THE WORD passion is widely used throughout football. A good team plays with passion, a manager who is passionate gets things done, the passion of fans can lift players to new heights; everyone, it seems, needs passion.

This weekend we saw two very different kinds of passion in the North-East.

If passion is said to be an outpouring of enthusiasm then Alan Shearer must surely be one of the most passionate players in the country. The Geordie lad who used to be the ball boy at St James' Park has become Newcastle United's all-time highest scorer, eclipsing the record set by Jackie Milburn 49 years ago.

Despite the rivalries within the North-East game, every true football fan should come together to applaud Shearer's moment of history. He could have gone to Manchester United where his career would have taken in a champions' league victory, premiership trophies and cup winners' medals. Instead, he decided to play for the club he had supported since he was a boy.

He may not have won the silverware his talent deserved but there is no doubt the decision made him a legend in the eyes of thousands of Newcastle fans.

There is a statue of Jackie Milburn outside St James' Park and one day we have no doubt it will be joined by a similar tribute to Alan Shearer - one of the greats of the modern game.

Sometimes, however, passion can go too far. The Middlesbrough fan who ran on to the pitch at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday to confront Steve McClaren over-stepped the mark. With his team trailing by four goals he left his seat and ran up the touchline to hurl his season ticket at the startled manager before being bundled away by stewards.

Club chairman Steve Gibson says he will get his ticket back and no action will be taken. The reason? Because the club understands his passion.

But all too often we have seen this kind of passion erupt into the sort of bad behaviour that represents the not-so beautiful side of the game.

A balance needs to struck between sympathy for the passion of fans who feel let down and angry, and the safety of managers and players.