So the book has been thrown at Alan Shearer over the Neil Lennon incident after all. This one has been written by Graham Kelly, who until last December was chief executive of the English Football Association.

The revelations of Kelly, who resigned over the cash-for-votes row involving the FA of Wales, will be published on Monday under the title of Sweet FA. He claims that Shearer threatened to walk out of Glenn Hoddle's squad for the 1998 World Cup if he was charged with misconduct after appearing to kick Lennon in the face during a Newcastle game at Leicester.

In the event Shearer was charged but cleared after Lennon had spoken up on his behalf. Kelly, however, feels that the England captain reacted badly in the first instance.

"I found it quite staggering," he writes. "It was childish behaviour for the England captain to threaten to give up the job of leading his country. It lacked the maturity I had come to expect from him."

Life does not get any easier for Shearer. He has been criticised in some quarters for hastening the departure of Ruud Gullit, who resigned as Newcastle manager last Saturday. Eighteen months ago he was compared to Mary Poppins by one of the two Newcastle directors trapped into indiscretions by a Sunday newspaper. Now, according to Kelly, it is more a case of Mary, Mary quite contrary . . .

England manager Kevin Keegan is no doubt hoping that this latest thorn in his captain's side will stiffen Shearer's resolve to prove his continued worth to England, first against Luxembourg in Saturday's European Championship qualifier at Wembley and then against Poland in Warsaw four days later. He has tried to ease the pressure on the player by blocking media interviews with Shearer until Tuesday at the earliest.

Keegan, meanwhile, has to decide who is best suited as Shearer's partner for two matches which England really need to win if they are to finish second in their group and reach the two-legged qualifying play-offs.

On paper the England coach would seem to be spoilt for choice. Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Teddy Sheringham, Chris Sutton and Kevin Phillips have all played alongside Shearer at one time or another. Some might feel, moreover, that Sutton's case is strengthened by memories of their successful partnership at Blackburn.

Keegan is not so sure: "They were playing in a team full of confidence," he pointed out, "a team that was to go on and win the championship. Alan has not been playing in a side full of confidence and this does affect you, especially when you're up front. You can't quite do the things a midfield player and defender can do in terms of getting involved." Sheringham is still Shearer's most successful partner but the choice surely boils down to Owen or Fowler, both of whom may make an appearance on Saturday with one starting and the other coming off the bench.

Keegan's natural preference is for Owen but, with the 19-year-old only just recovered from injury, the England coach will need to strike a balance between giving him a run-out against Luxembourg and preserving his stamina for Poland.

"I could start with Owen and say give us what you've got," Keegan mused. "You might last half a match, you might be shot after 30 minutes, you might last an hour. You might, on adrenaline, last a game. But then we would worry about him playing another game four days later."

Keegan would have no qualms about starting with the more senior of the two Liverpool strikers. But Owen, after the World Cup, has an England pedigree which Fowler has yet to acquire.

The problem is that, having enthralled the world against Argentina in St-Etienne, Owen has proved less of a natural foil for Shearer than Sheringham and Sutton have been in the past and Fowler may yet become.

However, if Owen satisfies Keegan tomorrow that he is nearing match fitness, it will be to his pace that England may well be looking in Warsaw.

Bobby Robson has been given massive backing by Newcastle supporters to succeed Ruud Gullit as manager.

Robson received 87 per cent of the votes in a poll conducted by the Newcastle Evening Chronicle.

The former England boss easily saw off the competition, with Terry Venables polling six per cent, Glenn Hoddle four per cent and Ray Harford two per cent.

Out of 1,360 votes cast, Robson pulled in a massive 1,187.