Newcastle United are expected to announce Alan Shearer as temporary manager this morning.

The Daily Mail says last night a title for Shearer had not been decided, but he was in London with Toon owner Mike Ashley completing the negotiations, having asked another former Newcastle star, Rob Lee, to be his assistant.

Relegation would plunge the club, and owner Ashley, into a financial crisis and they have offered Shearer a seven-figure bonus to keep them up. Of the clubs at the bottom, Newcastle face the toughest run-in with matches against Chelsea, Liverpool and Aston Villa plus fellow strugglers Stoke, Portsmouth and Middlesbrough among the eight games for which Shearer will be in charge.