Shearer and Bruce start as favourites

Soccer Bobby Robson sacked by Newcastle: Alan Shearer and Steve Bruce emerged last night as Newcastle United's preferred options to succeed Bobby Robson at St James' Park after the manager was sacked yesterday morning.

Both Shearer and Bruce can be classed as the "Geordie candidate", a notion that retains support within St James' Park even if the chairman Freddy Shepherd recently distanced himself from that being an essential attribute for Robson's successor. However, Shearer and Bruce present Newcastle with complications and it may transpire Newcastle have to look elsewhere for the man to rescue their terrible start to the season.

Martin O'Neill's powerful record makes him desirable, while Steve McClaren at Middlesbrough would be interested in the position.

Shearer is in his last season as a player at St James' and is believed to want to focus solely on playing. He is 26 goals adrift of becoming Newcastle's all-time greatest goalscorer. Shearer, moreover, does not possess the necessary coaching badges, though that issue can be overcome. His lack of managerial experience is a concern among the Newcastle hierarchy but they are impressed with him as a character and think he has the will to sort out a troubled dressing-room.

Until his death last August Ray Harford would have been assumed to have been Shearer's mentor-assistant in any managerial move, but there are few other equivalent figures. Terry Venables, who coached Shearer with England, is one.

Shearer has spoken recently of his desire to be a manager but is apparently set against moving into management now and it may be impossible for Newcastle to persuade him otherwise.

Bruce recently signed a new five-year contract at Birmingham City. He has a get-out clause but it comes with the prohibitive price-tag of £5 million. It is also believed to preclude him from departing from St Andrews this season. Whether Birmingham would be willing to negotiate with Newcastle over either timing or compensation for Bruce, should he indicate he wants to leave the midlands for the north-east, is uncertain.

If so, then Bruce would make a more attractive package to the Newcastle boardroom. They are cash-rich after the Jonathan Woodgate sale for £13 million to Real Madrid but would be displeased at having to spend a large sum of that on compensation for a manager, rather than on new players.

It would appear Newcastle's pursuit of a new centre half has been stalled by yesterday's sacking.

On Wayne Rooney Newcastle admitted defeat yesterday morning. At the same time Robson was called from the Newcastle training ground to St James' by Shepherd, who had stated in May: "You don't sack Sir Bobby Robson." Robson thought the conversation was to be about a new defender but instead found his recent record of two points from 12 this season and the anti-climactic end to last as reasons for his sacking.

The 71-year-old cannot have been surprised - he knew this was his last season - but he was distressed that after five mainly prosperous years, it had come to this, only his second dismissal in 36 years.

Newcastle put on record their appreciation for the heart-on-sleeve nature of Robson's time in charge but behind the scenes there was disquiet at the state of the Newcastle dressing-room. There were also grumbles about the style of play under Robson. He could counter, and did so again on Saturday at Aston Villa, he took a club floundering under Ruud Gullit to fourth, third and fifth-place finishes consecutively and into the Champions League. Newcastle reached the last 16 of Europe's premier competition the season before last, the high point of Robson's tenure.

But there were several lows: indiscipline among an element of players, the failure of some of Robson's purchases such as Hugo Viana, Titus Bramble and Christian Bassedas and an ongoing difference of opinion with Shearer.

Robson failed to end the now 35-year wait for a trophy. He made a short speech after hearing the news to the players not away on international duty, then left in a car driven by the club scout Charlie Woods.

Robson was carrying a golf putter though he said it was "too early" to know if that will feature prominently in his future. He said he has left the club "neat and tidy". "I'm disappointed to lose my job, obviously," Robson added. "It has stopped me doing the job I love . . . it has been a phenomenal experience. It's my club, my father brought me here as a kid. I'm black and white through and through."

Guardian Service