Why Alan Shearer will stay in the Newcastle hotseat, writes Lawro

Given the choice between the Match of the Day sofa and the Newcastle dugout, I reckon Alan Shearer would prefer to stay exactly where he is.

Which is why, regardless of what happens tomorrow, I expect him to stay at St James' Park next season.

He's got a taste for it now. He's got the bug. He's got the respect of the players and he knows that instability is the last thing Newcastle need yet again.

They have had more managers this season than they have had wins.

Now they need the outstanding leadership qualities that Shearer brings to any given situation because I really don't think it will be the end of the world if Newcastle go down.

They will be able to take stock and get rid of the players who are on big wages who have just not performed or justified their hype.

There will pretty much have to be a fire sale and in all honesty a massive clear-out is exactly what Newcastle need so that Alan can put his own stamp on a club that has had eight managers in the last five years.

The whole club needs a complete overhaul because there has been mismanagement right up to board level for the past 10 years.

It has not been simply under owner Mike Ashley's reign. No one has had any foresight.

All too often there have been panic buys, transfer deadline day buys and the signings of Fabrizio Coloccini and Xisco - costing a combined total of £17million - have been a disaster. In terms of the dressing room for Alan, what he found was lower than even his worst expectations.

There was just no pace in the side, which is a vital ingredient in any successful Premier League team.

Morale was low and defensively they were just all over the place.

Ashley is a businessman. He knows that he will have to take a hit.

But if he gets it right then in two or three years he could be back in credit. What he has to do now though is back his manager through thick and thin. Alan will already know the players he wants to keep - and the ones that he wants to move on.

He would probably even know the ones that he needs to bring in.

Ashley has to back him and, if he does, then if Newcastle go down to the Championship they will bounce back stronger than ever.

And to be honest I can't see them winning at Villa Park. I think Boro are also down and I can see Hull maybe grabbing a point against Manchester United.

We'll obviously miss Alan on the sofa at the BBC but he has always said from day one on Match of the Day that the job he is doing now has been what he has wanted to do.

He was just not sure when he was going to do it. Now he is in there, he has a huge amount of respect from the players and I believe he has everything it takes to turn it around up there.

Interview: DARREN LEWIS

Read the rest of Mark Lawrenson's column here - and come back eve r y Saturday for more

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