Alan Shearer has revealed he thought he had the Newcastle job after sitting down with Mike Ashley in the immediate aftermath of relegation.
Shearer had been parachuted in for the final eight games of the 2008-09 season in a desperate attempt to keep the Magpies in the Barclays Premier League. Ultimately, he was to fail as his side recorded only one win. But as owner Mike Ashley plotted the way forward, Shearer was called in for talks and left convinced the job was his before the sportswear tycoon opted to appoint Chris Hughton in a caretaker capacity once again.
Shearer told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I thought I had the job at Newcastle. We had got relegated and I had sat down with the appropriate guys and we had agreed everything. Then two days later..."
He added: "I have not spoken to them since. I rang someone up and he didn't know what was going on, and I never got a phone call after that."
Shearer admitted he could not see himself returning to St James' Park under the current regime, but said he hugely enjoyed his brief spell in charge despite the outcome and would consider a tempting offer to return to management wherever that may be.
He said: "I absolutely loved my time at Newcastle, despite what happened.
"I have never, ever worked so hard in my life and my kids have never seen so little of me, but I loved the challenges that it brought and yes, if the right one came along, then I would seriously look at it."
Source: PA
