Keegan’s full of praise for Toffees

May 10 2008 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

KEVIN Keegan may have been ridiculed in some quarters for claiming that fifth place in the Premier League was the height of Newcastle United’s ambition next season.

But the Magpies manager is under no illusions about the size of the task he faces in overhauling tomorrow’s opponents Everton for the elusive final European qualification spot.

United are 19 points behind Everton, who sit in the box seat to take fifth place ahead of the final day of the season, illustrating the extent of the improvement that Keegan must coax from his players to get them back into Europe.

Like other managers in the Premier League, Keegan sees plenty to admire in Toffees boss David Moyes, who has turned Everton from perennial under-achievers into one of the top flight’s top six clubs – and is full of praise for the way he and his squad have coped with the demands of a gruelling campaign.

“I think David Moyes has done a fantastic job at Everton,” he said. “I think they’re the only team that has broken into that top four so he’s probably the best person to ask if it can be done again. But then I remember the year after that they finished near the bottom because the problem is when you get into Europe you have more games and you need a bigger squad.

“There are other problems that come with success but they’re nice problems. What has probably hit him (Moyes) is that with Europe he’s lost players through injury like Cahill, Arteta and the like. He’ll probably be saying the same thing to his board that I’m saying to mine – we need a strong squad and plenty of replacements too.”

Keegan anticipates new players arriving at St James’s Park over the summer, and in that context the final game of the season is an important one for fringe players looking to convince the manager of their worth.

“I think the players have been fantastic. They’re a much better group of players than I think people thought we had,” said Keegan. “They’ve answered a lot of the criticisms of themselves in recent weeks and they get another chance on Sunday to go out and say to me: ‘You might be going out and looking for players this summer, but what about me?’”