Southgate Praises Keegan
By Tyne-Talk
February 3 2008
Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate has praised Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan ahead of today's Tyne-Tees clash at St James' Park. Both managers go into the game needing to pick up 3 points, with Southgate relishing in the opportunity to go above Newcastle in the table.
Whilst Newcastle United are struggling to pick up points, Middlesbrough have managed to consistently managed to take points away and recently progressed in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Of Newcastle's recent record Southgate said;
"Going into the game with Bolton, Kevin only had a couple of days to work with the team.
Arsenal away twice is a tough fixture for any team so really I guess they will be thinking everything starts from now.
They will attack us and go for the win, but it's a game we're really looking forward to.
The result will be whatever it is but we've got to make sure our performance is right, our attitude is right and the way that we play is right.
I've got a group of players that are in the right frame of mind in that respect. We've got competition for places now, we're in a decent run and we want to keep that going."
Southgate started just 6 out of 18 possible matches under Keegan's reign as England manager, between February 1999 and October 2000, but he doesnt hold that against him;
"I enjoyed my time with him at England and I think, though he didn't pick me all the time, if you work with somebody and they don't always pick you but you still have fond memories of that person then it tells you something about the relationship you had with them.
He was somebody that I enjoyed playing for, somebody that made you feel you wanted to play for them and although we didn't have the most successful of times over that period, I thought it was a good camp to be involved in."
Speaking of Keegan's appointment as Sam Allardyce's replacement he said;
"I was surprised because there hadn't been too much indication that he would take the job, but he's a football person and his enthusiasm for the game is immense so from that side of things it doesn't surprise me."
Newcastle v Middlesbrough KO 1.30pm