Source: Daily_Mail
Tottenham 1 Newcastle 0: It's torture for Shearer as struggle goes on for Newcastle
While it was hard to watch Alan Shearer's public suffering at White Hart Lane, it was impossible to turn away as he fought with his demons on the touchline.
He gesticulated with his arms and stormed back to his seat as Alan Smith blazed over from 20 yards, then looked to the heavens and spun on his heel as Obafemi Martins fired a half-chance straight at Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
He released a foul-mouthed volley when Ryan Taylor's free-kick hit the wall and sprinted forward, hands begging for a penalty, when referee Mark Halsey missed a clear trip on Martins by Jonathan Woodgate eight minutes from time.
It was all in vain, as Darren Bent's goal condemned Newcastle to their 15th defeat of this Premier League season.
'There are so many emotions,' said Shearer after his third game at the helm. 'You're up, you're down, there's a million things going through your head.'
Three of Newcastle's last five matches are at home, starting with Portsmouth a week today, and Shearer labelled it a 'must-win' game.
'I want the Portsmouth match to be in a day or two but we have to wait,' he said. 'I still believe we've got enough. Everyone's been looking to our home games and that's no different now. We have to win those, starting with next Monday.
'You could see the spark in the second half. I want them to do that for 90 minutes and then we have a chance of three points, instead of one or none.'
Newcastle looked a different proposition once strikers Martins and Mark Viduka were introduced, suddenly hitting the tempo which escaped them for the first hour of the game.
But if the last 30 minutes offered encouragement, the first 60 served as a perfect illustration of why they still languish four points from safety.
They were low on confidence, lacking balance and energy and desperately short of leadership on the pitch.
Shearer tried to solve problems with a three-man defence and wing backs. It might have worked at Stoke last week, where Newcastle fought back for a 1-1 draw, but it looked wobbly from the word go at White Hart Lane, with Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric revelling in the spaces behind Ryan Taylor and Damien Duff.
The surprise was that it took 24 minutes for Tottenham to score. Sebastien Bassong's attempted interception fell for Bent, who drove it home at the second attempt.
Shearer and Iain Dowie, his assistant, went into tactical overdrive, reverting to a back four, pointing and yelling.
When Michael Dawson needed lengthy treatment on the pitch for an ankle injury which ended his game, Shearer called a time-out on the touchline with all 10 outfield playersaround him in a huddle.
Steven Taylor came off at the break with an ankle problem and more reshuffling was required. Tottenham should have put the result beyond doubt before Martins and Viduka, both returning from injury, were sent on in support of the largely anonymousMichael Owen.
'It would have been difficult to start with those two because of their fitness,' said Shearer.
Martins had a goal disallowed for handball and was unlucky with the penalty decision, but Tottenham's late bid for Europe gathers momentum.
Manager Harry Redknapp said: 'I would like to think we can do it. It would be a good achievement. When I came here, the only concern was staying up.
The chairman hadn't slept for weeks because he thought he was getting relegated. I'm sure he issleeping now.'
It is tempting to wonder where Newcastle might be if they had lured Redknapp from his comfort zone at Portsmouth when they tried last year, rather than dragging Shearer off the sofa earlier this month.
Muddle in the huddle ...
Alan Shearer's impromptu pitchside team talk during the break in play when Michael Dawson was receiving treatment seemed to do more harm than good as he and assistant Iain Dowie struggled to get their message across to their players.
