Kevin Keegan believes that Newcastle can still achieve a top half finish following the 4-1 demolishion of free scoring Tottenham Hotspur.

Newcastle came from behind to beat Tottenham 4-1 at White Hart Lane with goals from Nicky Butt, Geremi, Michael Owen and Oba Martins and although not yet safe Newcastle are nine points above the drop and even have a chance of catching 9th place West Ham.

"We're definitely not safe yet but we can look up not down," Keegan said.

"We could catch Spurs up and we could catch up West Ham. People would have said that was ridiculous a few weeks ago.

"We have three home games and three away left and playing like this, I think the players will look forward to playing anybody."

"I'm saying to the staff that if we can add little bits to this it could be quite exciting," he. There is quite a lot here. Sometimes it gets lost when you are on a bad run.

"When they play like that you think we don't need an awful lot to set us alight, just two or three. And the players would welcome that. They will have to be very good players to better us."

"I might put a couple more forwards in next time! This is the right way to play with the players and fixtures we've got.

"You look at our defensive record and to try to defend puts pressure on your defenders. They know that maybe they can concede a goal and have enough to win.

"You dream about playing like that away from home. You dream about being 4-1 up with 10 to go. Reality in the Premier League is difficult.

"It could have been seven or eight - Robinson has made terrific saves, we've hit the bar and Michael Owen's missed a chance he would normally score."

 

Kevin Keegan has paid tribute to Michael Owen for his goalscoring instincts which have helped Newcastle claim seven points in the last three games.

Owen scored his third goal in three games against Tottenham Hotspurs after a clever run and finish to help Newcastle secure a 4-1 victory despite having to drop back and play a support role for Obafemi Martins and Mark Viduka.

Despite his recent good form, Owen still finds himself out of England manager Fabio Capelloo's first team.

"It is his position at Newcastle for the time being," Keegan said. "I said, 'this is the position you have to play in this football club because that is where you are most use for us' - and he said 'that's fine'.

"He never came up to me and said 'I'm a forward'. I think he's enjoyed it."

"Fabio Capello needs asking why he hasn't played Michael because only he knows the answer."

"We could catch Spurs up and we could catch up West Ham. People would have said that was ridiculous a few weeks ago.

"We have three home games and three away left and playing like this, I think the players will look forward to playing anybody."

"This is the right way to play with the players and fixtures we've got," he said.

"You look at our defensive record and to try to defend puts pressure on your defenders. They know that maybe they can concede a goal and have enough to win.

"It could have been seven or eight - (Paul) Robinson has made terrific saves, we've hit the bar and Michael Owen's missed a chance he would normally score."

 

SHay Given is to miss the remainder of the season due to his long standing groin problem. Shay has been on the sidelines since February and the cnaces of him playing again before May look slim to none.

Shay has been making good progress in his comeback from the injury but with Steve Harper proving to be a more than capable replacement with some top performances in net, Kevin Keegan sees no hurry to rush Shay back into action.

"I think he'll be fit by the end of the season and he'll train with us for maybe the last week or 10 days, but there's no sense for him to play a match," Keegan told the Newcastle Chronicle.

"He just needs to know by the end of the season that he's fit, ready to go away and come back fit for pre-season with all his problems behind him.

"I think that, for him, will be a massive relief."

 

UPDATE

Tottenham Hotspur have won the race to sign Luka Modric from Dinamo Zagreb for a fee of £15.8million. Spurs have agreed terms with the 22 year old and he will join them in the summer subject to a medical.

YESTERDAY

Newcastle UNited have made the first move in the race to sign Luca Modric after it is understood he visited the clubs training ground on Tuesday. The 22 year old was on Tyneside with Dinamo Zagreb vice chairman Zdravko Mamic over a possible move to St.James Park.

Modric visited the training ground after holind talks with Dennis Wise and Tony Jimenez and reports suggest that Newcastle are even willing to break their record transfer fee to sign the Croatian, with many believing he is going to cost Newcastle up to £20 million and possibly more.

Barcelona and Chelsea have also been linked with the midfielder who was a big part of the Croatian side that defeated England twice in the Euro 2008 qualifiers and is exactly the sort of player that Kevin Keegan wants in his squad as he prepares to build for the future following a successful rescue mission this season.

Keegan has stated already he is impressed with the quality of the squad he has been left with by Sam Allardyce but will be looking for three or four quality signings to bolster the squad and any move for Modric will surely signal the end for Charles N'Zogbia.

 

A lot can happen in a week of football and the storm clouds seems to be gathering overhead for Kevin Keegan who has been summoned before Mike Ashley for clear-the-air talks which will take place on Friday (9th May).

Speaking on Tuesday, following Monday's defeat to Chelsea, Keegan claimed that the Premier League was becoming boring and that there was a Premiership within the Premiership and that niether Newcastle or any other club had a chance of splitting them up.

"We are a million miles away from that," said the 57-year-old.

"This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world. The top four next year will be the same top four as this year.

"What I can say to the Newcastle fans is that we will be trying to get fifth and we will be trying to win the other league that's going on within the Premier League.

"We should make a run at that providing the owner backs me - I have no proof of that yet but I have no doubts he will.

"If I can get three or four players in to what I have got here, and we have that bit of luck you need with no injuries to key players, then we might be able to win the second division of the Premier League."

Keegan had been summoned to a meeting with Ashley and Dennis Wise on Friday and it is suggested that Ashley is unhappy with Keegans comemnts, particularly suggesting the club will not be able to finish higher than fifth as from Ashley's point of view he did not spend over £200million buying the club and wiping out debts and not try and challenge for the league in the future.

Keegan has also begun to wield the axe on Tyneside in preparation for the new season, he has reportedly told Stephen Carr and Peter Ramage that they are free to start looking for new clubs as they do not feature in his plans and James Troisis will complete the trio of players who will not be offered a new contract.

WEll in truth Peter Ramage was offered a new deal but is being let go as he could not be guarenteed a first team place. The trio will leave the club in the summer.

 

Peter Ramage will be playing lower league football next season after leaving Newcastle to join Queens Park Rangers on a free transfers. It was only last week that Ramage was told he was free to leave the club.

Ramage's contract expires in a months time and he has been told by Kevin Keegan that he will not be offered a new deal because he can not be guarenteed first team football. Despite being currenlty managerless, QPR have snapped up the defender on a three year deal along with Spurs keeper Radek Cerny.

ONe player who wont be replacing Ramage at Newcastle is Rangers star Carlos Cuellar. The defender is set to start for Rangers in Wednesday's UEFA Cup final against Zenit St Petersburg in Manchester.

The Spaniard has been a hero in Rangers run to the final and has been linked with a summer move to Newcastle, but has recently stated his loyalty to the Gers and that he won't be making a move to the Premier League just yet.

Rangers will go in to the UEFA Cup final as underdogs as their opponents Zenit St Peterburg destroyed Bayern Munich 4-0 in the semi final but when asked if he will still be at Rangers next season Cueller replied 'without a doubt'.

Michael Owen has also made the headlines again. The striker has not signed a new contract yet and now Japanese side JEF United Chiba have confirmed their interest and have refused to rule out a shock bid. The J-League side are struggling at the bottom of the league table.

 

Joey Barton has been jailed for six months after admitting to his part on an affray and common assault. Barton was found guilty at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday.

The incident happened in December when Barton reportedly punched one man up to twenty times and left a sixteen year old with broken teeth. The incident happened on December 27th and Barton was with his brother Andrew and his cousin Nadine Wilson and Barton was caught on CCTV knocking a man to the ground. He then began to attack 16 year old Jordan Spencer while a member of his group shouted "Stamp on him, Joey, stamp on his head"

The court was told the Barton brothers had been goaded by remarks about their stepbrother Michael, who is serving life for the racist murder of Anthony Walker in Huyton, Merseyside, in 2005.

Judge Globe told Barton: "Without doubt, the most serious of the three offenders is you.

"You were restrained by others but ignored them and acted in an extremely violent and aggressive manner.

"It also happened at a time when you were on bail for two other matters. If ever there was a time when you should be on your best behaviour, it was then.

"You have a high profile as a footballer and you know that draws attention to you. Yet you drank to excess and behaved in an aggressive, disgraceful manner."

Nadine Wilson was given a six-month sentence for actual bodily harm and two months for affray, suspended for two years. She was also given a 12-month supervision order and instructed to carry out 12-months unpaid work.

Andrew Barton was given a four-month sentence for common assault, suspended for two years, and a 12-month supervision order.

Joey Barton will appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on May 30 to face trial for an allegation of criminal damage.

JOey Barton will also appear in Manchester Crown Court in June over another assault of former Manchester City team mate Osmane Dabo.

Newcastle United have confirmed that Emre Belozoglu is on his way back home to Turkey after allowing the midfielder to hold talks with Fenerbache.

Fenerbache, who reached the quarter finals of last seasons UEFA Champions League, have agreed a fee with Newcaslte although the amount is currently unknown.

Emre joined Newcastle from Inter Milan during the Graeme Souness era in 2005 and has scored six goals in 80 appearances, he is currently with the Turkish squad ahead of Euro 2008. Turkey are in Group A of the cmpetition along with Portugal, Czech Republic and the co-host nation Switzerland.

Emre is the third player to be shown the door this summer as Kevin Keegan looks to make changes to his squad. Stephen Carr and Peter Ramage have both been told they will not be offered new deals and Damien Duff looks like he might follow Emre as rumours are suggesting he is on the verge of a move to Sunderland.

David Rozehnal will say his goodbyes just a year after joining Newcastle. The defender had agreed to join Italian outfit Lazio for just £1.8million.

The fee is a cut down price from what Newcastle paid for him last summer with Newcastle paying out £2.9million to Paris St Germain.

Rozehnal was signed by Sam Allardyce along with Cacapa during last summer but was seen surplus to requirements when Allardyce was sacked and replaced by Kevin Keegan in January and the Czech defender was loaned out to Lazio.

Rozehnal is currently with the Czech squad for Euro 2008 and played the full game during their opening day victory over hosts Switzerland. He is due to play again against group favourites Portugal on Wednesday (11/6/08).

Newcastle have announced a list of pre season friendlies ahead of the opening fixtures.

The Newcastle squad will return to training on July 7th and will make the short trip to Hartlepool on Saturday July 19th and a week later will take on Doncaster, newly promoted to the Championship.

The team will then jet off to Spain for a four team tournament in Mallorca with Real Mallorca, Hertha Berlin and Hannover 96. Newcastle will then play their final game at home to Valencia on Saturday 9th August. An additional home game could also be arranged for later that week.

Newcastle United have been handed a tought opening day fixtures as they visit champions Manchester United in the first game. Manchester United put six goals past Newcastle in the last visit.

A week later the Magpies will play host to Bolton Wanderers before ending a tough first week at the Emirates stadium against Arsenal.

THe first derby match of the season will take place on October 25th away to Sunderland with the return game being played on January 31st. There is also a trip to Middlesbrough on November 29th with the return game on May 9th.

The season ends with the final home game being against Fulham who were almost relegated last season and then the final game of the season see's Newcastle end against Aston Villa.

All three promoted sides will play Newcastle before christmas and just like last year Newcastle will be at the JJB stadium on boxing day, a seventh consecutive boxing day away game for Newcastle.

Newcastle have announced their first summer signing with the arrival of Argentine winger Jonas Gutierrez from Real Mallorca.

Gutierrez, who plays in a right sided attacking position, has signed for an undisclosed fee on a five year deal and could face his old club during pre season. He turns 25 on Saturday.

Speaking about his move to Newcastle Jonas said:

"I cannot tell you how excited I am to be joining Newcastle United.

"The Premier League is a great place to play and I cannot wait to meet my new team-mates and prove myself to the Newcastle United fans."

Kevin Keegan added:

"Jonas is a wonderful signing for us.

"I know a lot of other clubs have been interested in him. He'll be a terrific addition to the squad.

"He's an exciting player and I'm sure our fans will enjoy watching him."