Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has made it clear that he was willing to stay on as Toon boss in 2009 after relegation.
After being handed the managerial reins by ex-owner Mike Ashley, Shearer was given just eight games to save the Magpies before going down by just a solitary point after a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa. The plan was originally for Shearer to stay on as manager under Ashley with a contract offer on the table before it was mysteriously withdrawn days later and plans for the club to be put up for sale emerged.
Shearer, speaking to Ally McCoist on TNT Sports, said: "I loved it despite what happened. It was eight games, I would have loved to have stayed on and had a go the following season, I always thought that was going to be the case but for whatever reason it never worked out.
"I still thought that I wanted to go back into it. I won’t mention the club but I flew home from holiday from Barbados to have one interview for another job and I liked the sound of this. I went back for a second interview – yet the transfer kitty had been halved and the number of staff I could bring had halved. I then went back for a third interview and it had come down again. By then I thought I am quite content in my TV career."
Despite Newcastle being in a precarious position when Shearer and his assistant Iain Dowie arrived at St James' Park to take over, the Gosforth lad felt he could not knock back the opportunity.
He said: "There was no way I could have turned it down. I got the call from my call to say that we are in the mire – we’ve been through three managers already this season and we are in danger of being relegated – will you come in and help us? What was I going to say? No? I couldn’t say no.
"I always felt that when I left football I would start doing my badges – I did my B licence and I had my A licence so I always thought I’d go into that side of things. It was three years after I had retired so I had had a nice break from football. I thought I am ready for it.
"It was through no lack of effort or trying, I couldn’t have worked any harder, I got a taste of what management is like which set me up. I was first in, last away. It is ridiculously hard, the pressure that you are under – you don’t realise as a player that you have got it easy until you have gone into management."
Shearer also told former Scotland and Rangers star McCoist that he has no regrets on joining Newcastle despite winning nothing and seeing the side he turned down win it all.
The ex-England skipper said: "I know that I've missed out on a lot of trophies with Man Utd. I'd have won so many more trophies.
"I know that. I'm not sure I would have had that feeling that I got playing for Newcastle for 10 years. I was lucky enough to break my dad's hero's record, Jackie Milburn's. To have 10 years, to have a testimonial, to have a statue, to have the goalscoring record. And to live my dream, I lived my dream."
The full episode of Ally’s Social Club with Alan Shearer will isavailable to watch on TNT Sports 1 and on TNT Sports’ YouTube channel from Friday.
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