Source: Telegraph
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley set to snub Alan Shearer for 'more experienced manager'
Ashley is ready to take the club off the market this week should takeover talks with Tyneside entrepreneur Barry Moat break down and that would undermine Shearer's hopes of returning to the manager's office at his hometown club.
Telegraph Sport understands that Ashley has compiled a five-man short-list of managers to take the helm at the Championship club and that does not feature the name of former England and Newcastle skipper Shearer, who managed the club on an interim basis last season.
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Instead, Ashley is considering moving for five out-of-work managers including former Leeds and Aston Villa manager David O'Leary, former West Ham and Charlton manager Alan Curbishley and their former Celtic and Southampton counterpart Gordon Strachan.
O'Leary, without a job since his sacking at Villa three years ago, is the favourite with the bookmakers to take the helm although he would want Ashley to make a long-term commitment to the club before taking on the job.
However, unknown overseas managers are believed to be part of Ashley's contingency plan which will represent deep disappointment to Shearer who last weekend made it clear that he would "dearly love" to "finish off the job I started" at Newcastle.
It seems unlikely that Shearer would fancy working under Ashley again after he was left in limbo when talks between the pair over a long-term appointment as manager broke down following the Sports Direct founder's decision to put the club up for sale last May just days after relegation from the Premier League.
Moat, who is Shearer's close friend, remains the front-runner the buy Newcastle from Ashley who is still desperate to sell the club he bought for £134-million two years ago at a knock-down price of £100 million.
Moat has been described as "the only show in town" by sources close to the takeover talks although there have been claims in the North-East of England that he is struggling to find the money to tempt Ashley into cutting his losses.
Whatever the outcome of the takeover talks, currently being overseen by City investment banker Keith Harris, Newcastle seem certain to have to negotiate a tricky campaign this season as they try to regain their top-flight status at the first time of asking.
That is certainly the view of Shearer's former Newcastle colleague Gary Speed, who is currently playing with fellow Championship side Sheffield United.
"Alan earmarked targets that he had for the coming season that he wanted to bring to Newcastle but one by one, slowly but surely all those targets have gone off to other clubs," Speed said.
"It will be very difficult for anyone to come in now and get a squad together. The frustrating thing is, especially for fans, is that nobody seems to know anything and the information coming out of St James' Park is either rumour or hearsay. Fans are just waiting to hear what is happening but nobody seems to know anything.
"The problem that they have got, especially on the pitch, is that teams in the Championship can't wait to play Newcastle. They are going to have 46 really tough games this season in the league."
