FOOTBALL: SHEARER TO STAY ON!

That is good news. He was the reason I started watching football in the first place. He will still be staying for another season after incredible persuasions by almost everybody in Newcastle.18 goals in 30 starts for the Toon Army this season, still in the FA Cup and UEFA Cup competition, that is good reason enough for this veteran to stay at least for another season.

He is considered very old for a striker. 34 years of age, I can only think of Romario who is more stubborn not to retire. The only thing I hope is that he will stay healthy & injury free next season. At least end his career with a bang!Newcastle strongly needs another new striker with Bellamy unlikely to return home from loan because of the really bad clash with Souness. Kluivert still undecided, Ameobi still very inexperience and that's about the best they got. Very vunerable if any 2 of them get injured or sick or suspended at the same time. The lack of forwards desperation is shown with playing Dyer as a striker in some matches this season. They have enough steel in midfield with Dyer of course, Robert, Jenas, Faye, Bowyer, Butt, Ambrose and Milner. Still, another one or two won't hurt. Probably an attacking midfielder/forward will be best.

With Jackie Milburn's goalscoring record of 200 in his sights, it is expected that Shearer could well top Newcastle's charts by the close of next season. Of course to overtake that record is another big reason why he is going to stay on! 9 goals is all it takes to equal that record!You can actually divide his club career into 3 phases.

The Southampton early football stage, his prime time stage in Blackburn and his retiring stage at Newcastle. He has 250 Premiership goals to his name and has completed a century for both Blackburn and Newcastle.He scored 43 times in 158 appearances for Southampton, 130 in 171 for Blackburn and currently has 191 for Newcastle in 352 appearances, a total of 364 goals in 681 senior appearances in club football. With 30 in 63 full internationals for England, he stands head and shoulders above the crowd in his generation, and will be hopeful of adding to his club tally both this season and beyond.

That's a scoring percentage of 27.22% in Southampton, 76.02% in Blackburn, 54.26% (still playing) for Newcastle, 53.45% (still playing) for all club appearances combined & 47.62% for England. The rate at Blackburn is scary!

Do Henry & van Nistelrooy have higher scoring percentage for Arsenal and Manchester United? Even if they do, if you compare the team mates in Blackburn then with the team mates in Arsenal and Manchester United that the two have now, I am sure the two of them have far more supply of greater and expensive players to assist and supply them goals to score than Shearer. The only superstars I can think of with him in Blackburn then was Sutton, his striker partner and Flowers, the goalkeeper. That was about it.

Alan Shearer is about scoring goals and penalties are peanuts to him which he hardly misses. He may be so much slower now compare to his Blackburn years, but he is still dangerous in the penalty box. Hopefully those 9 goals will come fast and he will push as far as possible to set his own record!