Alan Shearer set for bizarre return to management after 16 years - former Newcastle United duo signed up

Shearer’s first and only managerial stint lasted just eight matches between April and May 2009 as Newcastle were relegated from the Premier League. The Magpies’ all-time leading goalscorer was appointed in a last-gasp attempt to save the club from relegation but one win and two draws in eight games ultimately wasn’t enough.

Now the 54-year-old will return to management in a far more casual and low-stakes setting as part of the inaugural Baller League, a star-studded six-a-side competition consisting of 12 teams. Matches will be streamed live every Monday on YouTube, Twitch and Sky Sports in the UK starting March 24.

Shearer has been appointed co-manager of early Baller League favourites Deportrio alongside his Rest is Football colleagues Gary Lineker and Micah Richards. Each team’s squad consists of 12 players which were revealed in the draft that took place earlier this week.

Deportrio’s squad includes former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Bakary Sako, 36 as well as former Bolton Wanderers and Great Britain Olympic striker Marvin Sordell, 34. The full squad is as follows: Bakary Sako, Adam Dawson, Francis Gerald Mapolo, Zach Fagan, Marvin Sordell, Charlie Kuehn, Tommy Scott, Raphael Gas, Alex Dyer, Ruben Singale, Tristan Goodridge, Leo Serri.

Other former players listed as managers include Luis Figo (Trebol FC), John Terry (26ers), Jens Lehmann, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg (N5 FC), Ian Wright (Wembley Rangers AFC with Chloe Kelly).

Former Newcastle United players involved in the Baller League

In addition to Shearer, two former Newcastle United players will be playing in the Baller League. Magpies academy graduate Michael Ndiweni, 21, was snapped up by FC Rules the World managed by viral fashion designer Clint 419.

The striker, who made his Premier League debut for Newcastle in November 2023, was released by the club last summer and has since represented Ashington and Newcastle Blue Star at non-league level this season.

Defender Ciaran Clark is also part of the Baller League having made 129 appearances for Newcastle over six seasons. Clark, now 35, played a key role in Newcastle’s 2016-17 Championship title win and was released by the club at the end of the 2022-23 season.

After a spell with Stoke City last season, Clark remains a free agent. But in the Baller League he has been signed up by Figo’s Trebol FC.

What is the Baller League and what are the rules?

The Baller League started in Germany as the brainchild of Felix Starck. Former Germany internationals Mats Hummels and Lukas Podolski helped promote the indoor football competition which is now set to start in the UK at the COpper Box Arena in London.

Players and coaches include a mix of former professionals, futsal players, non-league players, influencers and celebrities.

Online celebrity KSI, who has 24.8 million YouTube subscribers, has been named as the president of the UK Baller League.

The 12 team competition will see six matches played weekly on Monday. The tournament will be in a round-robin format with every team playing the other 11 teams once before the top four ranked sides enter the play-offs.

Matches are six-a-side on a small indoor pitch and will last 30 minutes, with two 15-minute halves. But there are some twists to the traditional football rules.

Penalties will be in a ‘hockey-style’ with players attempting to beat the goalkeeper in a one-on-one dribbling from the halfway line. The final three minutes of matches will include randomised rule changes such as both teams losing three players, long-range goals counting as double and goalkeepers not allowed to use their hands.

It’s not football as we know it, but from a Newcastle perspective, it will be interesting to see how the likes of Shearer, Clark and Ndiweni get on.

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