Why Alan Shearer should be the next Blackburn manager…

These are suddenly exciting times for Rovers, fan power has belatedly conquered and we’re talking about a whole pack of manager names, rather than just the one. In my shortlist so far however, there can only be one and Shearer be thy name. Allow me to explain...

Timing...

I can allow for a certain degree of scepticism, because four years ago I shared the same beliefs: ‘too risky’, ‘not enough experience’, ‘talks bollocks on Match of the Day’, ‘will probably piss off to Newcastle again’ etcetera, etecetera.

However, this time it’s different. For starters, Shearer wouldn’t be succeeding a hugely popular and successful manager in Mark Hughes. Paul Ince’s mini-revolution was a catastrophe, but he was stepping into big shoes after Sparky had worked minor miracles on an increasingly tight budget.

In 2008, Rovers had just missed out on European qualification and had a queue of admirers for star players such as Bentley, Friedel & Santa Cruz. The difficult task for John Williams and the board told its own story, Ince was fired and the rest is history.

Four years on and the only way is up. We’re in a forgiving league for starters, so much so that we’re able to drop five points in two games and still be in touching distance of the top. If ever we had a year for a manager to cut his teeth and still achieve results, then this is it.

Quality...

It’s not often you’ll hear our beloved owners praised on these pages, or anywhere in fact, but in avoiding the usual relegation asset-stripping, we’ve managed to hang on to some key players and many would argue that the current squad is stronger than the one that suffered relegation in May.

If Shearer was to take the reins, he’d be inheriting a very useful group of players requiring only minor cultivation. Robinson, Olsson, Givet, Murphy, Etuhu and Gomes could all comfortably play at the highest level and the impact on Jordan Rhodes’ fledgling goal-scoring career could be deadly. Dare I say, Shearer and Dalglish all over again.

History...

When a young Alan Shearer became Britain’s most expensive player in 1992, he arrived at a ramshackle ground, however romantic, and played as big a part in the foundations of the modern Blackburn Rovers as Uncle Jack himself.

I count myself very, very, VERY fortunate to have witnessed the world’s best striker at the peak of his powers. I still haven’t seen better and doubt I ever will. Shearer could walk on water and when he left in 1996, I can remember exactly where I was as vividly as 9/11. Yes it’s sad, but it’s true and if I’m honest, it’s probably taken me this long to get over it.

Without him, we wouldn’t have won the Premiership title, in fact we wouldn’t have come close. I would still argue that we’d have won it two years earlier had he not suffered serious injury against Leeds on Boxing Day 1992. Sixteen Premier League goals before the New Year - he really was THAT good.

Team Shearer...

If the rumours are true, then Super Al has already got his management dream-team in place – with old pal and strike-partner Mike Newell lined up alongside housewife favourite Ian Dowie, who himself was close to the role when Hughes was handed the job in 2004.

His main rival for the Ewood hot-seat is currently Tim Sherwood, raising obvious concerns that Venky’s are simply working from a team-photo of the 94/95 champions and scratching off faces with a coin until they get to Richard   Witschge. I’m looking forward to seeing Robbie Slater dish out the half-time oranges already.

If it boils down to Shearer Vs. Sherwood, then there can only be one winner. Sherwood was the archetypal Marmite player, arriving as another flash southerner tapping up teenagers in local nightclubs. While he would eventually become a key player, and a fine one of that, he was crap when he first arrived in the old Second Division. Like most of the title winning squad, he was also found wanting in the seasons that followed. It’s quite poignant that he was on the losing Spurs side that Souness’ Rovers stunned in Cardiff, in winning the 2002 League Cup.

Shearer Factor...

Either appointment would represent a huge element of risk and there are naturally concerns raised about handing the job to another unproven coach, with limited or no experience at managing a club still geared for the top-flight.

Judging Shearer from his eight-game spell at Newcastle is almost impossible. Any Geordie will tell you that that team was already doomed, devoid of any spirit, unity, confidence or form. For all the talk of the messiah and miracles, he’d have needed better magic tricks than turning water into brown ale – although it may have helped.

I’d argue that the same risk could be applied to any willing candidate and what works at one club, doesn’t necessarily work elsewhere and vice-versa – just look at poor Sparky now?

Alan Shearer is a born-winner, that’s a fact. Cue the ‘only one medal’ brigade – well, there are only five teams to win the Premiership title and he played for one of them. Shearer won’t take to losing very well and the players will know about it, he won’t suffer fools either or put up with any crap. He would also command instant respect and I’m sure he’s made a friend or two in the media.

Should the headlines confirm my hopes in the coming days or weeks, then I remain utterly convinced that even the most sceptical of supporters would get behind him, which is half of the battle, and only Tugay could achieve the same level of backing and hero worship. If you disagree, dust down the 94/95 season review and give yourself an education. Just try and fight those heart-strings from tugging, we need a bit of romance in our lives. In Shearer I trust. We are the Rovers.