What's new

Keegans comments

lukespurs7

Well-Known Member
Feb 21, 2006
4,833
4,259
Bit upseting to hear King Kev speak so negatively after his side's defeat to Chavski today. Saying how he won't be able to get newcastle into the top4 and that they can only go for the other league (5th place and below) which currently Everton are winning. He also commented that currently Tottenham,Villa and mabye Blackburn are ahead of them in quality but that with a few additions he's hoping to challenge for 'this league' and he also claimed 'We are the 5th biggest club in the league' hmmm...

Anyway for such a positive person to to say that basically in his time with Newcastle he won't be able to get them into the top4 no matter who is the owner and how much money he gets, is a bit dissapointing and reflects a bit on the state of the game.

I'd say we are the closest out of the crop below, but still will be very very difficult. Need a 50,000+ stadium and at least 3 more players of Modric quality added to the squad.

See BBC for Keegans comments but does anyone agree with anything he said and should we be resigned to the league below the top4? Is is becoming literally IMPOSSIBLE?

We have a top class manager, a strong squad and we even won silverware this season but we still lack quality and consistency and the levels of both at which we'd need to improve are quite high and perhaps unrealisitic?

who knows.(see below for keegans comments)


Keegan voices Newcastle concerns


_44628467_keegan_203body.jpg
Keegan has be told he will have money to spend in the summer



Kevin Keegan insists he can do nothing to turn Newcastle into a club that can challenge for the Premier League title.
Newcastle were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea on Monday and Keegan says they are some way from competing with the top teams.
"I thought. 'what can I do next year to get near them' and the truth is there's nothing I can do at all," he said.
"Maybe the owner thinks we can bridge that gap - but we can't. This league is in danger of becoming one of the most boring but great leagues in the world."
Keegan, who replaced Sam Allardyce at St James' Park in January, added: "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.
"I haven't got enough money and I wouldn't be able to get the players anyway (to do any better than that), so I will soldier on with what I've got and maybe add one or two, maybe three depending what's available.
"I was looking around thinking, 'who can I bring on' and I'm seeing (Andriy) Shevchenko and (Frank) Lampard coming on and Joe Cole thinking about coming on."
o.gif
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A35586912
Keegan has, however, been promised funds to attract big-name signings.
"Over the summer, we will look to strengthen the squad further," said chairman Chris Mort.
"In addition to immediate fixes, we will want to acquire players that can help make Newcastle United a top team for the medium and long-term."
Newcastle have already missed out on the signing of midfielder Luka Modric, who rejected a lucrative offer to join Tottenham instead, just as Jonathan Woodgate did in January.
However, Mort is confident that Newcastle are heading in the right direction and that they will soon be in a position to attract player's like the 22-year-old Croatian international.
"It is frustrating that Modric, like Woodgate before him, should take less money than we offered to move to the bright lights of London and European football with Tottenham next season.
"But these are the sorts of difficulties that should get easier to address once we build a squad that competes at the right end of the table." And Keegan is positive he will get the funds he needs from owner Mike Ashley to improve his squad, saying: "I have no proof of that yet but I have no doubts he will (back me). "If I can get three or four players in to add 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."
 

hughy

I'm SUPER cereal.
Nov 18, 2007
31,924
57,126
It's not impossible in the slightest. Everton did it 3 seasons ago, and we almost did it 2 seasons ago. They're not collectively undefeatable.
 

lukespurs7

Well-Known Member
Feb 21, 2006
4,833
4,259
I'm not sure weather he was just refering to newcastle and that they can't get in to the top4 especially next season, or the teams below as a whole. The one advantage we and everton etc have is that we've been in UEFA cup for a few seasons which is at least a building block and can enable us to attract the 2nd level type of player who can develop into a CL standard player i.e Modric. He chose us not Newcastle but in future could well be good enough for a top4 side. Another example is Berbatov, joined us as we were in UEFA cup. At least we can sign these players, at the moment, newcastle can't :)
 

ckafetz

Active Member
Feb 10, 2006
1,002
-1
I agree with Keegan. Its becoming near impossible. The chances are about 10% to get into the top four in my opinion and even if you do get there most teams if not all will struggle to qualify for the Champions League group stages
 

SpurSince57

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2006
45,213
8,229
It's not impossible in the slightest. Everton did it 3 seasons ago, and we almost did it 2 seasons ago. They're not collectively undefeatable.

Not impossible. It's less breaking in (which is hard enough) but staying there which is the real problem.
 

sunnydelight786

Chief Rocka
Jan 7, 2007
6,075
4,243
Not impossible. It's less breaking in (which is hard enough) but staying there which is the real problem.

Agree with what your saying here. It's one thing breaking into the top 4, it's another thing staying there and doing it on a consistent basis.

Even breaking into the top 4 is a mission in it self. In 148 league games played by the top 4 this season so far (thats 37 games each), they have lost only 15 games between them ( Utd=5 defeats, Scum=3, Chavski=3 & scouse=4). The next best team, currently Everton, has lost 11 in 37!!!

It will be a massive ask for ourselves to break into the top 4 next season. We will have to show almost championship winning form for some, if not, most part of the season to do so.

I cannot help but not think about how much of a massive missed opp it was for us in 05-06 to finish in the top 4, seeing that we were in that position for 6 months of the season, and send Scum into possible financial melt down.
 

stemark44

Well-Known Member
Mar 17, 2005
6,598
1,829
I really would agree with Keegan - to break into the top four in this country,means taking on 4 of the top 6 teams in the whole of Europe!
 

joey.leone

Well-Known Member
Oct 10, 2005
2,081
1,592
its sad isnt it?

actually, its pathetic. im ashamed that i have grown up to see football come to what it is now.
 

dvdhopeful

SC Supporter
Nov 10, 2006
7,612
6,022
It will take sustained investment in players and a special manager to break the top four. As others have said, it's not so much breaking into it, but staying there, as Everton proved a few years back. Got fourth and then couldn't get into the group stages. That season they had to fight off relegation.
 
Jul 4, 2006
783
0
I think he's also saying it, for the Toon fans benefit as well. Let's face it, they're worse than us, when it comes to expectation. I think Keegan, is saying this so the fans, don't get that hopes and dreams pissed all over again.
 

Makkaveli101

SC Supporter
Apr 11, 2004
1,570
1,764
I really would agree with Keegan - to break into the top four in this country,means taking on 4 of the top 6 teams in the whole of Europe!

It's true.

It would probably be easier to break into a top four consisting of AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter, and Real Madrid????!!!!!!

Hypothetical yes, but this is what we're up against!!
 

AngerManagement

Well-Known Member
May 15, 2004
12,518
2,739
I was having a discussion/arguement with my old man about this the other day. He was banging on about how the EPL is the best league in the world because its so competitive (mostly citing the current situation of CHelsea and man u and the relegation battle)

When I said it was far from competitive on a bigger scale as year in year out the same 4 teams have the top four postions locked down, (as well as the distrubition of titles and cups over the last 15 years), he claimed that this was the worse in other leagues (stating that Real and BArca are the only teams in Spain)

But it really isnt the case, Im sure all other leagues have had more seperate winners of thropeys over the last few years and certainly it is more achieveable for a middle or lower placed team to have a season where they would compete for the CL place or even mount a title challange (Sevilla last year) in other leagues then it is over here.

What I will say is there is only so much money you can spend and only so many players you can own. So what with the increased money all premier league clubs have started to recieve from the new Sky deal some smart investment by teams of our status could level the playing field somewhat. (this year already saw the top fours strangle hold of domestic cups broken)

This transfer window will be interesting, to see who the biggest spenders are (as well as who recurits the most impressive players) If the big four blow everyone else out the window the there is little hope for anyone else (certainly to challange for honours)
The management and coaching staff of teams like ours will have to be amazing, sign the right players who fall under the big fours radar and build a team to challange.
 

karennina

ciffirt
Nov 24, 2004
2,820
1,032
It's true.

It would probably be easier to break into a top four consisting of AC Milan, Barcelona, Inter, and Real Madrid????!!!!!!

Hypothetical yes, but this is what we're up against!!

Is that actually true? I can't really make my mind up. Pool might be stronger than milan these days for the 4th spot in that i suppose.
 

JKD76

Member
Mar 13, 2008
205
10
Talking to a Chelski fan the other day and he was saying how we could never win the league in the next 50 years.I dont want to believe that,and i think if we could establish outselves in the top 4 over the next few seasons we have a real chance at winning the prem. Im not overly convinced the top 4 this year will be the top 4 next season,i honestly think Liverpool or Arsenal could be vunerable.
 

Destroyer

B513 R16
Jun 12, 2004
4,026
192
I think Kev was just being honest & not trying to over hype any expectations for next season. As for breaking the top four, it can be done - but like many others have said its finding the consistency to do it & once you've got there, you've got to be strong enough to stay there.

You cant afford for nothing if you want to crack & break into the top 4 places, if your not in there after the first 10 matches you may as well forget it. I think even for us, to get 5th again would be a great achievement - youve got to be realistic, but i do believe that one day will do it & that day will be soon.
 
Top