Dowie always knew Shearer was destined for management

Apr 3 2009 by Stephen Brown, The Journal

ALAN SHEARER showed ‘big balls’ to take the Newcastle United job, Iain Dowie says.

But the latest addition to the Magpies’ coaching staff always knew his former Southampton team-mate was destined for management, and believes he will make a success of it.

And outlining his own role of relieving Shearer of the job’s more menial, time-consuming tasks, Dowie insisted he is not at St James’s as a ‘yes man’.

“Anyone who speaks to me will know I’m not one of them,” he said.

“Listen, the fact of the matter is that we’ll have very frank discussions and then Alan will choose the team. That’s very clear.

“Then we’ll look back on the week, revisit it and think about what we could have done better.

“That’s very important as a staff, you have to look at what you could have done better.” Of Shearer’s step into the hot-seat, Dowie added: “There was always something very single-minded about him.

“I think it’s unusual that you get someone who’s able to say the salient thing at the right time, but Alan doesn’t tread on eggshells, he tells you how it is.

“That’s very important. He’s always been that way, clearly he’s been a magnificent player. That was then, this is now. It would be remiss of me if I didn’t say that I think Alan will be a very top class manager.

“First and foremost it’s a mark of Alan. There’s a Mexican saying: he’s shown good cojones (balls) to take the job.

“It would have been easy for him to stay where he was, but he’s always been very single-minded. Even in the phone call to me, from minute one, he projected a very positive aura.