Kevin Keegan was heading back to Newcastle tonight after an outbreak of peace
at the club.
After days of speculation suggesting the 57-year-old's second spell in charge
at St James' Park could be heading for an ignominious end, he emerged from talks
with owner Mike Ashley in London with his position intact.
Keegan was summoned to meet the billionaire amid the stir caused by his
comments after Monday afternoon's 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea in which he
admitted that his club was 'a million miles away' from challenging the Premier League's top four.
But after the pair, along with chairman Chris Mort, newly-appointed deputy
chairman Derek Llambias, executive director (football) Dennis Wise and
vice-president (player recruitment) Tony Jimenez, got together today, the
meeting at Freshfields ended with plans for the future in place.
Mort said: 'It was a good meeting. It was both productive and
constructive.'
The brevity of the statement is perhaps understandable given the unwelcome
publicity that has engulfed the club at regular intervals in recent years, and
all involved will hope they can now get on with the business of building for the
future.
Keegan headed south standing by his comments - although feeling that, in some
cases, they had been taken out of context - and he did so making no apologies
for wearing his heart on his sleeve.
The former England boss has never been afraid to air his feelings in public,
although he was swift to dispel suggestions that his post-Chelsea reaction was a
repeat of the infamous 'not like it was in the brochure' incident during his
first reign at St James' Park.
Instead, he insists what he said was an attempt to tell it like it is -
something he will continue to do.
Keegan said: 'Part of my job as manager of Newcastle United is to tell fans
what's happening at their club.
'Part of the media's job is to report it correctly and keep it in context and
not go off on tangents.
'You can take the same phrase three different ways, and it can mean three
different things. You know that.
'I will continue to do what I have always done while I have been manager of
Newcastle United, and at Manchester City and at Fulham and with England. I
haven't changed.
'I am not scared of saying what I think the situation is, and I won't change
that.'
Keegan arrived back at St James' in January promising to provide the club's
fans with exciting football and the prospect of a return to the lofty heights
Newcastle briefly scaled during his last spell in charge.
If his thoughts are now tinged with a little more realism after four months at
the helm, he is no less determined to bring the good times back to Tyneside.
In the short term, that will mean ending a difficult season on a high at
Everton on Sunday, where his side will take on a team looking to cement the
fifth place Keegan believes has to be his goal for next season.
He said: 'That's our main target next year and that's a very good target to
set ourselves from where we are at the moment.'
A positive result at Goodison Park would see Keegan eclipse the club's Premier
League low points total of 43 under Glenn Roeder last season, something Keegan
set as a target several weeks ago.
They will have to do it without key players, however, with striker Mark Viduka
anxiously awaiting news of his Achilles injury which could yet rule him out for
six months, and midfielder Joey Barton unavailable.
It is a measure of how much Barton has progressed under Keegan that he will be
missed this weekend.
The 25-year-old, a £5.8million Sam Allardyce signing, endured a slow start to
his Newcastle career after suffering a metatarsal injury in pre-season.
But he has started 13 of the last 14 games and is once again looking like the
player he was at City.
Keegan said: 'Joey can be really pleased with his performances.
'What he has done here is win over the fans - he has certainly won over a lot
of his team-mates, who didn't know quite what he was like before.'
