Keegan confident of revival

Mar 10 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

KEVIN Keegan has told Newcastle United fans their fortunes can be revived as quickly as they have slumped, but even he does not believe the Magpies can win the Premier League before 2012.

The Yorkshireman has not had the expected impact since returning as manager. His team has collected two points from eight games and Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool saw them drop to 14th in the table.

“The fans deserve better than what we are giving them,” he said. “That’s my intention, to turn this club around and give them what they deserve, which is silverware. We nearly did it once. That is still my intention. It seems a long way off at the moment but football is a strange game. It takes time to get things right but if you turn it round it can move at pace as well. We have seen it happen at this club before. My belief is we can make it happen again. It might look a long way off but I can see it. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Last time it didn’t happen as quickly as people imagine.

“I have three-and-a-half years to try to win a trophy. That’s my objective. I don’t think it will be a league title because of the vast gap that exists now.

“That gap didn’t exist before. But I believe that once we turn, it is a big club and the momentum takes it on.”

Newcastle’s next game, the clash at Birmingham City a week today, now assumes even greater importance as Keegan strives for his more immediate target of the 40 points he believes will save the club from relegation.

“It will be difficult because they (Birmingham) are a team around you, but if you get a result it is not only going to help your cause you are knocking them down as well,” he said. “We just need to win a match and the sooner the better. Hopefully that will give us confidence. That is the biggest single factor in the way we are playing.”

STUART RAYNER