No goals in three games and Keegan under pressure
Associated Press
January 30, 2008
LONDON (AP) -
No goals in three games, losing out in the transfer market and surrounded by new coaches and technical directors, Kevin Keegan's first two weeks as Newcastle manager have already led to speculation that he may not last the year.
With the team out of both domestic cup competitions and 12th in the standings - 30 points behind Arsenal - the fans know they have little left to play for. The Magpies are 13 points off a possible UEFA Cup spot and only seven points above the relegation zone.
"Punters and Newcastle fans are already becoming impatient with the lack of impact the footballing Messiah has had," said Graham Sharpe, a spokesman for bookmakers William Hill.
"Since the arrival of Dennis Wise to look over Kevin's shoulder, we are seeing more and more interest in our odds of 7-2 that Keegan will be gone before the end of this calendar year," Sharpe added Wednesday.
Keegan's arrival for his second spell as manager at St. James' Park was acclaimed by the Magpies fans who were unhappy with the negative tactics used by Sam Allardyce.
But the fans who wanted a return to the free-scoring Newcastle of Keegan's first spell between 1992-97 haven't had much to cheer.
Although he arrived in time to watch a 4-1 victory over Stoke City in the FA Cup, Newcastle drew 0-0 against visiting Bolton and twice lost at Arsenal 3-0, once in the cup and on Tuesday in the league, since he actually started work Jan. 18.
"Our fans have common sense and they know it won't happen overnight. Things take time," Keegan said after the Magpies' latest loss at Arsenal. "Sometimes there's an uplift with a new manager. But our fixtures have been tough, and we could have played much better against Arsenal and been beaten. Some of these players aren't used to getting beat. We have guys who are used to winning things, and they need picking up.
"We have to get a win from somewhere and I hope it will be against Middlesbrough on Sunday."
It's not just a first win the fans are waiting for.
Newcastle hasn't won the league title since 1927 or the FA Cup since 1955. The last time it won a major title was the 1969 Fairs Cup, the forerunner of the UEFA Cup.
Another perceived problem for Keegan is the surprise arrival of Wise from Leeds as Newcastle's executive director and two other appointments to the backup team. Tony Jimenez is vice president of player recruitment and Jeff Vetere is technical coordinator.
Although Newcastle stressed that the appointments would leave Keegan free to concentrate on running the first team, the fact that there are several other coaches employed at the club appears to weaken his position.
"I am all for the changes and I approve of them," Keegan said. "(Newcastle) want someone on the board who understands football, and Dennis knows it very well. I think it will work very well. He reports to me. The chain is established."
Keegan said he was happy with the breakdown of the various roles.
"I know what Dennis is going to do, and the idea in principle is good - to look for new players, to bring youngsters through and do things which our academy isn't doing so much at the moment," the Magpies manager said. "My concentration is on the first team and getting the club right. The club has become slightly fragmented. From my point of view, it's a positive thing, provided I get all the help I need."
Keegan's failure to persuade England center back Jonathan Woodgate to return to Newcastle from Middlesbrough was another blow. Woodgate turned down Newcastle to go to Tottenham, and Keegan has cooled on trying to buy talented Derby teenager Giles Barnes.
"If we could have got two of the players of the quality we wanted, which was the original intention, then you slide in someone like Barnes, one really for the future," he said. "But I do not think we will do it in this transfer window. We may do three or four of those in the summer - that is what this new set-up is about."
Whether the Magpies fans will be prepared to wait for that is another issue.
).
