NEWCASTLE United legend Alan Shearer has ruled himself out of the running for the vacant managerial position at former club Blackburn Rovers.

There had been a lot of support for Big Al making a return to the Lancashire club with whom he won the Premier League title in 1995.

But, when asked about the situation in his role as a BBC pundit during Wednesday night's Euro 2008 clash between Switzerland and Turkey, Shearer said: "The situation was, and is, that I was very flattered to have got a call from the chief executive, John Williams, at Blackburn.

"He asked me if I would like to be included on a shortlist for the manager's job, which I politely declined because of the commitments that I have, namely this one.

"I was very flattered to have been asked and I thank him for that."

Former Magpie boss Sam Allardyce is reportedly now set for talks with Rovers.