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Alan Shearer backs players in doing the right thing but attacks Mike Ashley and other club owners

4 years ago
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Alan Shearer has been talking about how football deals with the challenges presented by the virus situation.

The greatest striker of the Premier League era, the former NUFC number nine concentrating on the top tier of English football.

For Alan Shearer, he says he has never had any doubt that rank and file Premier League players are prepared to do their bit.

However, he adds that it is 100% the right thing for players to take their time and only agree to an overall plan, once the guarantees are in place to ensure if they do make financial sacrifices, that those savings will be used in the right way…

So where would be the wrong place for any saved money to end up?

At the end of January, Steve Bruce said that Newcastle had seen a £40m+ offer for a midfielder turned down.

Yet only eight weeks later, Mike Ashley told almost all of Newcastle United’s lowest paid staff that the Government/Taxpayers had to now financially support them, that to furlough them was essential ‘to safeguard the club’s future.’

Totally embarrassing behaviour from billionaire Mike Ashley, as well as the owners of Liverpool and Tottenham, with Alan Shearer agreeing.

Liverpool have pulled themselves back from a PR disaster by doing a u-turn but as Alan Shearer says the likes of Newcastle and Tottenham ‘do not come out of this too well’, which is understatement of the year.

The NUFC and England legend pointing out that the furlough scheme was never intended to be exploited in this way by rich PL club owners such as Joe Lewis and Mike Ashley.

Alan Shearer talking to BBC Sport about response of Premier League players to virus challenge:

“The Premier League has proposed a universal 30% pay-cut for all players, but where would that money go, exactly?

“Would it harm the NHS by reducing the Government’s tax income, as the Professional Footballers’ Association claims?

“Of course the players are entitled to ask these kind of questions, because not only will they want to do the right thing, but they will also want their money to be used in the best possible way.

“You also have to remember their wages will vary hugely, in the top flight alone.

“Not all Premier League players are multi-millionaires, yet they are being generalised – and, in some places, criticised – as a single group whether they are superstars or not.

“From my own experiences, however, everyone will want to do their bit, whatever their circumstances.

“I am sure that over the coming days and weeks we will see Premier League players donating millions of pounds to where they feel is necessary.”

Alan Shearer on response of Premier League owners such as Mike Ashley:

“The game is an easy target because of the amount of money involved in it but so much great work is done by players, managers and clubs in their local communities and beyond, which often goes unseen.

“So it is a shame to see some Premier League clubs furloughing staff, when it seems avoidable.

“The scheme was not brought in to help companies who have made millions of pounds in the past few years.

“It was meant for smaller businesses who could go bust and whose staff might not have a job to go back to otherwise.

“Liverpool have already reversed their decision over the weekend to furlough some non-playing staff, but there are other Premier League clubs who do not come out of this too well with the decision they have made and, so far, stuck with.”

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