Shearer threat to Bellamy over text

CRAIG Bellamy would be well advised to stay away from Newcastle during his injury-enforced break from football over the next three weeks, after it emerged that Alan Shearer has told his team-mate he will "knock his block off" if he returns to the city.

The Welsh striker, who was sent on loan to Celtic after falling out with Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness, has won admirers with his football skill but is not short of enemies for his conduct off the field.

His latest alleged misdemeanour was to send mocking text messages to his former team-mates at Newcastle after they had lost out to Manchester United in the semi-final of the FA Cup.

It was reported over the weekend that, while he was in Ireland at a testimonial golf tournament for Celtic captain Jackie McNamara, Bellamy sent gloating messages to Shearer and Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd’s son, Kenneth.

However, a spokesman for Bellamy told the Sunday tabloid which ran the story that the text messages were not sent by the player. "The mobile phone was lost while he was in Ireland and reported as such," he said.

Shepherd has clearly to be convinced by this explanation and claimed Shearer told Bellamy in no uncertain terms that he would not be welcome back at St James’ Park. "It’s true that messages were received from Bellamy’s phone," said Shepherd, "but he got more than he bargained for from Alan Shearer.

"The text he sent to Kenneth was mildly upsetting but what he said to Shearer was insulting. It was along the lines that he was past it and his legs had gone and that he was going to come back here from Celtic.

"I can tell you there is no chance of that. Bellamy has taken on a hero in Alan and there is only one winner of that one. And it’s not Bellamy. Alan might have thought twice about firing off a reply but he was obviously so riled he reacted. He told Bellamy he would knock his block off if he ever set foot back in Newcastle."

Yesterday afternoon, Shepherd tried to defuse his remarks, but the cat was out of the bag already. Newcastle said in a statement: "Following media reports this morning the chairman wishes to make it clear that Alan Shearer has never said to him that he would knock seven bells out of anyone."

Significantly, there was no suggestion Shepherd’s original remarks had been misquoted. It is believed Shearer was unhappy the thrust of his response to Bellamy had been made public.

Bellamy is at Celtic until the end of the season, after joining the Parkhead club in January. He scored the decisive goal in Sunday’s crucial Old Firm win over Rangers but has now been ruled out for up to three weeks with a hamstring injury. His long-term future is still to be resolved.

The Welshman has been linked with Bayern Munich, after the German club’s directors Uli Hoeness and Felix Magath attended Ibrox on Sunday.

However, former Scotland manager Berti Vogts has waded into the transfer speculation by becoming the latest in a long list of football personalities to criticise Bellamy, in an article in a German magazine. Vogts said: "Craig Bellamy is a very indisciplined football player - he’s not a Bayern Munich type of player."