Alan Shearer statue to be unveiled outside Sports Direct Arena before the Olympics

justdoit_ wrote:You mean SportsDirect Arena?

:dance:

justdoit_ wrote:You mean SportsDirect Arena?

:dance:

daneq wrote:Bout damn time. Should have erected it while he was still playing.

A true scoring legend.

I hear that a local sculptor is currently in talks with both Newcastle City Council and Nexus to get an Alan Shearer statue in place on St James' Boulevard.

The life-size figure is understood to be crafted by Tom Maley, who is also working on a Jackie Milburn statue, and the dream is for the statues to be in place in time for when the Olympics come to St James' Park next summer.

To Geordies, Shearer will always be classed as a black and white god on Tyneside and as top scorer in the club's history, his efforts in a black and white shirt were second to none.

His 206 goals were merely the tip of the iceberg for me, and had more players during his 10 years at St James' Park got anywhere near his efforts then we would all have enjoyed more nights in the Champions League.

I always remember one game, Crystal Palace at home in the FA Cup in 1999, when Shearer was taken out by an outrageous tackle near the Gallowgate corner.

One concerned Geordie near me, in a serious voice, yelled: "Howay man, he's all we've got man!"

It was true, at a time when Kenny Dalglish and Ruud Gullit had failed to keep together the Entertainers team, Shearer was carrying not just the hopes of a team, but the hopes of the Geordie public.

How many times could Shearer have quit SJP for a club that was guaranteed trophies year in, year out?

Yet he gave up the dream of personal glory, to try to deliver that long awaited first cup to St James'.

I for one don't buy into theory that Shearer's character is tainted after relegation in 2009.

The Geordie stepped in with just eight games left and picked up a team that contained several members who could not accept the responsibility of a relegation battle that they themselves had dug themselves into.

Crazy decisions by the United board before Shearer was appointed made it an impossible job, such as to bring in the unfit and ill-prepared Joe Kinnear while the Kevin Keegan situation before it is a painful story that speaks for itself.

Therefore, Shearer was always fighting a losing battle.

In my opinion he did not get a fair crack of the whip.

Sources close to the dressing room told me at the time that several senior members (who have now left the club) of the Newcastle team, a squad that was heavily pampered, did not buy into some of his ideas.

And by the time they had decided to listen to the words of the manager, it was too late.

Unlucky to lose 1-0 to Fulham at home, before that toothless display at Aston Villa, Newcastle were relegated and went down at Villa Park without a fight.

Shearer was never to be seen in the dugout again and is highly unlikely to under the current regime.

Now is not the time to talk about Shearer as manager, with Alan Pardew, praised in sporting fashion by Big Al recently, doing a wonderful job.

Shearer is his own man and still young enough to be a top manager in the game.

However, for me Shearer the player has yet to be matched since he hung up his boots and the number 9 shirt he once donned in true Geordie style could go on for another 10 years yet before somebody to even get near his achievements wears it.

Some day Shearer will get the chance he deserves to manage his beloved Newcastle, for now, a tribute such as a statue would be a gesture from the City Council that is long, long overdue.