Ashley's move for Shearer, which was launched independently of the former Chelsea captain and Leeds manager.
Wise's departure is bound to be seen as an example of Shearer flexing his muscles, but the circumstances of his imminent exit remained unclear last night.
Wise's position is also complicated by the fact that he is expected to act as a key witness in Ashley's ongoing legal battle with former manager Kevin Keegan, who is claiming constructive dismissal over his own resignation last September.
There have been suggestions this week that Wise, whose responsibilities involved player transfers, scouting and youth development since he joined the club 15 months ago, had been at loggerheads with Joe Kinnear, before the latter's triple heart bypass surgery, over the signing of Peter Lovenkrands.
Now it is being claimed that he favoured the appointment of an experienced manager such as Terry Venables or George Graham to hold the reins while Kinnear convalesces, instead of a rookie coach like Shearer.
The decision to lure Shearer away from his Match of the Day duties, which will remain open to him should his new job prove to be a sabbatical, was made after the club realised that Kinnear would not be able to return to work until next month, by when their fate could already have been decided.
The club have slid into the relegation zone with just eight games left this season under Chris Hughton, who will remain part of the coaching staff although it is unknown whether or not former Newcastle midfielder Rob Lee will join Shearer's back-room team.
Kinnear, 62, seems certain to remain on board at Newcastle, probably as a replacement for Wise, as he is regarded as a trusted voice by his paymasters.
Premier League officials have moved to banish any doubts that Shearer might not be able to manage in the top division because he does not possess the appropriate credentials – the Uefa Pro Licence.
Interim managers such as Shearer are granted 12 weeks' dispensation before the rules kick in but he would have to join a Pro-Licence course in the summer if he keeps Newcastle in the Premier League – an achievement that would also net Kinnear a £1million bonus.
League Managers' Association chief executive Richard Bevan welcomed his appointment. "We have the G20 leaders around the corner from here trying to boost the economy and Alan's appointment up in Newcastle will have a similar motivating effect," Bevan said.
"I am sure the Newcastle fans will be ecstatic. He knows exactly what the fans need up there. It is a very difficult place to manage."
