Players have faith in Kevin’s tactics

Apr 1 2008 by Luke Edwards, The Journal

Most managers pick the players to suit a formation but Kevin Keegan has given Newcastle United a formation to fit his players.

AS a manager, Kevin Keegan has been praised and criticised for a football philosophy which has seen his sides play some of the most attacking football in English football, but it has always earned him respect.

For some that respect is begrudging, for others it is merely respect for the way he has steadfastly stuck to his principles, but it is respect nonetheless.

It is a philosophy which has marvelled and entertained, but it is also one which has also been derided and even prompted some to label him deluded. Yet it is a philosophy which continues to capture the imagination of football fans on Tyneside and beyond, a philosophy which still appeals to those who believe football should be played with the emphasis on entertainment rather than just results.

It is a philosophy with one simple, overriding rule. That football shall be played in the spirit it is better to be the team that concentrates on trying to score the most goals rather than the one which always focuses on trying to concede the least.

Successful teams, of course, manage to harness the two, hence why Manchester United, who are five points clear at the top of the Premier League, have scored more goals (68) than anyone else but also conceded the fewest (15). Sir Alex Ferguson’s side, though, are a masterpiece. Keegan’s remains a work in progress, but after some poorly-executed early sketches, United’s manager appears to be finally getting his ideas in shape.

When Newcastle travelled to Birmingham City for a relegation showdown a fortnight ago, it was a game their goalkeeper Steve Harper described as the biggest in the club’s history since they were competing with Manchester United for the title 12 years earlier.

It was a game Newcastle could not afford to lose. But rather than go to St Andrew’s hoping to grind out a result, Keegan went there and used his attack as the best means of defence. After a dreadful first-half performance, Newcastle fought back to secure a valuable 1-1 draw and a new-look Newcastle was born.

With better attacking players at his disposal than defensive, Keegan’s three-man strike force followed that up with a 2-0 win against Fulham and, on Sunday, one of the best away performances in the Premier League as Tottenham Hotspur were humbled 4-1 at White Hart Lane.

“When you have three players in your side like Obafemi Martins, Michael Owen and Mark Viduka you have confidence that you are going to be able to hurt any team,” said Nicky Butt, whose presence in front of the back four is a crucial part of United’s brave new system. “It’s our job in midfield to give them the platform to do their stuff and I think we’ve been able to do that. It’s our job to work hard and do the ugly side of the game, if you like, and that’s something I’ve been doing all my career.

“They are the flair players, they are paid to score goals, we’re paid to back them up and make sure they have enough of the ball to be able to do that. Geremi and I are both experienced players, but I think Joey Barton has been fantastic as well in the last couple of games. He’s not had the easiest start to his Newcastle career but he is showing what ability he has got.”

Butt was part of the Manchester United team which overhauled Newcastle’s 12-point advantage to pip them to the title in 1996, but he rounds on those who want to pick holes in his manager’s tactical acumen.

At 33, Butt knows he only has a few years left as a player, but they are years he is starting to look forward to as the Keegan revolution begins to take effect at St James’s Park for a second time. “I think it’s unfair to say the manager is tactically naive, but he isn’t bothered about that,” said Butt, whose equaliser just before half time at Tottenham gave the Magpies the springboard they needed for victory. “He knows the type of football he wants to play and he has been successful with that in the past.

“He’s made sure we’ve got a solid base in midfield and with the back four, and then we can allow the front players to do what they want. People say he’s not a great tactician, but he hasn’t done badly with this formation has he?

“He’s been criticised in the past because his football has been attack, attack, attack, but what’s the problem with that if you score more goals than the opposition?”

It has taken a while for Keegan to get to grips with the challenge he has taken on in his second spell in charge of the side, but Butt insisted the positive signs have been there for weeks and that the change in formation helped turn them into points.

He explained: “Even when we went a goal down there wasn’t any panic at Spurs. That is what’s changed in the last few games. We know we have the players in the team who can score goals and we know, if we can keep possession, that will happen. We kept our positions and our shape and took our chances when we could go forward. We feel the manager is getting his message across. He’s been very calm during the bad run, but he’s very passionate about his football. He said we had quality players here and we’ve started to show that.

“If we can finish the season well and get a bit or momentum behind us it will help in the summer when we are looking to bring new players in. It gives us a platform and it means we can look forward to next season with more excitement. We’ve got six games left, but I think if you asked most of the players, we want to get this season out of the way because it’s not been anywhere near good enough. It’s been a horrible season, and we’re not trying to hide from that, but if we can finish well it looks good for the future.”

When you have players like Martins, Owen and Viduka you have confidence you are going to be able to hurt any team