Alan Shearer’s statue is moved into the grounds of St James’ Park SIX YEARS after it was unveiled due to former Newcastle owner Mike Ashley refusing to allow it to stand on club grounds
- Alan Shearer’s statue has stood on council-owned land for the last six years
- But the club returned the statue back outside the stadium on Tuesday
- Shearer tweeted ‘Thank You’ back at his old club after seeing the pictures
Alan Shearer thanked Newcastle United after his statue was finally moved inside the grounds of St James’ Park – six years after it was first erected.
The 10ft bronze sculpture of the club’s record goalscorer was commissioned and paid for by the family of former Toon chairman Freddy Shepherd, but then owner Mike Ashley refused to put it up within the boundaries of the stadium.
Shearer’s statue was instead placed on Barrack Road in 2016 – the council-owned land just outside St James’.
Alan Shearer’s statue was moved inside the grounds of St James’ Park on Tuesday
The statue was first erected six years ago but kept outside the stadium after Shearer was in a dispute with former owner Mike Ashley
The club posted pictures of the statue being moved with the caption, ‘Where he belongs’, to which Shearer replied, ‘Thank you’
But Newcastle’s new owners pledged to relocate it after taking control of the club from Ashley last year and on Tuesday it was craned into position next to the entrance steps at the Gallowgate West corner.
The club posted pictures of the statue being moved with the caption, ‘Where he belongs’, to which Shearer replied, ‘Thank you’.
‘It’s a lovely feeling to see him where he should have been in the first place,’ said Tom Maley, who sculpted the statues of Shearer and Sir Bobby Robson, which now stand adjacent to each other.
It comes two months after the Saudi-led consortium also brought back ‘Shearer’s Bar’ at St James’ after it was rebranded ‘Nine Bar’ under Ashley, who had a long-running dispute with the club’s former striker and manager.
The move comes after the new Saudi-led owners brought ‘Shearer’s Bar’ back at St James’
Shearer’s statue was put in place next to the entrance steps at the Gallowgate West corner
Speaking recently to Gary Neville on his YouTube channel The Overlap, Shearer said he didn’t know why Ashley left the statue off club land.
‘It’s not on the club’s grounds. It’s about 10 yards outside of the club for whatever reason.
‘Ask Mike, my friend Mike, ask Mike why he wouldn’t, or Lee Charnley, why they wouldn’t allow it inside the ground.’