Shearer's not ready to take my job yet, says defiant Allardyce

Allardyce, fighting to overcome increasing unrest among unhappy supporters, is working under the shadow of Shearer, the popular choice to replace him.

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Yet Allardyce insists he can turn fortunes around. He said: 'If Alan decides to take my job, I hope it will be when I have decided to leave because I've made the club successful. Then he will be taking over a club that I've improved significantly, like what happened with Sammy Lee and Bolton. If it's the other way, you have to live with it.'

The Newcastle boss plans to meet billionaire owner Mike Ashley and chairman Chris Mort this week to discuss January transfer targets. But the pressure will mount on him if he suffers a bad defeat against Arsenal at St James' Park on Wednesday, following home defeats by Portsmouth and Liverpool.

Speculation that Ashley will turn to Shearer would increase even further if Birmingham were to win at Newcastle on Saturday.

Allardyce said: 'I know Alan reasonably well and he's always said that he's not ready. If somebody wants to employ him, if that's after me or whatever, then that's life.'

Allardyce is risking a rift with his players by taking his squad away for a bonding break after the Boxing Day game at Wigan to prepare for a visit to Chelsea three days later.

'Players are not happy about a lot of the stuff I do, because they're players and I'm the manager,' said Allardyce. 'I'm the man who knows what's right for them and I know it more than they do.

'When you're having a bad time there are always elements trying to make a big deal of things. Today's politically correct society believes that's a disruption, but that's an everyday occurrence as a manager.'