Tears prove that I care – Martins

Mar 19 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

OBAFEMI Martins has told how Kevin Keegan was quick to dry his tears of frustration after the Newcastle striker made his anger known following his substitution against Birmingham City on Monday night.

There has been plenty of justified criticism of the Magpies this season, but Martins refutes the charge that too many of the players simply do not care enough about the club’s plight.

The former Inter Milan front man’s actions also backed up his words as he gave a full insight into what Keegan said to him after he had angrily stomped off the pitch when he was replaced by Charles N’Zogbia late in the second half at St Andrew’s.

In fact, rather than cause a problem between the two, Martins suggested the spat had actually increased his respect for Keegan because of the way he handled the incident.

“I like the manager, he doesn’t mind people showing emotion on the pitch and that is good,” said Martins, whose substitution also did not go down well with United’s supporters, who booed the decision before chanting the player’s name. “He knows that I wanted to try and win the game and he is happy with that sort of attitude.

“We are not angry with each other. I was upset when I had to come off, I didn’t want to go off because I wanted to help the team. I wanted to help us try to win the game.

“I felt we were going to get the winner and I was frustrated when I saw that I was going off. There were a few tears because I was frustrated and emotional, nobody likes to be taken off and I’m no different. It was a big game for Newcastle and I was desperate to do something on the pitch which might have got us all three points.

“I didn’t understand why I was being taken off so I made my feelings known, but the manager was brilliant. He said he understood how I felt, he didn’t get angry at me, he just explained why he had done it.

“He told me to relax because I had played well and that I’d been taken off because it was a tactical decision, not because he thought I wasn’t playing well.”

In many ways, Martins typified United’s performance on Monday night as he made up for an anonymous first-half display with a vastly-improved show after the break.

And the 23-year-old insisted the players had shown they have the qualities needed to survive this season as they responded positively to Keegan’s half time team-talk.

He said: “I think it was a very good point in the circumstances because we were in a difficult situation at half time. It was a game we could not afford to lose, because if we had done we would have made things a lot tougher for ourselves.

“There was a big improvement in the second half, we sat down and we talked to each other at half time. The manager told us what he expected from us, that we had to improve and we went out on to the pitch and did that.

“We were 1-0 down again and that has been a problem for us during our poor run, but we didn’t collapse. We didn’t concede a second and that was important. I never give up and you know when there is just one goal in it that you still have a chance to win the game.

“We had to stay confident in what we were trying to do and I think you saw the spirit and determination in the side. It wasn’t a great performance, but we fought for each other, which is what you need to do at times like this when you are worried about relegation.”

Given Monday night’s result and the important role he played in the build-up to Michael Owen’s crucial equaliser, Martins – who was part of a three-man strikeforce alongside Owen and Mark Viduka – hopes the Magpies can take their second-half performance into the game against Fulham this weekend.

He explained: “If we carry on playing like we did in the second half I think the season will have a happy end. We have to stay positive, in our thinking and the way we play our football.

“It’s not going to be easy against Fulham, none of us think that, but we have to try to carry on where this game finished. If we play like we did in the second half against Birmingham, we know we can win that game.”