Shearer’s running out of patience

Jul 24 2009 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

“He organised all the pre-season games at the end of last season but he also had targets in mind that he wanted to bring in to the club, but now it looks like he will miss out on them.

“I’m amazed he hasn’t already told Newcastle that he doesn’t want the job any more but there will come a point where he says: ‘You’re too late’.

“He still wants the job desperately but

you can’t expect someone like that to wait forever. He’s not daft and they’ve had ample time to sort something out.”

While Shearer waits, Chris Hughton is in control and the caretaker boss admitted for the first time this week that he has begun planning for the start of the season. With three wins in three pre-season games, the board are understood to be happy with his contribution – but the positive impact of the victories should be mitigated by the modest opposition.

The argument persists in the boardroom that appointing Shearer might damage their leverage with interested parties – hence the decision not to hand him control at the club. But that doesn’t wash with Lee, who fears that United are heading down the same route as Leeds United.

Lee saw this week’s announcement that the club had sold nearly 25,000 season tickets as a worrying sign of supporter discontent at the way things have been allowed to drift since relegation. “Only half the stadium has been sold to season tickets and for a club the size of Newcastle that is bad,” he said.

“They’re in danger of being in the same situation as Leeds, who are stuck in League One and can’t get out. It could take a long time to sort themselves out but nothing can happen unless the club is sold. Some of the players don’t want to play in that division but they’re being paid £50,000-a-week and you can’t sustain that.”

HARRY Redknapp admits he may have to enter the market for a defender after a series of injuries left him without one fit centre-half.

Spurs had been favourites to sign England international Peter Crouch but Redknapp concedes that injuries to Michael Dawson, Jonathan Woodgate and Ledley King mean a move for a defender has now become his priority.

Redknapp revealed that King “hasn’t kicked a ball all pre-season” after his long-term knee injury flared up again on his return from the summer break.

Former Newcastle defender Woodgate has been sent to a specialist in America to look at a groin injury while Redknapp also revealed that former Nottingham Forest defender Dawson will miss the start of the season with an Achilles injury.