Alan Shearer has dismissed reports of a £2 million earner if he keeps Newcastle United up.
Shearer will net a seven-figure bonus if he keeps the Toon up.
Yet he insisted: "The big bonus at the end is keeping the club in the Premier League. That is the bonus for me.
"The players now have a buzz around them and a smile on their face and that is important. You have to enjoy what you do and I don't think they were.
"I had a reputation as a player and that is gone. I am moving on to something different now and I will be judged over the eight games, as is every single manager.
"I am not coming into this with my eyes shut. They are well and truly open. I know what the stakes are."