We aren’t ‘too good’ – Duff

Mar 1 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

THE phrase “too good to go down” was once a popular one when discussing the future prospects of various relegation-threatened teams. But so many have disproved it in recent years it has become obsolete.

So as part of the Blackburn Rovers team which ignominiously dropped out of the Premier League in 1999, just four years after winning it, there is no question of Damien Duff making the same mistake.

The Republic of Ireland winger is refusing to contemplate the prospect of a second relegation with Newcastle United, but is acutely aware it will take more than simply an impressive-looking team-sheet to guard against it.

“Relegation was one of the lowest times of my life,” he recalled. “I was only a kid – 20 – and I ended up having to do two years in the Championship. We have a massive game against Blackburn and then four more home games after that.

“Brian Kidd came in (at Blackburn) and spent an awful lot of money, so it doesn’t matter how big or good your squad is, it doesn’t mean you’ll automatically stay up. But we’re not thinking about relegation – we’re just working hard as a club to put things right.”

One of the Magpies’ Achilles heels this season has been a familiar one – defensive shortcomings. And with manager Kevin Keegan unable to sign any new first-teamers in the January transfer window he has taken out-of-contract Lamine Diatta on trial in the hope Senegal’s captain can bolster his thin squad.

“I’ve got him for four days to look at him,” Keegan said of the right-back or centre-half. “I’m going to make my mind up on Tuesday. I’ve only really got five fit defenders at the moment with Stephen Carr injured for two or three weeks. If I lost one of my defenders I’d be in real trouble. It’s nothing to do with the new scouting system, it’s just one of these things that crop up from time to time.

“Even though it’s a transfer embargo we can sign him because he’s bought out his contract at Besiktas. I just feel in our situation we’d be crazy not to look at it.”