ALAN Shearer is used to worrying defences, writes NEIL BRAMWELL.

But no Premiership or international rearguard will have had as many sleepless nights as the defence lined up for his FA hearing.

The player himself - once dubbed the Al-mighty by our good selves - is apparently confident that he can explain the incident against Leicester last Wednesday.

"I am disappointed that there is apparently nothing in the FA's rules which enables a player to state his case prior to an announcement like this being made.

"I am totally confident that I will eventually prove to everyone that the incident was not intentional," said Shearer.

For the record, and regardless of what any FA hearing finds, Shearer booted a defenceless Neil Lennon in the mush.

So just what case he intended to state prior to the hearing is perplexing.

Had Lennon asked for an instant nose-job?

Has the Leicester player a fetish for the feel of soft leather rubbing against the back of his throat?

Did Shearer mistake Lennon's flame-red hair for a real fire?

Or, which I suspect might just be the real reason, does Shearer think he is above the law?

On this occasion, he would have had every reason to think so.

Any Newcastle player sent off against Leicester would have automatically been suspended for the Cup Final. If Shearer had done a Highland fling on Lennon's solar plexus there would have been no chance of a gibbering Martin Bodenham showing him the red card and spoiling the FA's showpiece next Saturday.

But, should the FA and Graham Kelly in particular, have the power to bring Shearer to task after the event in one of their pathetic Kangaroo Courts.

There is a risk that this option will increasingly be used as a get-out to excuse weak refereeing.

I think that what occurs on the field, should stay on the field.

Let the likes of Don Hutchison, who was responsible for an equally outrageous incident with Emmanuel Petit on Sunday, gain their own Brownie points by admitting to obvious mistakes.

If you were to start examining TV evidence of every Shearer misdemeanour, Lancaster Gate would have more videos than your average Blockbuster store.

That is the way he plays his game. Part of his art is to live on the edge of the legitimate.

It is a quality that was worshipped by the Ewood faithful while Shearer wore blue and white and not black and white.

But I guess the call for retrospective action is just fashionable.

Remember when a player only had to smile at opposition fans to be charged with incitement to riot?

There is no doubt, though, that Shearer has started to over-step the mark.

The fact that Newcastle's dire season has exposed his own human and footballing frailties has contributed to his brat-like behaviour.

And, after Ronaldo's display in last night's UEFA Cup Final, Shearer's obvious belief that he is the best in the world holds even less water.

So, with Rovers fans unlikely to forget the timing of Shearer's departure, expect more tantrums on Sunday afternoon.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.