right, so Big Al has one goal - a penalty - in 7 matches. Since those of us in exile can only go by what we read, and hear, I'd like to know from some of you who have actually seen the man in person this year - what in the hell is going on? Is he playing well and just having an appalling run of bad luck? Does he look dangerous and threatening in the matches? Is he battling up front alone against the forces of evil? What is it?

Last year we put it down to The Dreadlocked One and his lack of any kind of a plan, coupled with an atmosphere like a morgue in the dressing room. What's the story this year?

From what I've read in match reports, it sounds to me like he's not even getting a sniff of a goal in most of the matches so far. Is it him or is it the surrounding cast?

-- Anonymous, September 25, 2000

Answers

Bit of both mate , but the truth is i think he's lost a yard of pace and a tiny bit instinctivivsm ( is that a word ? ) . He's had a alot of good saves against him , and had his fair share of chances , most of which i add have been on target . His defending and midfield / holding up has been ok . As for his crossing well as usual its been great . The thing that worries me is his form away from home , he's been left wanting a couple of times .. in all i think he's not 100% fit from the injuries at EURO 2000 , but divvent fret he'll score soon , its only a question of time man : - ))

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

I think it's a bit of everything but above all - LUCK. He just hasn't had any. Some of the saves have been incredible, you've got to admit and we've yet to see the real partnership with Cort - who hasn't done badly in his games has he?

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

A bit of an enigma. He's putting in the workrate when the ball is with him, and he made a good trun and run on Saturday, but he's back, IMHO, to the problem he had at this time last season. He's playing with his back togoal too often. Now, this may only be partly down to him as if the ball only comes to you from behind, then the only way you can see it is to turn to look at it! As I said on another thread, playing with your back to goal, and the defender behind you is almost certain (in this day of enlightened officialdom) going to end in a freekick to the opposition and that has proved the case far too many times so far. If he was half-facing, he could turn that bit quicker and more often get the freekick himself. Is it in my mind, or have we had fewer freekicks within striking distance this season? Methinks so.

YBR fixed it last season and I'm sure it is being discussed/worked on at CLS. As Sting says, he's lost a yard of pace - certainly since his best tho I'd not say since last season. Sure, he comes back to defend set pieces, but all too often he is left isolated up front when a move breaks down and this perhaps is due to him conserving his energy. I for one would like to see him back just that little but quicker when things break down. However, he has been one of our better defenders at set pieces!

Perhaps the other problem is one of new faces. Cort and Cordone have only just come into the team. Maybe they haven't got the same understanding with him that Big Yin had last season. Perhaps this will improve over time.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

I think you're right Screacher in terms of giving them time. In the meantime they could make up for their lack of understanding witha bit of guts but thats another story.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

It doesn't help that whenever the ball comes his way the nearest defender gets him in a stranglehold - totally ignored by the ref.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

I think he's also too static when we have the ball in midlfield. He's got into the habit of waiting for the ball to come to him and not dodging and weaving to create that bit of space betwen him and his minder.

I'm not saying I'd drop him but if he got injured I wouldn't be worried. With him I think we're starting with 10 and a half men.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

Geordie, there are at least 3 Toon players currently playing worse including Carl Cort so we are really starting with about 7 players.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

I don't think he's particularly sharp, fitnesswise, at the moment. In addition, despite the conventional wisdom being that he's too tough mentally for this lean spell to get to him, I actually disagree with this - I think he's a little short on confidence, which hasn't been helped by a little bad luck and a whole raft of good saves from his efforts.
His work rate is good, and for a supposed 'selfish bastard', IMO his all round teamwork has always been first-class.
My view has been limited excusively to home games this season, but in those games I actually disagree with those who feel he hasn't been showing for the ball enough. In fact, our forward game has often been limited to just humping balls up to him and/or CC to battle for.
In my mind the real problem is the lack of incisive m/f play and ANY real wide-play. We've effectively had no left-wing now for at least two seasons, and this season to date even the service from Solano on the right has been virtually non-existent.
He's certainly not the devastating stiker he was 4-5 years ago, but he's still a good team player, is still contributing, and is still the best striker we have by a long way.
I still believe that if we can give him better service he'll get the goals. On the other hand if we are unable to provide a better service to him, he'll continue to be a peripheral figure up-front, and a ready target for the snipers.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

Dougal, agreed. :((

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

STOP, STOP, Stop........

I've heard that Mr Alan Shearer has not had a full pre-season down to his World Cup exploits. Which is bad in its self. But when you hear about him saying 'that he doesnt need a pre-season because of this' you begin to wonder and think. Is he as professional as people make out??? That question is tearing me apart with another question, does he hide behind his reputation to run away from his responsibilities? I've even heard stories of him trying to worm out of pre-season jogs before. IT DOESNT MATTER WHO YOU ARE, EVERY PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLER NEEDS A PRE-SEASON!

Although I admire all the records (which he needs to remind himself are history) he has achieved but he must know to perform at the highest level you have to be professional, you have to eat well, sleep well and train well. It does not matter if you have the talent of Maradonna, George Best, or Gazza you have to be 100% in effort to stay at the top. This theory is in itself proven by these trio.

Could he have lost a yard down to the lack of pre-season? A pre- season he has bottled out of and wormed his way out of - down to the coaching staff being to trusting with his self judgement.

If this is true and his attitude has affected the team, I'm feckin pissed right off. We should drop him now, and force a pre-season out of him.

To play for Newcastle I think you should give your all, I'm begining to think that Alan may not. Has he lost his hunger?

Saying the above is valid and Shearer is worming out because he feels he is special, then there IS NO FECKIN WAY I WOULD WANT HIM AS OUR NEXT BOSS!

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

I can't comment on how much Shearer puts into training but since the turn of the year he has been playing week in week out and it was reported that he was being rested a fair amount of the time in an effort to get him out on the pitch every Saturday.

Eventually it will take its toll and he has had no pre-season so his base fitness could be higher. I imagine that he is too professional and Bobby Robson knows too much for him to train lightly all the time. He can't be afraid of the hard work, look at the way he has recovered from the injuries.

Much was said about Gazza's ability to come back from injuries but most of that was largely due to the documentaries which filmed him putting the work in. Shearer would never do that sort of thing but he must have worked as hard if not harder, so he knows the score.

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

Does anyone have a shred of evidence that Alan Shearer has "bottled out and wormed out" of ANYTHING, is hiding in games, or is any way unprofessional?

If not, give it a gad-damned rest and get off the lads back!
I've been to the Riverside on a number of occasions, and while I've seen him having a laugh and tkaing the piss out of colleagues, personally I've never seen him overtly slacking, or setting a bad example.

The truth is he played through the latter stages of last season with a knee injury that should have kept him out. He was then injuduciously selected by the England Manager for several meaningless friendlies prior to Euro2000, and required two cortisone injections to be able to play all three abortive games for England.

The reason he didn't have a full pre-season's training was that the knee injury that was still affecting him, NOT the result lack of interest or commitment.

I'm getting thoroughly brassed off with this uncalled for persecution that the man simply doesn't deserve.

If, or when, he's lost it through age and injury, then fine, go ahead, toss him on the scrap-heap like a used condom and make a lot of people in this country very happy - but don't assassinate the man's character and integrity. Surely, the man deserves better than this sh*te from his own people?

-- Anonymous, September 26, 2000

Strikers are judged on their goals, and rightly so, every time Shearer is written off he scores goals to answer his critics. Now is about the time when I would expect him to start banging them in, if only the rest of the team would lend a hand.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2000

Have to say, I had a neutral colleague with me at the game last night and he said that Shearer was the only one really to deserve the shirt. Clarky, I agree re Shearer.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2000

Has to be said: at Soton he was dropping back deep into midfield and producing some amazing passes - Scratchy and i both mentioned it at the time: would we get more out of him if he dropped back into the midfield.....?

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2000

Clarky, Shearer is playing a different game than he was a couple of seasons ago. No problem with that, but you can not get away from the fact that he is not getting the goals we expect. Maybe I'm wrong in expecting that. Maybe he is not capable of "making goals for himself" and needs service that he clearly isn't getting. But you can't hide the fact that he's back to his "back to goal" performances of last year. Unless this changes, the easy (only?) option is to hoof the ball forward to him and most defences know exactly how to handle this.

Either Shearer has to change his game (he di around this time last year) or those around him have to. Personally, I'd like to see less of the backing in (at least it's that in the ref's eyes) and more of the "on the turn" play. This requires mobility, both in Sheare himself but more importantly in others around him. There are few better skilled to do this than Dyer, but it just doesn't seem to be working from him. Gallacher can probably do it, and I'm hoping LUA x 2 can as well.

This is not simply a criticism of Shearer. I suppose the "head-down, slow return after a breakdown" body language is partly understanding. But it doesn't inspire nor cajole team mates. Although he plays a different role, albeit following in behind attackers, you never see Roy Keane hang his head low (well, not unless he's just been sent off). I'd just like to see a bit more of this type of attitude in Shearer. I'm not questioning his overall workrate. Maybe I need to just change my view of Shearer from that of goal-scoring machine to one of general good egg covering lots of ground. But if that's the case, please provide me with another goal scoring machine.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2000

Too right Screacher. The rest of the team will look to their captain for some inspiration, motivation etc and when an attck breaks down and they look to Shearer he is either getting up off his arse, arguing witht the ref or head in the sand. Not good for team mates and not good for Shearer.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2000

Annnnnnnnnddddd..... If oppo teams see Shearer sulking then they will get the motivation by thinking they have beaten us already.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2000

The way some LondonMags have been talking today, you'd think Al was the devil's snot.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2000

That's why he's always in my Teampick Dougal.

-- Anonymous, September 27, 2000