IF victory last week over arch-rivals Sunderland drew the curtain on a glorious era, then Saturday's comfortable 3-0 win over West Brom suggests there could be a shining new dawn in the Tyneside principality.

The ominous sense of foreboding feared by all Newcastle United fans was realised on Saturday morning when they read the illustrious reign of Alan Shearer had ended.

The search for an heir will begin in earnest during pre-season, but in the meantime, in-form striker Shola Ameobi will rule until a new coronation is announced.

The Nigerian-born front-man may not be the natural successor to the prolific Shearer's throne, but on Saturday he provided further evidence that he can hold court in any royal household.

He converted a penalty five minutes before half-time his skipper would have admired and applied a cool finish from 18 yards - from Charles N'Zogbia's slide rule pass - in stoppage time that he would have enjoyed.

They were Premier League goals eight and nine of the season and his sixth in his last nine games. Prior to Ameobi's brace Nolberto Solano tapped in the opener after 30 minutes following good work by Michael Chopra and Matty Pattison.

The 24-year-old did everything and more in the line of duty for his club against West Brom.

Last weekend he was carried off with a fractured jaw, yet seven days later he played through the pain barrier - wearing a protective gum shield - as he shot United to a deserved victory.

"When the advice came through from the dental people to not play again, this was his opportunity to prove us that he is a new tough and strong Shola Ameobi," revealed Glenn Roeder shortly after Saturday's victory.

"He said 'Get me a gum shield, I'm playing'. Thank God he did because he got two goals he deserved and was well supported by Michael Chopra."

Ameobi's impressive display wasn't the only positive to be drawn from an emotive and historic occasion; several poignant questions were asked, and answered.

No-one was going to be fooled by the opposition. The table does not lie and the Baggies are clearly the second worst side in it.

But United's fifth consecutive Premiership victory revealed there is life after Shearer and also plenty more.

Ameobi can cut the mustard as a top striker, Kieron Dyer's season is over, Albert Luque's career on Tyneside is over, and Roeder is more than a capable Premier League manager.

Chairman Freddy Shepherd has to make arguably the toughest decision of his career soon. He has already made three calamitous choices as chief - Kenny Daglish, Ruud Gullitt and Graeme Souness - and now he must choose wisely or face anarchy.

If Martin O'Neill and Ottmar Hitzfeld don't want to rule over Shearer's former throne then he could do worse than give the job to Roeder. But whatever Shepherd decides Roeder has earned a role in the senior side's affairs.

United's caretaker boss is certainly warming to the idea after administering victory number ten in 15 games.

He was robbed of Shearer, Michael Owen, Scott Parker, Emre, Dyer, Lee Bowyer and Steven Taylor, yet he still engineered another triumph. Could Souness have done the same? The evidence suggests not.

Roeder's decision to favour 19-year-old Pattison - making his first senior start - over derby-day hero and £9.5m misfit Luque revealed three things: the former Deportivo La Coruna does not have a future on Tyneside, Pattison does and Roeder is an astute judge of a footballer.

"I didn't have anything to prove to myself but to other people," said Roeder, who has been given permission by the Premier League to carry on at St James' Park until the end of the season.

"Working at West Ham was unfortunate. It is in the history books. I learnt a lot from that but it also reminded me in the last two months at senior level, and I don't just mean the manager's job, that I have a lot to offer.

"And I must make it clear that at senior level that does not just mean the manager. But I do feel I have a lot more to offer than just academy manager.

"I would like to think the chairman has seen me perform and he would want to keep me involved in the senior level, and academy level, to know as a club we can start building and have a good infrastructure.

"Any new position must be decided by the chairman and it would be wrong for me to answer them. Those questions need to be answered by the chairman if you get to talk to him. Once he does, I'll give it a moment's thought and I'd give him an answer."

While uncertainty hangs over Roeder's immediate future Shearer's has already been decided. He will take a year off to evaluate his own destiny, while working as a pundit for the BBC, before deciding whether to return from his year's sabbatical.

He has received hundreds of plaudits and eulogies, but Roeder's was particularly poignant.

He said: "I can't add anything about him as a footballer that hasn't already been said. But if I was allowed to choose my friends I'd certainly choose Alan Shearer because of how he is as a human being.

"Any club would miss him on the field. Given the kind of person he is, any club would miss him in the dressing room.

"He is a leader of men. People question whether he should have gone to Manchester United and say he would have won more trophies. He says 'I'm right in what I have done because I have lived the dream'. I agree with him. He has lived it. As a little boy he wanted to play for Newcastle United and he has done that for the best part of his career. He has put the people of Newcastle before himself and gratification of winning trophies and he would done at Manchester United.

"As he said to Alex Ferguson the other night, 'Maybe if I had signed, Alex, you would have won a few more'. I thought that was fitting.

"I said to him 'Alan, that (singing his name) makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck so who knows what it does to you?'. That's why he has lived the dream. In his eyes, it's better than winning trophies. To have the love of your own people must be a wonderful thing, it must be."

The king is dead, long live the king.

Result: Newcastle United 3, West Bromwich Albion 0.

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