A truly ecstatic Kevin Keegan said that every one of his Newcastle United players today were heroes after Sunday’s brilliant 4-1 rout of Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.
Michael Owen celebrates his goal - look at those players’ faces!
Newcastle truly ran riot in the second half as Geremi, Michael Owen and Oba Martins added to Nicky Butt’s equalizer which came right on half time.
It was a delighted Keegan who spoke to Newcastle World TV after the game:
“It’s hard to single players out because we had 11 heroes out their today,” “Even when we went a goal down I had seen enough to convince me we would get back in the game.”
“Of course Nicky Butt’s equalizer has come at a crucial time but even then, it didn’t affect my half-time team-talk because I always thought we would get something.”
“But happened in the second-half was incredible and every one of the players deserves credit.”
“It’s a massive win but the performance was outstanding and it’s a very happy dressing room in there.”
Most of the Newcastle players had heard of Kevin Keegan when he took over, and they seem to have worked together over the last two months through some very difficult times.
But the players now at Newcastle United must be thanking their lucky stars that they have a chance of being part of this new Newcastle United that Kevin is starting to build.
There is little doubt we are now seeing what the maestro can do. OK, so it took him a few weeks to finally get the best out of the Newcastle players. 
But this result is significant because it shows the Keegan magic is still there big time, and the players are now starting to play out of their skins for the manager.
While we have to be careful not to make too much out of this one game, who else could have got a result like this at White Hart Lane?
After a difficult two months it does seem that Kevin and his staff are starting to pull the very best out of the players at the club right now, and this must auger well for our chances of a very good season next season.
And the football Newcastle are playing under the new coach is just a joy to watch. Roll on the last 6 games of this dour season - and roll on next season - we just cannot wait.
Comments welcome.
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49 responses so far ↓
1 Far East // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:06
GP W D L GD PT
2008 Newcastle 32 9 8 15 -21 35
2007 Newcastle 38 11 10 17 -9 43
2006 Newcastle 38 17 7 14 5 58
2005 Newcastle 38 10 14 14 -10 44
Does anyone think the current team might end up with a better statistics (GD & PT) for the current campaign compared to the last three?
2 Nick Dryden // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:06
You don’t become European footballer of the year twice without having something about you and KK has it in spades. Allardyce was happy to go to Derby for a 0-0 draw and couldn’t even achieve that! Football with KK is with a smile on your face, not a scowl. I haven’t been this happy in a long time
3 briss // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:07
I must say well done to the lads today they played hard and made me proud. I another praise to those fans who never had a doubt about KKs ability as a manager, look what hes done 4-1 away! its been a while since we’ve achieved that, now we will pour on the points becaue i can see us really having a good run in!
4 ash // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:14
makes me smile to see these players having some joy among themselves, well done lads!!
5 Steve_48 // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:18
This has put a tiger in my tank today, keep the faith
6 Obafan // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:21
I wasn’t able to watch the game online, because I had to play myself. After 40 minutes (15.40 Belgian time) I got a red c ard for pulling the strikers shirt, so I was able to follow the game via phone. The first time I watched Bent just scored 1-0 and after that every time I checked NUFC scored a goal. FANTASTIC result and I knew that with our golden triangle we are able to put lots of pressure on the opponents defences.
Well done KK to go with an attacking minded team and get such a result. Isn’t it obvious from the point Smith didn’t start anymore the confidence grow and the results are fantastic!!!
7 Steve_48 // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:25
ObaFan - WTF were you doing pulling a shirt he he he, and what’s more disappointing the ref wasn’t very lenient was he? Are you being honest and truthful? You MUST have done something else to warrant the red card…
8 mikeygd // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:31
may i just say im glad everyone agrees in the poll about butt, fantastic son!
9 Obafan // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:32
Steve_48 No that happened; I play as a sweeper and my central defender passed the ball back. But I called to leave the ball for me but he thought that I would not get it. So he passed the ball back but too hard so it passed me and by the time I turned around the striker (who was at full speed) was gone with the ball. We were leading 2-1 so I took the decision to offer myself for the team and pulled him down just out of the box. Bad decision tho’ cause we lost the game 2-3
. But the most important thing is that NUFC won, cause I leave my club next year to play in a higher division (more money heheh)
10 Nick C // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:35
Who do u play for obafan??
11 KEEGAN7 // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:42
Some of the national press should hang their heads at the utter garbage they have written about keegan. They are’nt football men just sad, vindictive losers who probably could’nt kick a ball to save their lives.
12 Gooderz // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:51
If this result was achieved by any of the top 4 then the press would be drooling over it. I will be intrigued by what headlines appear tomorrow, although I shall not hold my breath.
13 Hadrian // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:54
keegan just thinks like us
he nor us would be happy going anywhere for nothing less than a win .
he knows its about pride , and we would rather see our teams getting stuck into them than sitting back .
we want to smash every team we play !
if we lose while attempting it , we dont care , as long as we have had a good crack at it !
14 Steve_48 // Mar 30, 2008 at 19:56
You might have a point there Keegan7; about time the red tops were silenced…
15 adaaaam // Mar 30, 2008 at 20:07
king kev can take his wife out for an all you can eat buffet this week like!
16 KEEGAN7 // Mar 30, 2008 at 20:24
I see the red tops gave Capello all of 2 games before they’ve got stuck into him. Capello’s cv is second to none! The Red Tops haven’t a clue about football just about character assasinations.
17 UTD111 // Mar 30, 2008 at 20:31
You said it all Ed - nothing to add!
Bet there’ll still be some whingers in here though LOL
Burp!!
:o)))))
18 moomfan // Mar 30, 2008 at 20:37
KING KEV-and A QUARTET of GOALS methinks mates. wif a cold BROWN ALE…ayh!!!
19 jeff // Mar 30, 2008 at 20:40
fantastic result,just watched the goals on youtube…..Its great to see the players actually playing as a team and for the manager and the fans…..also isnt it great to see the players with smiles on their faces………Im over the moon for Owen as well….he’s had his critics but he’s always said give him a chance and he’ll get goals he’s doing that now…Id rather have him in our team then against us…….And wasnt it fitting for Martins to get the last,good on you son you said you’d score and that you did………………GET IN….Match of the day will be a fantastic watch tonight yeehaaa!!!!!
20 CJ // Mar 30, 2008 at 20:46
Spot on Ed KK’s magic starting to shine through i thought we would have been beating today but KK has showed great trust in his player’s who are staring to play KK’s way and with confidence every player and the coaching staff deserve a lot of credit. Adaaam i would help pay for KK’s buffet after the day role on Reading.
21 Gloryhunter // Mar 30, 2008 at 21:01
nee beer left and motd coming on
22 Clive Rutter // Mar 30, 2008 at 21:10
Obafan’s a liability, he should never play for his team again!!! What a lack of concentration he’s just the Belgian Bramble!!!!!
23 Steve_48 // Mar 30, 2008 at 21:28
rant
Bloody typical, MOTD tonight and Toon match is last one on the pile
The Merseyside derby was a crap match, much more @ stake in teh Toon match and do they give it priority, do they bollocks
Bloody southern editors
/rant
24 Gloryhunter // Mar 30, 2008 at 21:29
http://www.premierleague.com/page/newcastle-united
In the REVIEW they still have SA as manager!
25 Macca // Mar 30, 2008 at 21:50
Alright, lets not get carried away with ourselves. Ya it was a great win, but it was A, ONE great win. Just to put things into perspective Man U have scored more then 4 goals in ten matches so far this season.
Everyones delighted and giving themselves a pat on the back for a great win, which it was, but lets not get carried away, we’re not out of it yet, it was one great win, lets not get complacent and loose the run of ourselves. The players now need to put this in the back of their minds and concentrate on winning our next game, because I can just see us with the winning hangover and getting beaten by Reading. Lets not do what Spurs did who are still carrying the hangover of beating Chelsea, we’ve got a tiny bit of momentum so lets keep it going.
A win is a win but at the end of the day, it’s just one game. The seasons not over yet. There’s still plenty to do and to work on.
26 Nev // Mar 30, 2008 at 22:05
just got back from Spurs match and i have to say what a game!
was sitting in the south stand with the spurs fans next to us lot
fans were the loudest if herd in a long time and kept the team goin!
Barton and Enrique were top knotch and Martins effort immense
4-3-3 all the way !
27 faustino // Mar 30, 2008 at 22:06
If perspective is what you want think about the fact that Man Utd have conceded only 15 goals all season!!!!
But baaalls to the P Word! Great result and a great match. In essence gifted to us by their central midfield but incisive none the less! Given the time it’s taken and the improvement so far [fingers crossed for a little while yet], KKs done a great job and the future looks exciting. STAND UP!!!!
P.S I wouldn’t even put it past Kevin to get Smith scoring after the improvement shown by Barton and Butt!!!
28 Leo // Mar 30, 2008 at 22:18
well done lads, but more praise for king kev. really made my day
29 domtoon // Mar 30, 2008 at 22:21
…………….YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! AAAHHHHHH HAHAHAHAHHAHHA H AHHA HA HA HAH AH AH AHAHAH A HAH HAH A AH AH AHH AHA HAH A HHAHAHA HA HAH AH AHAHHHHHAAAAAHHHHHHAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA
P.S. I’m NOT normally one to gloat, but yes, we deserved that long overdue win. For the first time in MONTHS, i’m actually looking forward to Monday morning at work.
GOOD WORK LADS - KEEP IT UP!!
30 Tippo // Mar 30, 2008 at 22:31
It looks so easy now and I didn’t think an away win was possible at the Lane but seems like KK has got his winning touch now.
31 Tom_Toon // Mar 30, 2008 at 22:35
KK said 3-4 new players and on today’s display that was about right.
LB, CB, CM, ST - Only if we continue to play 4-3-3.
LB - Back-up - Attacking and defensively good. - Shorey or Bridge but only for back-up.
CB - Starter - One who is solid at the back but who can dribble out of defence and is a threat in the air. - Kompany (unlikely, but that kind of player)
CM - Starter - CM has to be a set piece specialist with pace and creativity. - Modric (although obviously not him, but again someone in his mould)
ST - Back-up - Big but with pace. - Cisse
Then get rid of Alan Smith and Carr at a minimum and promote Edgar, Carroll, Troisi and Lualua permanently. With Baheng, Tozer and Kadar possibly getting a look in if injuries are that bad.
Thats a plan!
32 richie // Mar 30, 2008 at 22:39
i knew joey would start to play well once fit, hel only get better under kk
33 Tripp // Mar 30, 2008 at 23:03
Let’s just hope he’s put his darker days behind him. I’d love to see him get himself together. Hopefully he won’t be watching next season at Her Majesties Pleasure, as you English types say. It feels great stuffing the Spuds, the arrogant tossers…
34 Pit Yakas rant // Mar 30, 2008 at 23:17
Despite some of the unfaithful, I never doubted keegan. He is a legend and a god. He has delivered us to safety despite the useless squad we had under Alladyce (all those big sam supporters - look away now while I vomit). Stick with the Messiah cos eeeaye eeeaye eee.. up the premier league we go!!!!!!! Keegan Keegan - he is black and white man!!! Mr Newcastle he thinks like a geordie and acts like one. When the going gets tuff the tuff get going. Not a pit yakas son for nowt man!
35 domtoon // Mar 30, 2008 at 23:48
Sorry i got overexcited about that being our ‘long overdue win’ - we won against fulham last week, but this was the real test against a very good side. Despite trying not to get carried away, it’s still tremendous that we came back from 1-0 down. Smiles on every single away fan’s face this afternoon - we’re finally exiting the shadows
36 m. // Mar 31, 2008 at 0:19
Three Point Lane is still the same…
37 Toooooooooooooooooon // Mar 31, 2008 at 0:53
best game this season - so far…..a good result to start my monday
38 Marcus // Mar 31, 2008 at 1:27
Glad to see Kev can finally make something of the players that myself and a lot of people on here have slated for the longest time.
I was proud of every player on that pitch today as they looked more organised, confident and the fact they were enjoying their football. We didn’t just win the game, we controlled it! we bossed them in every department and came out smiling. I don’t want to get carried away but it was a joy to watch the teamwork and the communication that was on display.
Well done to Owen….a complete turnaround in my book. Only Kev could have come up with the ingenious idea of turning him into a midfielder!
Howay the Lads!!!
39 iain // Mar 31, 2008 at 3:18
keegans right if the team can perform like that consistently then we will only need a few players.
personally the first to go should be those not up for the fight when the going gets tough… carr/rozehnal/emre/shola.
then i would chuck cacapa or diatta as we would only need one as back up.
try and sign…
brown for rb an ch being free is a bonus.
shorey for lb fitter than bridge and cheaper also offers us a proper set piece specialist as even today butt had to tell geremi where to kick the free kick for his goal.
sidwell box to box cm we cant expect butt/geremi to last for ever at there age and whos knows what will happen to barton, prison or not him and butt will get banned often whether we like it or not and the less chance of geremi starting the better.
arshavin or bentley amf/w that can play wide or in the hole or even as a 3rd cm will need a player like them if keegan persists with 433.
gomis a big strong cf with pace to replace shola, long term to replace viduka and give us the perfect drogba type player to persist with this 433.
keep smith/duff/zog if there happy to stay otherwise find suitable hopefully young players if they want to leave to be squad players. i would cash in on smith/duff if we got any sort of decent offer for either.
reckon thats no more than 30m worth of signings and thats before you factor in what we would get from selling emre/shola/rozehnal probably below 25m net spent in all.
40 ende // Mar 31, 2008 at 4:00
Interesting observation: up until recently, this team has been full of players who have all been scrutinized at one point as being in it for themselves, looking to get out, self-serving, and not living up to their potential… like rats leaving a sinking ship. Things have changed a bit now, and I’m not talking about the wins. This thing has started before the wins came.. it started when this team was at its lowest low. So much doubt and desperation mingled together, frustration among the fans and players, and no single target for all the blame.
But it seems that out of their collective sense of defeat, this team has started to gel together into something in search of a sense of dignity and pride. They’re playing for themselves and they’re playing for each other, and it shows on the pitch. A lot of this has to do with the devotion of the fans, as well as the leadership of Kev no doubt. Guys like Owen, Viduka, Barton and Martins, who for so long have seemed distant figures at this club, are now leading the charge from the front, as they should be. Michael is emerging as a natural captain, and perhaps destined to Toon greatness. Barton, if he can stay out of jail, is finding himself at a club and with a manager who are willing to give him a second chance. All of these players’ fates seem now tied to the Toon. It really is Keegan’s ability to build relationships with his players that gives him such an edge here. And despite the things some say he lacks in other departments, I can’t think of any other individual at the moment who is better suited to bring this club back to greatness.
There are no illusions here, the past is done and we’re not out of the hole we’ve dug yet. But we look to be escaping relegation, we’ve got foundations in place (money, management, etc) to strengthen this team in the offseason, and most importantly the team itself has a lot to carry out of this season and build off of. This does not have to be a season we’d rather forget. It’s just the beginning of something better.
41 wayne // Mar 31, 2008 at 6:41
Great result what about this for arrogance http://www.clubfanzine.com/tottenham_hotspur/showNews.php?id=9869 glad we stuffed em
42 ELFER // Mar 31, 2008 at 6:50
yes, I’m happy too…but what I really think is very very dangourous is to say that one or two summer addings are fine enough! that’s simply not true and I hope KK does it just to keep the mood up.
We still need a new chief in defence! And some young but very very good central midfielders plus maybe in exchange of SMITH and AMEOBI another one or two good striker (probably an attacking midfielder to help out the MO position? and a big striker as backp for viduka?) as well as maybe another winger?
But yes, let’s say the strikers are replacements and not count them, we still would love to add 3-5 players.
43 Irish-Toon // Mar 31, 2008 at 7:23
A fantastic result, but let’s not get too carried away. We still have things to do in the remainder of the season. We want to finish as high up the league as possible in order to attract new players in the summer months.
I liked the way we played yesterday with 3 up front, but if we played that way against Manure they’d rip us apart. We’ve got to pick and chosse who we play that system against so we need more players to fill whatever other formations Kev chooses to use.
One thing he needs to to do is get Geremi on the practice pitch and show him how to get his corners over the first man,
44 Stami - PLAY CARROLL // Mar 31, 2008 at 8:13
what a win! what a good feeling! outstanding play, we played them off the park in the 2nd half! everytime our midfield got the ball we looked a threat! Martins was great and Butt was fantastic!
nice to see Carroll get a run. he looked good on the ball!
45 Gloryhunter // Mar 31, 2008 at 8:17
Arrogance is bliss
http://www.clubfanzine.com/tottenham_hotspur/showNews.php?id=9869
hahahahahahahahahaha. Where’s me washboard?
46 Whumpie // Mar 31, 2008 at 14:18
Nice tome, ende - quite agree.
Just one plea to all of those whose answer to everything for the past 6 months has been to sack every player and buy a load of current footballing deities from around the world:
NEXT TIME THINGS DON’T GO RIGHT - HOLD BACK ON THE VITRIOL AND BLAME A BIT, EH??
Look at the players who really made the difference yesterday - all the names most derided by the “fans” when things weren’t going right. We need to learn to stay behind our team - collectively and individually - when things go wrong.
Ok, soap box back in cupboard. I’m going back to jumping on my desk and chanting “Four-One, Four-One; Pride of North London, My Arse”. The locals down here do love it when I do that.
47 Irish-Toon // Mar 31, 2008 at 15:49
Today in work has been fantastic, I work with a Spud supporter who spent all last week telling how they were going to wipe the floor with us, funnily enough he’s been pretty quiet today….I wonder why?
48 Reb // Mar 31, 2008 at 17:47
Whumpie — I agree with you in general about laying off the players. I will admit that I’ve been critical of Barton, mainly because of his off-the-field problems which I don’t think helped his state of mind during a tough time for the club. Everyone on the squad needed to be concentrating on football, and he undoubtedly was distracted with all this mess hanging over him. I’m still not sure about Barton’s temperament…but he’s a good player when he keeps his head. Keeping him out of gaol may be an issue, however I hope not. I’d like to see the lad sort himself out, honestly.
Did anyone else see Owen’s face light up when he got his name sung/chanted? A little love from the fans and the lad’s like a Christmas tree. Probably because the Liverpool fans sung his name about twice the whole seven years he played for them. I’ve always wondered if that wasn’t a source of his much-commented-upon “loyalty” to England — the England fans in general seem to love him, his club’s fans have tended to be indifferent at best and highly critical at worst.
Nicky Butt — I’ve always rather liked Butt, but thought he was underperforming in general this season until the last two matches. Could be another Keegan resurrection, and I hope it is. But cover is still needed for him, as he’s unlikely to get any younger and he does tend to serve suspensions for his addiction to yellow cards.
Geremi — ACoN seems to have been good for him, but he’s also not getting any younger. Cover needed.
Still, all in all, it was a great performance and a sign of what can happen when a club and squad get a bit of confidence and enjoy the sort of support Newcastle are famous for. Owen and Keegan have both remarked upon the joys and occasional pains (Owen said he was hurt by the comments about his coming back earlier in the season ‘just for England’ and other similar heckling) of playing in front of the Toon faithful — let’s try to make it more joys than pains, eh lads?
49 Punk Skunk // Mar 31, 2008 at 20:53
That’ll learn the doubters!..
…Of the players, KK & 433!..
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