Shearer takes tips from Robson

Alan Shearer has been taking tips from his former Newcastle boss Sir Bobby Robson as he attempts to drag the club back from the brink of disaster.

The 38-year-old was plunged in at the deep end when he agreed to take over at St James' Park for the final eight games of a traumatic season which will come to a dramatic conclusion at Aston Villa on Sunday.

Shearer said: "Yes, I speak to Bobby on a regular basis. We speak to each other quite regularly after games and before games."

He added: "He has given me little bits here and there, which is great. It's nice to speak to him."

Robson, of course, guided the club to successive fourth, third and fifth-place league finishes during a five-year reign which re-established them as genuine challengers at both home and abroad.

He also reached FA Cup and UEFA Cup semi-finals and guided them into the second group stage of the Champions League in 2002-03, a far cry from the mire in which they now find themselves.

The former England boss was among the crowd at St James' on Saturday when Newcastle saw their hopes of easing themselves out of trouble blown apart by Fulham and referee Howard Webb's controversial decision to rule out Mark Viduka's equaliser.

Shearer was furious with that call, but admitted he could not complain about the red card he showed French defender Sebastien Bassong from his 60th-minute challenge on Diomansy Kamara.