May 17 2006

AMBASSADOR ALAN TO LURE TOP TARGETS

By Paul Gilder, The Journal

Newcastle's summer recruitment drive will be aided by Alan Shearer after it emerged the club's newly-appointed sporting ambassador will be used to persuade Glenn Roeder's leading targets to move to St James's Park.

One of his first tasks will be helping to recruit his Gallowgate successor - with Roeder having already begun to compile a shortlist of strikers he believes are capable of succeeding in the legendary number nine shirt.

Roeder is preparing for a meeting with Freddie Shepherd during which he will discover what resources he will have at his disposal this summer.

The 50-year-old will identify the players he feels are required if he is to meet the targets he has been set. Shearer's job will be to convince them to join the club, a task he carried out so successfully with Michael Owen last August.

Asked if that was one of the 35-year-old's new roles, Shepherd said: "Very much so. We will throw him (Shearer) through the door first and if they don't listen to him, they won't listen to anyone bluelaugh.gif. If we have a chance to speak to a certain player we will use Alan. I think we will be using Alan in that capacity this summer, that's a fair assumption."

It promises to be a hectic summer for Roeder, who will postpone his family holiday in order to start remodelling a first-team squad which will see plenty of movement in both directions.

"As a starting base, this squad is very good," he said last night. "But there is no manager, not even Jose Mourinho, who would say he is satisfied with his squad. The day you stop looking to improve is the day you should walk away from the job.

"I'm sure the chairman will want to bring in fresh blood as well. But we have to be patient and make sure the players that come into the club achieve what we want them to achieve."

Rectifying past mistakes in the transfer market will be Roeder's first job, and finding buyers for the likes of Jean-Alain Boumsong, Albert Luque, Amdy Faye and Nicky Butt will be a priority before new recruits can be sought.

"We might have to lose players first," admitted the former West Ham boss. "This has all happened so quickly I haven't had a chance to sit down with the chairman yet to talk about players coming in and players leaving. That discussion will take place shortly."

The next priority will be to find a striker to fill the void left by the retired Shearer. Roeder has already had Dirk Kuyt assessed by United's scouts and is understood to be keen on Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is poised to quit Old Trafford.

"You don't replace Alan Shearer by finding another Alan Shearer," he said. "Alex Ferguson has been looking for another Alan Shearer for ten years since he turned down Manchester United but his scouts can't find one. But there are goalscorers out there.

"We will find a striker good enough, confident enough and special enough to wear the number nine shirt.

"He won't be another Alan Shearer because we won't find one.

"But we have to find a player who can average 20 goals a season in the Premiership, one who will be happy to wear the number nine and handle the pressure that goes with it."