Newcastle host Blackburn today in what is deemed a must win match (but arent they all). Blackburn will have seen Newcastles 5-1 mauling from Manchester United last week and will be hoping to pour more misery on the Magpies season. Keegan however whose team currently sits 14th in the league compared to Blackburn's 9th spot, is more optimistic this time round.
Both Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan and Blackburn manager Mark Hughes have spoken out ahead of this afternoons clash - both with one very clear aim - to win.
Keegan said:
"The quality of the training and the attitude of the players has been outstanding.
We thought it might take a little while to pick them up after Man United.
But by Tuesday they were up for it and you have to move on to the next game.
Despite the 5-1 defeat we showed glimpses during the game that were good.
It was individual errors that let us down - players making the wrong decision or players not aware of something happening around them.
If you do that in the Premier League you will get punished, and that's what happened against Man United.
We were punished in a big way.
Show me an easy fixture in the Premier League.
Mark Hughes has different aspirations to us - they are on the fringe of trying to get into Europe.
They will have watched us last week and will think they can win.
But it's at home and in front of our fans who stuck behind us last week.
Blackburn present us with our next opportunity. They are tough and will try to make it difficult for us.
I think is a chance for us, though.
We need to know what it's like to win again."
Keegan will be without Viduka (calf & hamstring), Emre (calf) and Given (groin) for todays match which should be the ideal opportunity for Obafemi Martins to start. Martins is yet to play under Keegan's management after sustaining at ankle injury during the African Cup of Nations but Keegan said of the Nigerian striker:
"I am looking forward to it - I have not had that chance yet.
The aim with Oba is to get him fit for next couple of games, that's a sensible comeback after returning from the African Nations Cup with an ankle injury.
He did not play in the last two games there - in fact, he did not play in the last two and a half games because he came off at half-time.
He has not had any proper training for five weeks, and that's why I did not even consider him for last week, not even for the bench to come on for 10 minutes.
I don't think it would have been fair on him or fair on the other players who had trained and who were fit."
Prior to Keegan's appointment Martins had been competing for a starting place against teammate Michael Owen, former manager Sam Allardyce was often keen to start Owen ahead of Oba. With Keegan expressing how impressed he is with Michael Owen this season, could Oba's season end the way it started?
Keegan said of Owen:
"Michael is very fit and very focused at the moment. We hope, and I'm confident that, the two goals he has scored for me so far are just a start.
But, apart from the goals, what has pleased me the most is his work rate.
We have not really played well enough to provide him with the sort of ammunition he needs, but even though we have supplied him with very little, he has managed to turn decent balls into goals.
If we can improve that service and pick him out a little bit earlier, he will score goals.
But the challenge is also there for the rest of the lads to get goals from elsewhere,"
Newcastle will also miss out on Stephen Carr who has a hamstring injury.
Mark Hughes on the other hand is looking forward to his trip to the North East and is also optimistic for a win:
"Our form away from home has been very good. So I don't think Newcastle will be under any illusions that it will be a difficult game for them.
They are struggling at the moment to get results and performances so it's up to us to make it even more difficult for them at the weekend."
He will be without centre-back Ryan Nelsen who has a hamstring problem, he may also be missing David Dunn who is set for a late fitness test, but defender Andre Ooijer is set to return missing the Bolton game last weekend.
We've had our fair share of chances and have looked likely to score on more than one occasion.
We need more of the same in the 2nd half.......and a goal.
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