Shearer: Carroll can take up my mantle...for club AND country

Alan Shearer last night backed Andy Carroll to raise Hell against Chelsea tomorrow.

But the England and Newcastle legend warned Tyneside's new strike hero he will not achieve his potential unless he stops raising Hell off it.

Shearer's short-lived spell as Toon boss began with a home defeat against Guus Hiddink's Blues two seasons ago, when the then-teenage Carroll had a late walk-on role from the bench.

And Shearer feels that Caroll has improved beyond all reasonable expectations to become a potential totem for his country as well as his club.

Shearer, still a near-mythical Tyneside figure, said: "Andy has taken up my mantle.

"He's got more hair than me - although I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing with that ponytail! But he's had a great start to the season.

"I worked with him in the eight weeks I was there and he was a great kid, he really was. He wanted to work and improve and get better.

"If I'm honest, he's come on quicker than I thought he would have but he's had a sensational start and thoroughly deserved his England call-up."

Shearer added: "He reminds me a hell of a lot of Big Dunc, Duncan Ferguson, and in a good way, not a bad one.

"Defenders hate playing against him because he is horrible to play against. For a kid who is so young, at 21, that is a statement.

"Give the ball to him in the box and he will score goals. He's not just a header of the ball.

"What I really loved was what happened on Saturday at Bolton. They'd just gone 3-0 down but he wanted to get in there and score, and with his right foot. We all know he's got a rocket in his left foot but he slotted it away very nicely with his right and then wanted to get the ball out of the net and could sense another goal."

Shearer, an England 2018 World Cup bid ambassador who delivered 1.6million supportive signatures collected by supermaket chain Morrisons to Wembley chiefs, believes the real test for Carroll, though, will be him understanding the need to start growing up quickly.

"Andy can be the talisman of the England team if he continues," said Shearer. "It's all right us old past players speaking in glowing terms about him and it's hard not to because of the season he's having.

"But on the other hand we mustn't put too much pressure on him. We've got to let him develop.

"He will get better. He's made mistakes already off the pitch and that happens when you are a kid. As long as he learns from them and curbs that, then the future can be what he wants it to be.

"Sometimes it's difficult for these kids. They grow up with nothing, come in as a kid and suddenly you sign a contract and you're a millionaire. Nobody teaches you how to handle that situation.

"He's a single guy who has come into a lot of money and it's inevitable he's going to make mistakes.

"What happened to me was that I moved away at 15, down to Southampton, so it was a different scenario. It was different for me. I was earning £25 a week at 16 and £250 at 18, slightly less than him.

"But deep down he's a great kid and he has every chance of being a really good footballer."

Shearer feels his successor in the Toon hotseat, Chris Hughton, has done a "magnificent" job, urging Mike Ashley to give him the contract he deserves.

And the former England captain added: "It would be just typical of Newcastle to get stuffed by five last week and then go out and beat Chelsea.

"You wouldn't have expected Ancelotti to be the manager of the two under pressure a few weeks ago but we all know just how quickly things can change in this game.

"One day you're the best and the next, after a bad result or sacking Ray Wilkins, everybody is brought out into the open and all of a sudden the pressure is on."