Sam Allardyce slams Alan Shearer for latest comments on Eddie Howe

A war of words appears to have broken out between two former Newcastle United managers with very different levels of popularity amongst the fanbase.

Obviously, Alan Shearer is far more famous for being a Newcastle player, but he did have an eight-game spell as a manager, ill-fated though it was; despite presiding over the club's relegation, fans would much rather see him back in the dugout than Sam Allardyce, who is about as popular as a wasp in your trollies.

Alan Shearer had the bare-faced cheek to speak his mind about the pressure mounting on current boss, Eddie Howe, on The Rest Is Football podcast this week.

Shearer questioned whether Howe would be given the chance to repair the damage of this season, and even suggested he may not want to.

Shearer asked questions and backed Howe

That was it, really. Shearer actually backed Eddie Howe, but posed the question of whether he'd be fed up.

"As tough as it is for Eddie, I don't know what is going to happen with him. I listened to his interview afterwards [following the Bournemouth defeat], I watched him on the touchline, I just think, is he going to want to go again? Is he going to get a chance to go again?

"If all things are equal then I would like him to stay, but does he feel he is going to have the chance? Does he want to do it again? Are Newcastle United going to have to sell?"

Sam Allardyce is just embarrassing himself

That all seems fair enough to us, but Sam Allardyce has fired a rake into the Toon legend for daring to speak. On his own podcast, No Tippy Tappy Football, Allardyce had a very strange and unnecessary response, suggesting that Alan Shearer - one of the most popular people connected with the club - was chasing clout ... and then goes on to suggest that Howe's days are numbered.

"He's totally out of order. He's just doing it for his own popularity again with Newcastle fans; he should know better than to do that.

"Mind you, he's a pundit, and he needs to keep his reputation up, and you need to criticise if you're a pundit, don't you?"

"Eddie probably knows (that the end of the road) is coming. We all have our life span. Sir Bobby Robson was one of the best, but even he got stick.

"We all get stick if we don't do well no matter who we are and we all get moved on."

So just for clarity, Allardyce says Shearer is out of order for asking a question over Howe's future, but he's fine to suggest that he's nearing the sack.

Stick to the Uber Eats, ads, Sam.