Alan Shearer will limit his appearances on Match of the Day to once a month so he can spend more time watching his beloved Newcastle.
Shearer has provided expert information on the BBC‘s flagship football program for 20 years since he retired as the Premier League‘s all-time top scorer in 2006, but announced before the start of the new Premier League season that he would be stepping back from the show.
The former Newcastle striker was on the program last weekend and also discussed the Premier League openers Manchester United and English legend Wayne Rooney.
However, viewers were left wondering when he would next appear on the weekly highlights show.
Speaking to Daily Mail Sport, Shearer, an ambassador for Honestlyclarified that he would appear monthly while continuing to lead the Beeb’s commentary on their live FA Cup matches.
Alan Shearer has revealed why he is stepping down from Match of the Duty pundit duties
The Newcastle legend will only appear on the iconic football show once a month
“I told them a while ago that I would like to get some of my weekends back on Saturdays,” Shearer said. Daily mail sport. “It’ll be about one a month.
‘I go to matches in Newcastle more often. I enjoy co-communication. When the FA Cup starts in January, there are a lot of co-comms.’
The Beeb have expanded their expert team for the new season with Toby Alderweireld, Robbie Keane, Ashley Young And Thomas Frank join their football coverage.
Shearer, meanwhile, took a dim view of the emerging trend of Premier League players striking to force a move away from their club.
Alexander Isak and Yohane Wissa both quit last summer – refusing to train and play – to force moves to Liverpool and Newcastle respectively, while there are suggestions Ollie Watkins used a similar tactic to push through his impending move from Aston Villa to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.
Tolu Arokodare even stopped a Wolves training to secure his move to Ajax.
“It’s not a good look when you have supporters paying their hard-earned money to watch you and worship you and you get a great salary,” Shearer said.
‘I’m not saying Ollie did that because we don’t have the full story, but it’s not right for you to refuse to play for your club when they pay your wages. It’s a part of football that I don’t like.
‘You always have the right to leave any football club, but there is a way to do that. I left Blackburn a year after we won the Premier League because I wanted to try a different challenge and ended up back at Newcastle.
“I understand, I get it, no one can tell you that you can’t do that, you are well within your rights. But there is a way to do it.’
Isak left Newcastle for Liverpool last summer for a British record £125million but has struggled to establish himself at Anfield. Last season he missed 24 games with a broken leg.
But when he has played, Shearer feels the Sweden international has struggled because Liverpool are not playing to his strengths.
“I look at the time he was brilliant at Newcastle and how you got the best out of him with early balls from behind or in behind.
‘I don’t see Liverpool doing that. I think they’re going to have to change a bit.
‘It certainly didn’t work with Wirtz and him, they paid a fortune for both players.
“I look at Alex and when he was brilliant at Newcastle it was them playing early ball from midfielders at the back and wingers out wide early. I don’t see that yet at Liverpool. It’s a bit of both.
‘He had a serious injury last season, but those two will have to do miles better if Liverpool want to get into the top four.’
It has been a brutal summer for Shearer’s beloved Newcastle. The North East club lost manager Eddie Howe, who resigned amid significant summer sales with Bruno Guimaraes, Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali all exciting.
Despite having the richest owners in the world, Newcastle has been forced to become a selling club due to the Premier League and UEFA financial regulations.
Shearer accepts it will be a difficult season at St James’ Park and is not expecting European football, but is delighted with the appointment of Matthias Jaissle, a charismatic character.
Shearer says he wants to spend more time watching his beloved boyhood club
He had a dim view of players striking to secure a transfer, amid speculation over Ollie Watkins
The 56-year-old, who has scored 206 goals for Newcastle in ten seasons, complained about the rules but admitted revamping the player squad is not a bad thing after a difficult campaign last season.
‘Plenty of optimism at Newcastle after a long summer. A reset was needed. We can’t forget all those players Newcastle sold, wanted out, didn’t want to be there and didn’t have great seasons last season as Newcastle finished 12th.
‘It had to be a reset and that will require a lot of patience at times, even if we hope for one or two goals before the end of the transfer window, and enough to be optimistic about after the weekend.
‘Look at Aston Villa and what they have had to do, sell their best players. Chelsea and Man City wouldn’t be where they are today if those rules were in place now.
“You get to a point and you can challenge, finish in and around the top five for two or three years, but then you see what you have to do to meet those rules.
“Newcastle has had to do the same because of the laws. I don’t like that but it is what it is, you have to get by somehow and Newcastle have done that. It’s a reset. New young manager, new ideas and hopefully enough to be optimistic about.
‘I don’t expect us to play European football this year. If we do that, great, that’s a great bonus, but I don’t expect that.
‘Without a doubt we need another midfielder before the end of the period, maybe another player in attack. It is a transition year and we have to accept what comes our way because selling your best players and losing your manager is not always easy.
Shearer believes there are reasons to be optimistic for Newcastle fans this season
“If it was easy, everyone would do it and bring in younger players. They will need time to get used to it and improve; they will get better with experience.
“The Newcastle fanbase will understand that and accept what kind of season it is going to be.”
Newcastle quickly responded to Shearer’s desire for a midfielder, signing Nico Gonzalez from Manchester City for £52 million.
Gonzalez spent a season and a half at City after joining from Porto, making 36 Premier League appearances for the club.
The 24-year-old fits into Newcastle’s transfer strategy of acquiring young players with a high ceiling and Shearer believes Gonzalez’s time under Pep Guardiola will add an extra edge to Newcastle.
‘It’s a really good thing with his experience, having been at Manchester City all that time and playing under Pep in that winning culture, that Newcastle will do good to the world.’
Alan Scheerder spoke on Wembley Way at the launch of Betfair’s Walk of Shame, which immortalises football’s most spectacularly inaccurate predictions and recordings. Everyone has an opinion, including yours Honestly.
