ALAN Shearer may be in trouble with the Football Association but it is the bother he can cause Blackburn Rovers on Sunday which concerns Ewood boss Roy Hodgson.

Shearer provides the greatest threat to Rovers' hopes of claiming the victory which would guarantee a UEFA Cup spot next season.

And, having helped Newcastle to Premiership safety as well as the FA Cup final, the ex-Rovers star will be looking to sign off his League season in typical fashion.

Hodgson doesn't disguise his admiration of Shearer's qualities. "He's a marvellous player," he said. "I think his career has been outstanding and I have nothing negative to say about him at all.

"There's no doubt he's a very good all-round footballer and, most important of all, he's an outstanding goalscorer. He doesn't need many chances to score a goal."

Shearer is the obvious threat but Newcastle boss Kenny Dalglish - returning to Ewood as Newcastle boss for the first time since he left Rovers in August 1996 - believes his old club will qualify for Europe whatever the outcome of Sunday's showdown. "Unless there are some freak results, I think they will be in Europe no matter what happens in our game," said Dalglish today. Newcastle have struggled in the League but Shearer's return from long-term injury gave them the extra impetus they needed to survive and reach Wembley. His comeback also boosted England with the World cup in mind.

"He has been unfortunate with injuries this last year and, funnily enough, that might work in England's favour because he's still fresher at this stage of the season than most people would be," added Hodgson.

"I am sure that a couple of weeks break or light training will see him really flying. In France I think that's our best weapon."

Hodgson described the furore over the Shearer and Neil Lennon incident as "a storm in a teacup".

He said: "Perhaps the real tragedy is that the referee and linesman did not take different action at the time and then we would not see all this publicity and pressure.

"For me it's a very minor part when you are talking about a player's career. Alan Shearer has proved his pedigree now with three clubs. The more famous you are the more headlines are going to be written about you. If it had been a player in Division Three maybe we would have been scouring the papers with a magnifying glass to find out what has been going on. "I am sure Alan's big enough to take it all. I am sure he regrets the incident and as far as I am concerned it's a storm in a teacup which should not be allowed in any way to detract from his value as a player or a person.

"And I certainly hope it does not detract from his ability and concentration in helping England to win the World Cup."

It's Premiership fortunes which count first, however, and Rovers expect to have Billy McKinlay fit for Sunday.

PSV Eindhoven striker Luc Nilis is being linked with a possible move to Ewood and the 30-year-old former Anderlecht star is a player the club looked at earlier this season. But, despite comments from Nilis's agent that he is about to join the PSV exodus, Rovers have not made any recent moves for the Belgian international.

There will be very few departures from Ewood after Sunday's final game. Professionals Adam Reed, a £180,000 signing from Darlington in 1995, Graham Cassin and Tony Whealing, who had trials with Burnley a couple of months ago, are being released. Also leaving are youngsters Michael Lomax and John Harding.

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