Why Newcastle will be relegated - and turn to Alan Shearer to get back up. By Stan Collymore

Newcastle are one of the best-supported clubs in the Premier League - but I believe their fans will be watching Championship football next season.

Newcastle have lurched from crisis to crisis this term, and have only won once in 12 games.

Looking at their tough run-in of fixtures, they are going to go down without a shadow of a doubt.

They still need another four wins and have to play Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa in their remaining 10 matches. So I really fear they have no chance of staying up.

Kevin Keegan deserves some of the blame for coming back in January 2008 as manager and walking out again last September.

I mean, what on earth was he thinking returning after three years out of football to take charge once more? You really have to question his motives.

But of course the club's unpopular owner Mike Ashley, who bought Newcastle in June 2007 for £134million, also deserves a lot of flak for not backing his managers enough financially and bringing in the infamous Cockney mafia.

Newcastle is a club where the locals live and breath football and the fact that the natives thought it was being run from London by the likes of Dennis Wise was a huge error by Ashley.

Poor signings and injuries to stars including Michael Owen have also conspired against Newcastle. But when United go down, as appears increasingly likely, I can at least see a silver lining to the cloud.

After relegation Ashley will still be stuck with the club as he won't be able to find a buyer.

He will have to pump more money in to get them back up.

The first thing he will do is get rid of Joe Kinnear, Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood - allowing Alan Shearer to ride to the rescue.

Ashley has already pandered to the fans once by appointing Keegan and now they all want Toon legend Shearer in charge.

Shearer is not a massive risk-taker but it would be a no-brainer as Ashley would back him with cash in the hope of promotion, otherwise he would have no chance of selling.

And with the club's fervent support and money for new signings, who would bet against Shearer delivering success in the Championship?

Read the rest of Stan Collymore's new column - and come back every Monday for more