Shearer 'gifts' promised to striker after retirement with Newcastle fans hoping for Shearer's Bar to return

The Alan Shearer statue was always meant to be on the premises of St James' Park with the £250,000 sculpture a gift from chairman Freddy Shepherd.

The former Toon chief also presented the legendary striker with his own bar at the stadium before Mike Ashley hauled off the signs and sanctioned a "marketing decision" to rebrand the bar as "Nine".

With Newcastle City Council already submitting a planning application to have the statue moved Shearer is expected to be placed close to the Sir Bobby Robson statue at St James' Park.

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But having Shearer's statue close to the stadium bar was always the plan - and agreed by the former England skipper himself.

Freddy's son Kenneth told Chronicle Live: "This is the Shepherd and Shearer families wishing for it to be in its rightful place - which was agreed by Alan and my dad when Alan left the club in 2006.

"The statue was paid for by the Shepherd family.

"And the Shepherd family believe Nine bar should be renamed back to Shearer's and the gifts that were promised to Alan are reinstated."

Freddy Shepherd and Alan Shearer pose for a photograph beside the latter's St James' Park statue (Newcastle United)

Toon fan Rob Taylor, of the Whitley Bay area, told Chronicle Live: "Shearer is a legend, the statue should never have been where it was.

"It was terrible to see the bar renamed and left a sour taste in the mouth, I haven't been back since actually.

"I'd love it if it was renamed Shearer's again."

Shearer spoke of the statue last year when he spoke to Gary Neville on Sky Sports, and said: "It’s not on the club’s grounds.

"It’s about 10 yards outside of the club for whatever reason.

"Ask Mike Ashley, my friend Mike, ask Mike why he wouldn’t, or Lee Charnley why they wouldn’t allow it inside the ground."

And on Shearer's Bar, Big Al said: "Yeah, there was a bar at that end, Gallowgate end, named after me, but soon after when Mike came in that went to number Nine bar and not Shearer's anymore.

"It wasn’t my bar, it was just in my name. I never got any proceeds from it, unfortunately."

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