The Journal, May 13 2006

NUMBER'S UP

By Stuart Rayner

The day after one of its greatest owners donned it for the last time, Robbie Elliott has called for Newcastle United to retire their number nine shirt.

But his request is grounded more in practicality than sentimentality because the 32-year-old defender fears his former team-mate has left a gap almost impossible to fill.

"I feel sorry for the person who comes in and wears the number nine shirt," said Elliott. "I think they'd be as well retiring it. It would be fully justified and nobody could have any qualms about it.

"It's a big task to follow Alan whatever you say. I don't think football will ever see the like of him again."

Shearer offered Michael Owen the number nine shirt on his former England team-mate's arrival from Real Madrid last August. Owen wisely declined, taking number ten instead.

There has been speculation that, with Shearer now retired, Owen might inherit the Magpies' most famous shirt, but as yet no decision has been announced.

Elliott believes United's priority should be to find someone to complement Owen - England's fourth-highest goalscorer of all time with 35 - rather than look for another Shearer.

"Al was a one-off," he added. "If you talk to all the managers nowadays, even the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson says when he looks at centre-forwards he asks, `Is he like Alan Shearer?'. It just doesn't happen nowadays, they're few and far between.

"It's going to be a long old search to find the next one. Michael's a proven goalscorer and he's lethal, but he's in a completely different mould to Alan.

"If we can get a forward to go with Michael and get the best out of him he'll be able to step into the breach."

Elliott, who was nearing the end of his first spell at St James's Park when Shearer joined in a British record-breaking £15m move in 1996, described it as both a pleasure and a relief to play alongside the old-style centre-forward.

"It's been an honour for the last ten years to play alongside him," commented Elliott. "I had a spell away (playing for Bolton Wanderers from 1997-2001) but to be playing with players of that calibre is what you dream of."

He spoke with experience of Shearer's effect on opposition back fours when he added: "You see the opposition in the tunnel and as soon as they see Shearer there it's a step backwards. It's something we've been lucky to have on our side. I played against him when he was at Blackburn and it's not nice when you see him in the tunnel. We're obviously going to miss that.

"It made the defenders better players facing him in training. He keeps you on your toes and it's what you need."

For all Shearer's superstar status as a £15m striker and former England captain, Elliott said he was a down-to-earth team-mate.

" He's what you would class as a normal bloke, which speaks volumes," he said.

"He mucks in with the rest of the lads and, for someone on his level, it's an incredible thing to say that."

The defender admitted, however, it would take a while for the impact of Shearer's departure to be felt.

"Alan said it hadn't sunk in with him but it's the same with the players," he added.

"We went to a do the day after the Sunderland game and saw clips of his goals.

" To realise he wasn't going to pull on that shirt again it was emotional for us, never mind Al.

"It doesn't bear thinking about when he's not there. it's going to be strange."

Meanwhile, Newcastle stars past and present have hit out at the furore surrounding the Glenn Roeder managerial appointment situation.

Lee Clark revealed: "The Newcastle dressing room cannot understand what the LMA are up to."

And Les Ferdinand added: "Glenn does not deserve all this hassle from the LMA."