Football: Newcastle United 0 Aston Villa 1 - Shearer lost in anger as Magpies fall
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Your support makes all the difference.WHEN ALAN SHEARER hoisted the young Newcastle mascot onto his shoulders a couple of minutes before kick-off he appeared all smiles and light, all cuddly and loveable.
But the second the referee Uriah Rennie blew his whistle for the first of too many times, Shearer's demeanour changed. Grimly, he hunted down the ball, running through opponents, working his body deep into theirs, forearms and elbows flaying in his pummelling pursuit. And when Rennie penalised him - the first occasion being the first minute when Shearer needled his way into his perpetual marker, Colin Calderwood, and the pair collapsed in a heap - he complained loud and long, bitter and resentful.
At times, he had cause for complaint. In that first encounter with Calderwood, the Villa defender had a handful of his shirt. But more sinned against than sinning?
When he was booked for the first time in the 38th minute, he clearly made a mark on Calderwood's face with his stray elbow. He then pogoed on the spot under Rennie's nose, arms clenched tight to his sides, sarcastically spitting out that this was now the only way he could compete for the ball.
If only he had learnt his own lesson. In the 70th minute, he caught Gareth Southgate in the face, again with an elbow as he leaped, but escaped punishment. But in the 71st, he made the most minor of incursions into Calderwood's body space and from two yards Rennie passed the ultimate sentence. As he had started, so Shearer departed - grimly, tongue rammed hard into his cheek.
Ruud Gullit will surely face censure for his subsequent outburst. "Two years ago I thought he (Rennie) was one of the best referees," he fumed. "But that was not the referee I saw two years ago. I spoke to him at Wembley when England were playing France and asked him what was so different. He said he couldn't make any common sense decisions any more because of the restrictions from the FA.
"If those are the new restrictions, the game will be destroyed. My fear is not for me but that other referees will do this to other clubs. I love the game too much. I don't want to see a performance like that on any pitch in England."
In pure footballing terms, Shearer's greatest crime must be that he is habitually lost in his own frustrations. With Duncan Ferguson still injured, his partner is still the exasperating Temuri Ketsbaia, who has an incredible knack of finding blind alleys to run up.
The Georgian did, though, produce two wicked shots that brought the very best out of David James - whereas Shearer, for all his relentless pursuit, registered neither a header nor a kick on target. He might justifiably complain that there was still no consistent supply from midfield, a fault that Gullit tried to rectify at half time by introducing Kieron Dyer for the Spaniard, Marcelino, who had shown none of the composure of Alain Goma, his new partner in the centre of defence.
In fact, twice the pounds 5m Marcelino embarrassed himself with wooden miscues whereas the pounds 4.75m Goma policed Dion Dublin out of the game and struck Villa's crossbar with a powerful header.
Within four minutes of his arrival, the pounds 6m Dyer dynamically out-ran Ian Taylor down the right and scooted the most inviting of balls across the face of the penalty area - but Shearer was absent, presumably complaining.
It was up to Julian Joachim to show Shearer how a true professional operates. Similarly starved of service as Villa soaked up Newcastle's promising possession, Joachim had registered a couple of spurts in the first half and a couple of clumsy headers in the second. Four minutes after Shearer's petulant decision he glanced a header across Steve Harper for the only thing that should be on a striker's mind - a goal.
Goal: Joachim (75) 0-1.
Newcastle United (4-4-2): Harper; Barton, Marcelino (Dyer, 46), Goma, Domi; Solano (Robinson, 84), Dumas, Speed, Serrant (Maric, 76); Shearer, Ketsbaia. Substitutes note used: Perez (gk), Charvet.
Aston Villa (5-3-2): James; Delaney, Ehiogu, Southgate, Calderwood (Stone, 87), Wright; Boateng (Hendrie, 56) Taylor, Thompson; Dublin, Joachim. Substitutes not used: Merson, Oakes (gk), Ghrayib.
Referee: U Rennie (Sheffield). Bookings: Newcastle: Domi, Barton, Speed, Shearer. Villa: Ehiogu, Thompson, Delaney. Sending off: Newcastle: Shearer.
Man of the match: Joachim.
Attendance: 36,376.
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