Mike Ashley apologises to fans as Shearer deal not yet agreed

May 27 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

MIKE Ashley said sorry to Newcastle United’s supporters last night but after a day of talks he was still unable to give them the news they most wanted – that Alan Shearer will be the Magpies’ next permanent manager.

Shearer spent about seven hours in talks at United’s Darsley Park training complex yesterday discussing his and the club’s future. But owner Ashley left in the evening with nothing more to offer than an apology. He will hope more negotiating today brings agreement from the club’s record goalscorer to continue as team manager.

Shearer’s eight-game contract as interim boss expired on Monday, the day after the club was relegated to the Championship after 16 seasons in the Premier League.

All parties want Shearer to oversee Newcastle’s attempt to win back their top-flight status, but the hierarchy have so far failed to meet his terms for doing so. Relegation brings a drop in revenue stretching to tens of millions of pounds and much of that shortfall will need to be made up if the Magpies are to head back to the Premier League at the first attempt. Shearer went into the meeting seeking assurances on the scale of investment he could expect next term.

Managing director Derek Llambias met Shearer and his lieutenants Iain Dowie and Paul Ferris at the club’s Benton training ground at 1pm to start discussing Shearer’s and United’s future. Owner Mike Ashley arrived two hours later by helicopter. Llambias and Ashley left at around 8pm, leaving the others inside.

All the club’s official statement revealed on Shearer was that talks were “ongoing”, though United’s owner did strike an apologetic tone.

“Seeing Newcastle United relegated from the Premier League has been a catastrophe for us all,” he said.

“I fully accept mistakes were made during this and previous seasons and I am very sorry for that. I would like to say sorry to our magnificent supporters who have turned up in their thousands, home and away, up and down the country and who have given the team amazing backing throughout.

“I would also say sorry to all of the club’s hard-working staff, who have gone about their jobs all year long.

“Bringing Alan Shearer back to Newcastle United was the best decision I have made.

“Alan and his staff did all they could to try and keep us up in the short space of time they had. Talks are now ongoing

between us about how we can take this club forward again.”

In April, Shearer became the sixth manager of an Ashley reign not yet into its third year. The Buckinghamshire-based businessman inherited Sam Allardyce in the summer of 2007, but sacked him the following January. After Nigel Pearson’s two-match caretaker stint, he was replaced by Kevin Keegan as Ashley attempted to ride on the back of the legendary former player’s popularity – a trick later repeated with Shearer.

But Keegan lost a power struggle with executive director (football) Dennis Wise and sparked a season of turmoil with his departure. Chris Hughton temporarily took the reins before Joe Kinnear became interim, then permanent manager.

But by February Kinnear’s poor health had got the better of him and Hughton was again asked to fill in. With form plummeting, Ashley (pictured right) turned to Shearer for the final eight games of the season, but Newcastle’s former captain was able to produce just five points in that period, when six would have kept them up.

Meanwhile, Peter Løvenkrands has back-tracked on comments from his agent, Ivan Marko Benes, suggesting the Danish forward will look for a summer move back to the Premier League.

Former Rangers and Schalke player Løvenkrands is out of contract, but told website Onside.DK he is not ruling out the possibility of returning to St James’s Park – if United want him.

Reports in Spain suggest Sevilla are interested in central defender Fabricio Coloccini. The Argentinian was supposed to be a “wow” signing when he arrived from Deportivo La Coruña for around £10m but the omens were not good when Ashley was spotted in a replica shirt bearing the name of the still-to-be-signed player. Those whose names had previously adorned his matchday attire were Alan Smith and Keegan.

Coloccini has been widely recognised as one of the biggest disappointments of Newcastle’s season, and their primary objective will be to offload the defender for as small a loss as possible. The La Liga side, who have a strong South American contingent, have also been linked with Middlesbrough’s record signing Afonso Alves.

MANCHESTER City chief executive Garry Cook is confident the club will one day be able to challenge their great rivals Manchester United.

City, who finished 10th in the league, want to start closing the gap this summer and their Abu Dhabi owners are poised to fund a transfer spending spree.

Cook said: “People say our ambitions are too high but I don’t see a problem with having the ambition to be the best in England and then Europe.

“It is about building a culture of success here – not one of survival.”