The 38-year-old is yet to taste victory four games into his temporary reign at St James' Park and knows that situation must change rapidly if he is to pull off the great escape he was recruited to lead.

Monday night's 0-0 home draw with Portsmouth in a game he had admitted was a must-win affair came as a major disappointment and left the club still three points adrift of safety with only 12 more at stake.

The chances of the Magpies adding to their tally of 31 points this weekend appear remote as they head for Liverpool, who still foster hopes, although rapidly receding, of overhauling leaders Manchester United to snatch the title.

Shearer's experiences since he returned to his home-town club have done little to dim his respect for the managers under whom he played during his distinguished career, with the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Sir Bobby Robson and Terry Venables high on his list of influences.

However, he is adamant that his baptism of fire was one for which he was fully prepared.

He said: "If you ever listened to me talk beforehand, I had huge respect for the managers anyway, so that would never change.

"Is it everything I thought it would be? Yes. Is it difficult? Yes.

"But it's probably no more difficult than I thought it would be. I was coming into it with my eyes open.

"But I am enjoying it - despite not winning."

Winning was something Shearer did rather a lot of during his playing career, although to his eternal disappointment, it did not bring him a single trophy during his decade at Newcastle.

However, while Anfield was never a particularly happy hunting ground, it was there that his Blackburn team clinched the league title in 1995, despite losing 2-1 to the Reds, as a result of Manchester United's 1-1 draw at West Ham.

The Magpies' last - and to date, only - Premier League win on Merseyside came in April 1994, more than two years before Shearer signed for the club, although they did return with a 1-1 draw on the final day of the 2003-04 season to clinch a fifth-place finish and a UEFA Cup spot.

A repeat this time around would provide a major boost, although Shearer is in little doubt as to the task ahead of his players.

He said: "Not many players and managers have got a good record at Anfield to be quite honest, so I am not alone in that.

"Whether that can change, I hope so.

"Listen, we know it is going to be a very, very tough game at Anfield. We go there as underdogs, but nothing is impossible in life.

"There have been a few teams gone to Anfield this season - Hull, Fulham, Stoke - and come away with points. We will be looking to try to do the same."

One national newspaper today calculated that the Magpies need to improve their level of performance by 186 per cent if they are to stay up, although even that statistic did not dent Shearer's optimism.

He said with a smile: "It could have been worse, it could have been 200 per cent, couldn't it?

"I know we are relying on other teams now, but what it is safe to say is the teams around us won't pick up maximum points between now and the end of the season.

"If they do slip up, we have got to make sure we are in a position to take advantage of that."

Shearer will be without injured defenders Steven Taylor and Jose Enrique, but Joey Barton could make his first appearance since January 28 in his home city after recovering from a fractured metatarsal.