Sbragia fears impact of Shearer lift

Apr 3 2009 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

ALAN Shearer’s appointment as Newcastle manager is bad news for Sunderland. And Middlesbrough. And Stoke City, Manchester City, Spurs, Bolton, Hull City, Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn.

That is the view of Black Cats manager Ricky Sbragia, who expects to see a “10%-20%” improvement in Newcastle’s players tomorrow as a direct result of Shearer’s presence in the St James’s Park dug-out.

Sbragia freely admits he was one of those who initially thought news of Shearer’s eight-game appointment was an April Fool’s Day joke, but he expects the former England captain and his assistant Iain Dowie to have an instant impact on dressing room morale.

Anything that helps the Magpies’ on-field fortunes is by definition harmful to Sunderland and the clutch of other clubs engaged in an extremely tight relegation battle with them. “I’m glad he’s not playing,” quipped the Scot. “He was a fantastic player so I’d be worried if he was on the pitch this weekend. Only time will tell if he’s successful, but I’d think the players will have been extremely happy to see him come into the club.

“He’s got a good number two in Iain, who has a lot of experience. If you’d told me a couple of days ago Alan Shearer is going to (manage) Newcastle, I’d have said you were crazy. I actually thought it was an April Fool – somebody told me and I said ‘No, I can’t see that happening’. But he was a fantastic player and well respected.”

Newcastle entertain Chelsea tomorrow looking for their first win since the day Joe Kinnear fell ill, on February 7. Since the 3-2 win at West Bromwich Albion, five matches have passed, during which time the Magpies have picked up just two points. That has seen them drop into the Premier League relegation zone, three points behind Sunderland.

Sbragia expects the fourth man to take charge of United this term to have a galvanising effect on what was looking like a demoralised bunch of footballers.

“He has a very difficult game on Saturday,” Sbragia noted. “He’s been taking his coaching badges (Shearer has his Fifa A and B licence and intends to study for his Pro licence) so he’s equipped that way and having him in the dressing room might just add 10%-20%. It’s bad news for Sunderland and for everyone (except Newcastle) in general.”

Sbragia is proof of the effect a new manager can have on a struggling football team. The Black Cats were on the back of a run of seven defeats when the Scot took his first job in management. That run extended to eight with a 1-0 defeat at Manchester United, days after Roy Keane’s resignation. But Sunderland scored eight goals in Sbragia’s next two matches and drew the third.

Without those seven points, they would now be 19th in the Premier League table and near certainties for relegation. There was, though, a caveat in Sbragia’s eulogies to his new managerial rival.

“Everyone’s assuming it’s going to work,” he cautioned.

“The big thing is we don’t know if it’s going to work. Only the next eight games will tell.”

Sunderland travel to West Ham United tomorrow hoping to end a run of away matches without a win extending back to Sbragia’s honeymoon period.

Both sides have lost key players during the international break. Left-back George McCartney is doubtful after injuring himself playing for Northern Ireland, but the Hammers fared worse, with striker Carlton Cole joining their lengthy list of absentees after aggravating an existing groin injury playing for England against Slovenia on Saturday.