Bit-part players have vital role

Apr 8 2008 by Stuart Rayner, The Journal

THEIR absence from the starting line-up has coincided with an upturn in Newcastle’s fortunes, but Kevin Keegan thinks his bit-part players will be unrecognisable from those who struggled in the first half of the season when he finally hands them a second chance.

Since returning to St James’s Park for a second spell as manager, Keegan has consistently bemoaned the size, if not the quality, of his squad. But three successive wins can alter the whole mood of a football club, and now the Magpies boss is excited about the options available to him if he chooses to change a winning team.

In the last four matches – one drawn, the last three won – Keegan has used only 12 players from the start, with the likes of Damien Duff and Alan Smith forced to watch from the sidelines. But the United boss is delighted at how difficult they are making it for him to keep the same line-up for the last five games of the season.

Duff impressed as a second-half substitute against Reading on Saturday and came close to his first Premier League goal since September 2006. With James Milner, one of last season’s most impressive performers, near to returning from a foot injury; Steven Taylor hoping to win his place back after missing the Royals game through illness; Charles N’Zogbia unlucky to be out of the team after being one of the few plusses of the Sam Allardyce regime, and Andy Carroll looking to build on some promising substitute appearances, Keegan’s bench suddenly looks very strong.

“We’ve not only got a good squad at the minute, we’ve also got a good squad around it,” said Keegan. “Alan Smith – you couldn’t have anyone better to bring on. I know he would prefer to play but he covers you in so many positions and he’s got a great attitude.”

Duff has not started since the 3-0 defeat at Liverpool, where Milner picked up his injury. Keegan admits his wingers were on a bit of a low then, but he expects a totally different approach when the pair win a recall.

“We’d been playing with two wingers and not scored goals,” said Keegan of

his decision to temporarily dispense with Duff. “I’m not blaming the wingers for that. I’m blaming the whole team performance. We had Milner on the right, Duffer on the left and two up front but weren’t scoring goals.

“It might work if we went back to it now because the confidence is there, but we had to change. You’ll see now when Duffer comes back in and James comes back in and Alan Smith comes back in – and they will – they’ll be coming back into a side which has some confidence. That can make a major difference to how they play.”

Nevertheless, Keegan is not blind to the shortcomings of his squad, something he is anxious to address in the summer.

“What you’ve got to have in your squad is the ability to change things at all times,” he explained. “I don’t think at this club we’ve got a balanced squad at all. I’ve got one left-back (Jose Enrique). I’ve got one holding midfield player (Nicky Butt). There’s places where it’s out of balance, but there’s places where it’s very exciting.

“I think the summer could be very exciting. I’ve got an idea who I’d like to bring here, but I might be dreaming.”

Right-back Habib Beye has highlighted the respect Newcastle’s players have for former England captain and manager Keegan.

“Kevin Keegan is only focusing on doing good things for this club,” he told United’s official website. “In turn the players want to do something good for him. When he speaks, you listen to everything he has to say.”