Butt: We are ready to deliver success

May 2 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

NEWCASTLE United midfielder Nicky Butt believes it is finally time to deliver on the club’s promise after declaring that nearly everything is in place at St James’s Park to challenge for their desired top-six spot.

Butt has captured the upbeat mood rebounding around the Magpies by stating that Newcastle are on the verge of exciting times – and have good enough players to build on the progress that has been made since the turn of the year.

United will end an often traumatic season with hopes raised that they can once again challenge for a place in Europe

And while Butt counts himself among those who believe the tide has turned, he also has a long enough memory to remember a few false dawns on Tyneside. While cautious, he has seen enough from Kevin Keegan and his revamped coaching staff to suggest that this time Newcastle do have the foundations in place to avoid the same tribulations that have marked this eventful campaign.

Ahead of a Chelsea game that is seen as a litmus test of Newcastle’s progress since Keegan started to turn the club’s fortunes around, Butt has added his voice to the calls for careful summer recruitment to put them in line with Monday’s opponents.

“I’d like to think there are exciting times ahead for this club next year but every year seems to be the same at this club,” he said. “We say next year, next year but we’ve got the right people in place now, the right manager and right coaching staff, and obviously we have got some good players. We need to add to that and then we’ll be able to really look forward to it.”

Butt is walking a disciplinary tightrope on Monday, with one more booking condemning him to a three-match ban which will rule him out of the start of next season.

The former Manchester United midfielder is naturally keen to put a dent in Chelsea’s title charge and

help his former team-mates’ Premier League aspirations. And although Keegan has discussed the possibility of Butt sitting out the game, the player is more concerned with ending the season in style.

“It’s not really playing on my mind,” he said. “I’m pleased the title race is still alive – especially for the neutrals that are watching the league unfold.

“I think that for any game at St James’s the fans wouldn’t let us rest on our laurels anyway, but obviously Chelsea are still going for the title so it should be a good game. So there is always an incentive to get a result, especially when we’re at home in front of our own fans.

“When you’re up against one of the big teams you definitely want to show that you can go out and compete with them. But obviously I’ve got a lot of friends at United who I still speak to and so it would be an added bonus if I could do it for them as well.”

Meanwhile, the possibility of United forward Mark Viduka undergoing an operation on his troublesome Achilles injury has again been raised after the forward was ruled out of Australia’s summer World Cup qualifying programme.

Keegan said last week that the striker will only need an injection on the injury that has hampered his progress this season, but Australia coach Pim Verbeek has been told that Viduka will be going under the knife – ruling him out of their summer games against Iraq, China and Qatar.

Viduka missed his first pre-season with Newcastle and will be keen not to do the same again this summer.

His fitness record has been mixed since joining from Middlesbrough but he has started each of United’s last seven games, and has already told Newcastle supporters they will not see the best of him until next season.

His absence from the summer qualifiers, which should be routine for Australia, has once again prompted fears in his homeland that he is set to bow out of international football – a scenario that might prolong a club career that has been hampered by niggling injuries over the past couple of seasons.

But Verbeek has revealed he has received assurances from Viduka that he remains committed to his national side, and has one eye on finishing his career at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

“He has a contract (with Newcastle) until 2010 and he said he wants to finish with the World Cup, there’s no doubt about that,” said Verbeek. “He was very positive about it and he said, ‘I’m always available’. He said, ‘Whenever you need me and I am fit, I will always come over’.”