Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer will appear on BBC Match of the Day only once a month during the 2026/27 season so he can watch his former club more often. The former striker has told the BBC he wants some of his weekends back to attend Newcastle games.
Reduced role explained
Shearer has been a constant presence on the iconic highlights show despite several changes in recent years. His friend and Rest is Football co-host Gary Lineker has moved on, with Mark Chapman, Kelly Cates and Gabby Logan now sharing lead presenting duties on a rotational basis.
The BBC's confirmed pundit lineup for the season excludes Martin Keown, Dion Dublin, Shay Given, Stephen Warnock, Nedum Onuoha and Theo Walcott, though it is believed they will still feature in Match of the Day programming during the campaign. Ashley Young, Robbie Keane, Toby Alderweireld and Thomas Frank are expected to appear more regularly.
Shearer's own words
"I said to them a while back that I would like some of my weekends back on a Saturday," Shearer told Daily Mail Sport. "It'll be about one a month. I'll be going to more Newcastle games. I love doing the co-comms. When the FA Cup starts in January, there's loads of co-comms."
Newcastle opened their Premier League campaign with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool. New manager Matthias Jaissle secured his first win on Wednesday evening, defeating Championship side West Brom 3-2 in the Carabao Cup.
Optimism at St James' Park
Shearer also offered his views on the season after a chaotic summer transfer window saw three key players depart. "Plenty of optimism at Newcastle after a long summer. It needed a reset," he said. "We mustn't forget all those players Newcastle sold, wanted to go, didn't want to be there and didn't have great seasons last season because Newcastle finished 12th."
He added: "It had to be a reset and it's going to take a lot of patience at times, albeit hoping for one or two in before the end of the transfer window, then plenty to be optimistic about after the weekend. I don't expect us to get into European football this year. If we do, great, it'll be a great bonus but I don't expect that."
Shearer had revealed Newcastle's need for a midfield signing, and that has since happened with Nico Gonzalez unveiled at St James' Park after his £50million move from Manchester City. On the signing, Shearer said: "It's really good business with his experience, being at Manchester City for that amount of time, playing under Pep in that winning culture will do Newcastle the world of good."
