Owen backs Shearer effect

Newcastle United captain Michael Owen has backed Alan Shearer to lead the struggling club to safety. Shearer is poised for his first game as Magpies boss against Chelsea on Saturday since his shock unveiling as a short-term replacement for Joe Kinnear during midweek. Striker Owen played alongside Shearer for England and Newcastle and is now ready to give 100 per cent when working under him as the Tyneside club look to escape relegation from the Premier League. In the matchday programme for Saturday's meeting with Chelsea, Owen said: "I'm really delighted to see Alan here as manager. Confidence"I watched his career when I was a kid, I admired him as a player, and then I got the chance to play alongside him with Newcastle. "Now it's come full circle and here I'm playing for him as my manager. Who would have thought it? "Alan Shearer's appointment as Newcastle manager is just what we needed to give us that extra injection of confidence and enthusiasm. Buzz "Everyone has certainly had an extra spring in their step. It's exciting and it's given the whole place a buzz. There are not many people who could come in and affect the club like this, but Alan is certainly one who can. "Everybody's in a great frame of mind, and now if we go out on the pitch and get a positive result the whole thing can snowball. "But we've got to get that first win, and all the players know we have to produce top form to get it, especially against a side like Chelsea."

Source: SKY_Sports