Terry McDermott has talked to the Newcastle Evening Chronicle today, and has given a good interview.
Kevin Keegan - shown with Terry McDermott and Arthur Cox
Kevin has made just one signing so far this summer, and it was a good one in Jonas Gurierrez. We expect the Newcastle management team is working hard on bringing other good players to the club.
Argentine international, Jonas Gutierrez, joined the club this week from La Liga club Real Mallorca, and it looks like the fee was a minor one for such a good player.
Keegan has also seen 22 year old local defender Steven Taylor sign a three-year contract, and that will no doubt please Keegan, and he will now look forward to Michael Owen being secured at the club with another contract.
Kevin’s right hand man McDermott, told the Evening Chronicle today:
“This is what this club has needed for a lot of years.” “We have had some good managers.”
“Sam Allardyce was a good fella, and Graeme Souness was a fantastic guy and a good manager, but they were here at the wrong time.”
“Kevin, though, is a bit special.” “He loves Newcastle United and the fans absolutely love him.”
McDermott has been at Newcastle United for most of Newcastle’s Premier League years, and has served under several of Newcastle’s managers since returning to the club when Souness, his old playing colleague at Liverpool, was manager of the club.
Terry added:
“Getting results is the one that will lift everyone.”“It lifts the players and the mood of the club.”
“Not to mention what it does for the fans.”“Good performances are next. “
“Everyone knows our fans like to see Newcastle win, but also to win in style.”
“Everyone knows that is Kevin’s philosophy.â€
Terry of course is right, that the first thing is to get the points on the board, but then that inevitably is followed with some good performances, simply because the team takes on a new confidence.
We saw the reverse of that when Kevin first came in January, when we couldn’t buy a win with love nor money.
But once we did beat Fulham we went on a good non-losing streak and the boys played some nice football including annihilating Spurs at White Hart Lane, 4-1, in one of our best attacking performances of the season, especially in the second half.
We need to start picking up points early on next season, and anything but a defeat at Old Trafford in our first game of the season will, in fact, be a win. 
Comments welcome, but please keep them civil to other readers.
20 responses so far ↓
1 AussieToon // Jul 5, 2008 at 13:26
long live king kev
2 Leo // Jul 5, 2008 at 13:33
hmm, well there was nothing disclosed there for the press to run off with i dont think, then again they can make a mountain out of a mole hill
funkers
3 Martin // Jul 5, 2008 at 13:37
Looking at our fixtures I think fans need to be patient…
We’ve got 2 of the hardest matches inside the first month and I wouldn’t be surprised to see us in the bottom 5 come September…
The Bolton and Hull games are going to be massively important! I reckon we’ll take 3 against the NUFC northern masters *cough* I mean West Ham and that could give us the confidence needed to get results against Everton and Blackburn…
Last year we had a load of easy games at the start and then the hardest month I’ve ever seen - at least this year we can have a characteristic bad start and then get the ball rolling once Manure and the Arse are out of the way!
4 HATE PRAWN SANDWICHES // Jul 5, 2008 at 13:41
results are everything!! so when are we going to get rid of the crap! SMITH, DUFF, AMEOBI, GEREMI and look for replacements for VIDUKA, CACAPA, BUTT and bring in some quality!!
I am getting worried that we will still have Smith, duff and ameobi next season!!
5 WIGAZ // Jul 5, 2008 at 13:56
Dont worry prawn we’ll be rid of shola but i agree that we may still have smith! think duff will be gone! i would offer rangers smith & £2m for Cueller! all this talk about oba is gettin on my wick like! but lets be honest as much as we love Oba if we could get £15m a him & go out & buy another natural goalscorer like Guiza for £10m & then could spend the other £5m on a either CB or LB would we not take it! i think we should try for Guiza whether we keep oba or not! he looked quality in euros & in la liga!
6 HATE PRAWN SANDWICHES // Jul 5, 2008 at 13:56
Is Ashley going to spend money? IMO we need to get rid of bad player replace with quality and not waste money! we need to spend at least £60 Million to compete for a top 7 finish!!
7 WIGAZ // Jul 5, 2008 at 14:00
Could not agree more prawn! if he puts in £60m to buy quality then he’ll easily make it back! on shirt sales season ticket sales TV deals etc! u dont have to be billionaire business man to figure that out! lets just think for a minute, imagine if we bought henry! (daft i kno but roll with it for a mo) how much £ would the club make from Henry no 14 shirts!? or arshavin o 8! it’s just commom sense MA!
8 HATE PRAWN SANDWICHES // Jul 5, 2008 at 14:02
If Martins did go!! which I dont want him to!! I would have another look at Gomez, although he had a bad Euros his stats for stuttgard are amazing!!
9 Martin // Jul 5, 2008 at 14:05
Prawn and Wigaz - it is and it isn’t…I agree we need some solid investment, but no-where has Mike Ashley ever said he ‘won’t’ invest - that’s just media speculation and red-top lies…If we didn’t want to buy quality we wouldn’t have put a £17m bid in for Modric would we?
The only problem with buying players like Henry is that although we do get money back through sales and sponsorship, we don’t neccessarily get any money back on the pitch - certainly not in the long-run anyway…
Newcaslte is a business, but first and foremost it’s a football team - so buying youth with a lot of potential is MASSIVELY important…
Personally I’d like to see a mix of both - 1 or 2 top top quality signings/established names that sting the bank account a bit, along with 6 or 7 young, exciting, up and coming players…
A bit like the Bobby Robson team of the 2000’s - watching videos of them on youtube brings back some class memorys and just shows what a good little squad we had!
10 Albert Stigys // Jul 5, 2008 at 14:06
!
11 HATE PRAWN SANDWICHES // Jul 5, 2008 at 14:07
I just feel MA is out for number one and can get away with spending as little as possible then he will! I hope im wrong!!
12 WIGAZ // Jul 5, 2008 at 14:10
I would also like to see gomez m8! he is a quality player! lets be honest germany were lucky to get to the final! but this lad struggled but that could be because the germany formation didn’t suit him! i think we could get him too! crouch to pompy for £10m next week! thats what the word is like!
13 HATE PRAWN SANDWICHES // Jul 5, 2008 at 14:14
But Martin - is that the way Ashley thinks! is it football team first or business? i’d go for the latter
I do agree with your comment, but will he???
14 Martin // Jul 5, 2008 at 14:38
I think we’re both right to an extent like. Ashley is primarily a business man. But if he was simply wanting to make a profit from our club then he’d have sold us to those American investors for a tidy £100m profit (IF the story is true)…
I think his policy (again never been confirmed by him personally or anyone directly linked with him) of going for young players is great - and we DID put in a 17m bid for Modric…Rumour has it we also tried for Turan and Arshavin aswell - again quality youth…(I know Arshavin is 27 but that’s not THAT old yet)
I think going for the youth option is the most difficult for us fan’s as it leaves us with very little to luck foward to in the short term, but long term it’s a much better option…It does however mean putting a lot of blind faith into Ashley and his plan - and that is something I’m not sure we as a fan base posses?
15 MichaelA // Jul 5, 2008 at 15:13
“Allardyce and Souness were just here at the wrong time”?
That time I assume includes everything since, everything beyond, and including, the ‘dawn of time’.
16 ben // Jul 5, 2008 at 15:37
terry mac absolute legend
17 CRAIGG // Jul 5, 2008 at 17:19
I love that Picture just add Faz and the old lads are back.
Great servants to the club
18 The Entertainers // Jul 5, 2008 at 19:03
I do find the stance Keegan is taking with the press puzzling!
I have been a big supporter of the club keeping quiet regarding contracts, signings and Barton.
But Keegan is the manager, the focal point and vocal point of the club. These couple of staged comments are becoming a bit worrying. I just hope this is’nt Kev having another tantram!
19 Sav // Jul 5, 2008 at 19:13
I have been expecting Faz since the extended departure of Steve Round. I wouldn’t have minded Steve Clarke, either - another good bloke. But when you add Chris Hughton and this lot, KK’s got more right-hand men than Big Sam!
20 Bill F SPLASH MORE CASH ASH // Jul 5, 2008 at 19:25
Terry Mac must be the greatest sage since Buddha, “Getting results is important”. No one else could have thought of that.