Shearer says FA blocked his brutal fine system at Newcastle

Alan Shearer has revealed that the Football Association stopped him from implementing a brutal fine system in his time as Newcastle’s interim manager.

Shearer was in charge of Newcastle for the last eight games of the 2008-09 season.

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The club legend told the Match of the Day: Top 10 podcast (via the Chronicle) that he messaged the entire squad and staff ahead of the first training session asking them to come in half an hour early, in return for an early finish.

“That’s not too much to ask, is it?” Shearer said. “So I turn in at half sevenish in the morning and I’ve got one member of staff, the doctor, late. I think, ‘That’s a good f—— start!’

“So that didn’t start well and then half nine comes and I’ve got two players that are late. I don’t think it’s right for me to say who.

“I obviously couldn’t start the meeting until those two players came in. The players apologised and I thought, ‘I’ve got a decision to make here. What do I do?’ So that’s the first test.

“I’ve not even been in an hour by the way and I’ve got problems. I sort of turned a blind eye, said nothing, and just had a quiet word with them.

“The meeting goes, training goes. Next morning, we revert back to starting at 10 o’clock. Two players are late for training. One was the same player. So then I think, ‘I’ve got to try and do something now’.

“I try and put a fine system in but I couldn’t – the FA wouldn’t allow it. It was that the first time you’re late, as of Monday, it’s 10% of your wages.”

Meanwhile, former Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips says the current Newcastle defence isn’t good enough for the Premier League and claims they’re “draining life” from the attacking players.

“It’s not good enough,” Phillips said.

“I look at that back four and I think, is that a Premier League back four? It’s not for me.

“It’s a back four which will continually concede chances in my opinion so I’m not surprised to see that they still haven’t kept a clean sheet this season.

“I play golf with a Newcastle supporter and he’s frustrated. The place is low at the moment. Confidence isn’t high.

“The amount of goals they are conceding is worrying. You cannot keep conceding goals at that level because it drains the life out of you. It puts too much pressure on the forward players.

“It is a tough one for Steve Bruce. They need to go into the market in January and strengthen their defence because it does not look good at the moment.”