ALAN SHEARER is facing the first big dilemma of his managerial career as he considers dropping Michael Owen from the Newcastle starting line-up to face Liverpool tomorrow.

Since taking charge eight weeks ago, Shearer has repeatedly reaffirmed his belief that Owen was the man to fire the Magpies bid for Premier League safety.

But Owen’s failure to score during Shearer’s four-match reign extended the striker’s barren spell to ten league games and his place in the side is now under threat as the manager’s patience wears thin with his former England colleague.

“Michael’s still banging them in during training,” said Shearer. “But I want him scoring in games, rather than training.”

Fabio Capello will be an interested observer among the Anfield crowd but if Owen hopes to impress the watching England boss, he’s likely to have to do so coming off the bench.

Shearer was instrumental in persuading the former Liverpool striker to make the £16m move to St James’ Park just over four years ago. Since then, despite Owen suffering a string of injuries, successive Magpies managers have kept faith with the striker who has netted 26 times during his 68 games in Newcastle colours.

With the manager admitting he’d be “mad” to face Liverpool with the bold, threepronged strike force he selected to face Portsmouth last Monday, it appears that Owen is set to be the fall guy as Shearer employs a more conservative approach.

“If I do decide to drop one of the three strikers it will be a tough choice,” admitted Shearer, who confirmed he’s considering handing Joey Barton an attacking midfield role.

The Huyton-born midfielder has been straining at the leash to make his first appearance under Shearer as the manager acknowledged he’d been impressed by the controversial player’s positive attitude.

Shearer added: “He gives us something different to the rest of the midfield. He can get beyond the forwards, or slot one of the forwards in.

I’ve got to decide whether he’s fit enough to start the game, or can he come on and change the game?

“He’s impressed me. We all know that when he comes back he’ll be judged, so he’s got to be right. We believe he is fit otherwise he wouldn’t have been on the bench on Monday. He’s in the training ground a lot and wants to be involved.”

As the fourth incumbent of the Newcastle manager’s office this season, the sign on Shearer’s desk could easily read: ‘You don’t have to be mad to work here – but it helps.’ And while the unflappable Magpies boss is showing no sign of losing his cool, he admitted that starting all three of his strikers at Anfield on S u n d a y would be perceived as a crazy decision.

A g a i n s t Portsmouth on Monday, Newcastle’s three-man strike force almost paid dividends as Owen, Mark Viduka and Obafemi Martins each spurned great chances to grab the second goal of Shearer’s tenure in the hotseat.

With Newcastle desperate to end a run of five years without a point from their trips to Anfield, Shearer was asked if he was suff i c i e n t l y brave or reckless to play three up front, he added: “Or mad enough!

I have been mad in my time but I do not want to give away any formations or selections but I tend to agree that yeah, it might be mad to go there with three up front.”

Owen’s failure to slot home his one-on-one chance against Pompey’s David James looks to have been the final straw, despite the striker’s impressive work-rate.

“If you look at the stats, work-rate wise there’s no problem he’s always in the top three or four players on the pitch,” said Shearer. “But it’s goals that Michael’s made his name from and he was disappointed not to score the other night as was everybody else.

But he didn’t, Oba didn’t, Mark didn’t and we didn’t win the game.

“Michael would have hoped to put that chance away. But he will not wallow in self pity.”

Jose Enrique’s season may be over after Shearer revealed the left back will be out for at least a couple of weeks. The Spaniard and Steven Taylor both stayed at home to continue their rehabilitation with the manager confirming he has no new injury concerns.