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THE NORTH-EAST SUMMIT - NEWCASTLE GET KK, BORO STILL WAIT FOR THE AA 17-1-08
Stuart Young
Kevin Keegan returns to the Toon as manager and is looking to bring back the exciting days to Tyneside.
Boro are still waiting for the AA as the transfer for the Brazilian broke down, whilst Sunderland boss Roy Keane signs a French youngster from PSG.
Newcastle
Newcastle fans will be slightly more at ease after it was confirmed on Wednesday that Kevin Keegan will be the new manager of Newcastle United.
The fans know all about Keegan and what he can do for the club so things are looking brighter on Tyneside already. Kev will be given the cash to splash in the remaining weeks of the transfer window so Newcastle fans can expect an exciting few weeks ahead.
Keegan will surely bring back attacking football to Tyneside, the type of attacking football that was witnessed in his first spell as manager at Newcastle.
With KK now on board, he will be quick to avoid performances like the one the team put in against Manchester United last Saturday evening.
The game will be quickly forgotten if Kev can produce some inspiring performances from his new side in the coming weeks.
The defeat to United was a fair reflection on the state of the club at that time. The players lacked focus and determination, which is simply fatal when you visit Old Trafford.
Newcastle did well to hold Sir Alex's men until half-time but the inevitable happened in the second half. United's pace and flair was too much for managerless Newcastle and the goals started to flood in.
I think if you come up against a player such as Cristiano Ronaldo in his current rich vein of form then you just have to accept he is going to cause damage. You have to try and limit this inevitability otherwise you just get "hit for six".
I'm sure KK will dissect everything that went wrong against Man Utd and he will let the players know individually what they have to do to keep their place in the side.
Keegan's first game in charge will be on Saturday as they entertain Bolton at home. Good luck Kev!
Middlesbrough
Afonso Alves seems to be a player littered with controversy. Apparently he is now an AZ Alkmaar player and Boro are soon to sign him from them instead of Heerenveen.
The two Dutch clubs have been locked in a court battle this week, which AZ have won. This means that Alfonso is now officially an AZ player. Confusing? Yes, very.
To make things more confusing for you, he (Alves) still wants to be a Boro player and AZ will now broker a deal with Boro for his services.
Boro have agreed personal terms with the player but now need to table another bid with AZ. If the deal does go through it will be a transfer record for Middlesbrough FC as they will be parting with around £12m.
On the pitch, Southgate saw his side draw at home against Liverpool. The Boro players were fantastic on Saturday as they went up against one of the strongest sides in the league.
Boro had five key players missing from the game through illness and injury but the makeshift side battled and created many chances throughout.
George Boateng got himself on the score sheet and was inspirational all afternoon.
If it wasn't for a world class save by Jose Reina to deny Stewart Downing, I think Boro would have gone on to win the game and claim all the points but that was the turning point of the game.
The talented Spaniard Fernando Torres, broke Boro fans' hearts when he struck a vicious shot past Mark Schwarzer to salvage a point for his team.
Before the game, Gareth Southgate would probably have taken a point but on reflection he must now be thinking that it was a case of points dropped.
The concern over Boro's ability to finish chances will continue until we bring in the AA (Alves) or unless Mido gets match-fit very quickly.
Southgate takes his players to Ewood Park on Saturday which will be a very tough test for his side. He has players back in training this week so he could field his strongest possible side.
Three points please Gareth.
Sunderland
Roy Keane's side claimed three valuable points last weekend after a well deserved win against Portsmouth at home.
Kieran Richardson scored a first half double to seal the win against Pompey, which eased the relegation troubles of Roy's team.
Keane will be happy knowing his side can put in performances like these and will try to build on this game.
Keane has been busy in the transfer window this week with the arrival of Jean-Yves Mvoto from PSG. The nineteen-year-old defender was not signed to a professional contract with PSG so both clubs came to an agreement with Sunderland shelling out £300k for the French youth international.
Keane received a blow this week as Steve Coppell issued a "hands-off" warning to all clubs, saying he is not intending to sell his best players despite good offers coming in for them. I hope Keane does not give up on this one because Hunt would be a great acquisition to the Sunderland team in their battle to beat the drop.
Sunderland face Spurs this Saturday at White Hart Lane. I expect this one to be tight as there is only four points between the two teams. Keane's players will be in high spirits following their win against Pompey but they will be up against a Spurs team that scores goals for fun at home.
Sunderland made ground on Boro and summit leaders Newcastle this week after collecting three points at home. Newcastle have the advantage this weekend, being the only north-east side to be playing at home and will look to extend their lead.
See You At The Top
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