HEARTBROKEN Blackburn Rovers fans today woke up to the reality of life without Alan Shearer.

After the sensations and shocks of the star striker's £15million transfer yesterday, disbelief turned to a dull ache...a black-and-blue bruising after he swapped Rovers' blue and white for the black and white of Newcastle United, his home town club.

And Rovers' chairman Rob Coar was recovering from the ear-ache the fans gave him when he faced them at Ewood in an unprecedented public appearance to explain the deal.

Mr Coar addressed the angry fans as he read from prepared statements issued by the club, Jack Walker and even one from Alan Shearer himself which had already been distributed to the gathered Press.

But Mr Coar refused to answer direct questions and added: "The situation is quite simple. Alan wanted to go and play for his home town team.

"That is the situation we found ourselves in on Monday morning."

The massive Press and TV coverage yesterday and this morning only piled on the agony for the fans.

Tony Burke, 51, of Darwen, said: "I've bought a season ticket, but I really do feel like returning it.

"Rovers should have held out for £20 million, but I still think he would have been a bargain at that."

David Leadbetter, 49, of Darwen, said: "There needs to be better liaison between the board and the fans then we really know what is going on. "The club is showing a lack of ambition and Ray Harford was the wrong choice for manager. He is a coach and is never going to attract big-name players to the team like Dalglish did.

"We need to know from Mr Walker that he is not going to let this club fall back into obscurity."

Peter Cannon, 46, of Blackburn said: "We have lost Shearer because there is a lack of charisma at the club.

"Ray Harford doesn't show any interest in the fans and didn't even acknowledge our support at the end of last season.

"We don't want to be back where we were three years ago. The fans have spent hard-earned money on their season tickets and we feel cheated."

Steve Ellwood, 36, of Chorley, has been a season ticket holder for 30 years.

He said: "The team isn't all Shearer. Colin Hendry won us the championship but Shearer took all the credit because he scored the goals.

"With players like Hendry we will be back up there again in no time."

Susann Tabor, 34, of Blackburn, returned to the club shop with three brand new blue and white team shirts she bought for her children last week.

She said: "I can't believe what has happened. We only bought these shirts last Thursday and had Shearer and the number nine put on the back. "Then we found out he is leaving. I rang the shop and they said we could come back and have another name put on because the children won't wear them now."

Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Norcross, of Highercroft, Blackburn was close to tears and turned her red and black away kit inside out to hide Shearer's name on the back.

She said: "I respected him so much as a player. I am just so sad that he has gone, and this deal has been done behind closed doors." Nicola Halliwell, 12, of Durham Road, Darwen, was on her way home from a hospital appointment when she heard the news and went straight to Ewood Park on crutches.

She said: "I'll have to have Graham Fenton put on my shirt now and hope that he can do as well as Shearer."

Her aunt Kathryn Brogan, of Harwood Street, Darwen said: "It could've been worse. Shearer could have been playing in red next season and we wouldn't have stood for that."

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