Shearer: I am no tinkerman

May 3 2009 by Neil Farrington, Sunday Sun

THE original may have won there in his time, but Alan Shearer heads to Anfield with a message for the critics who claim he is another Claudio Ranieri . . .

I’m no Tinkerman!

Having hailed his return to St James’s Park, the vultures are circling hungrily over Shearer, four winless games into his Newcastle rescue mission.

Their chief beef? The repeated reshuffles in tactics and personnel made between – and even during – those two defeats and two draws.

Three at the back or four; two up front or three; wing-backs or full-backs . . . the pundits loudly suggest the Magpies’ Messiah doesn’t know which side will save United’s skin.

And the prospect of him dropping Michael Owen today will only add to that clamour.

But Shearer? Whether Owen is snubbed or starts at Anfield, he insists he’s changing things out of necessity rather than choice.

Not tinkering, just adapting.

Adapting, that is, to life with a squad he fears still lacks physical fitness and is suffering for years of misspent money and poor decisions – in a footballing region as depressed as Merseyside is optimistic.

Having planned to play a trio of strikers at Stoke until Obafemi Martins cried off, the lack of a specialist left-back forced Shearer into more pre and mid-match re-jigging at Tottenham.

Then three, having supposed to be the magic attacking number, failed to do the trick against Portsmouth.

Cue a rash of opinion articles accusing Shearer of meddling a la Ranieri – and even questioning the managerial rookie’s right to his temporary job.

“Tinkering? No, it’s just been horses for courses,” is the response of the man who will be forced – by the nature of the task at hand and yet injury to Jose Enrique – into at least one other reshuffle at Anfield.

“It’s been looking at what you have available and who’s fit and who can play well.