Newcastle united

Owen and Barton pick up injuries
Newcastle will be without Michael Owen and Joey Barton for about eight weeks after both picked up injuries in the 2-1 defeat by Manchester City. Manager Joe Kinnear revealed that striker Owen cracked a bone in his ankle and midfielder Barton, 26, has a similar injury in his foot. The injury means Owen, 29, will have no chance of playing in England's friendly against Spain on 11 February. "It's one thing after another at the moment," said Kinnear. Owen, who has been continually overlooked by England manager Fabio Capello since the Italian succeeded Steve McClaren, left the ground on crutches. He has scored 10 times this season, though he went into Wednesday's match with only one goal in his last seven matches. Owen was replaced by Jonas Gutierrez after 19 minutes, while Barton, who was making his first start since November, went off in the second half to be replaced by debutant Peter Lovenkrands. Barton has cracked a metatarsal bone in his foot and is expected to undergo surgery to rectify the problem. Kinnear said he was unlikely to be able to make any further additions to his suad to cover the absence of the pair, with the economic downturn having a major impact on the finances of the club's owner Mike Ashley. "Life is seriously tough. The credit crunch is killing us," said Kinnear. "Mike has lost £2bn quid in his own businesses and shares. He is just about paying the wages but it is not an easy situation. "You look at Tottenham paying £16m here and £14m there. I would love to spend money like that but I can't. You can see why so many people bottled this job."

Kinnear told to stay in hospital
Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear is to remain in hospital under observation for a couple of days Kinnear went to hospital after feeling unwell before the 3-2 win at West Brom, but he has undergone tests and is "okay" according to a club spokesman. The spokesman added: "He will remain in hospital for observation for a couple of days and will then be discharged." The 62-year-old Kinnear, who suffered a mild heart attack in March 1999, took over as Magpies boss in September 2008. The former Spurs and Republic of Ireland defender was admitted to hospital on Saturday morning after complaining of high blood pressure, but was kept informed of events at the Hawthorns by his grandson. "I would like to thank everyone who has been asking how I have been feeling," said Kinnear, who has been visited in hospital by first-team coach Hughton and Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias. "Joe was in good spirits and had been listening to the game all afternoon," said Llambias. "And in typical Joe fashion, he was more concerned about the team's win than himself. "He was nice and relaxed and hopefully will be back home in a couple of days." After Kevin Keegan quit Newcastle earlier this season, Kinnear was offered a rolling monthly contract, which was then extended until the end of the season, while last month he revealed he had been offered a two-year deal to remain on Tyneside. Hughton took charge of the side for the 3-2 victory at West Brom, which eased the Magpies' relegation worries. "I have been with him for most of the time as per normal in the build-up to the game," said Hughton afterwards. "We prepared for the game as per normal. "We have a good group of lads and with Joe, they are very fond of him as a manager and appreciate the job he has done. "They were very much aware of what happened and I am sure that was in their minds." Kinnear suffered his mild heart attack while in charge of Wimbledon and later stood down because of ill-health. He went on to manage Luton and Nottingham Forest but then spent four years out of the game. West Brom manager Tony Mowbray said: "We wish Joe a speedy recovery. "We are all in this industry together and it can be a stressful job at times. "Whether that had anything to do with it, I don't know but we hope he gets back to work as soon as he can." Newcastle's next game is away at Everton on 22 February.

Magpies' Owen has groin operation
Newcastle are confident Michael Owen will return to action in March despite the striker undergoing groin surgery. The striker has been sidelined by ankle ligament damage sustained in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City last month. While he recovers from that injury, Newcastle's medical staff opted to send him for the groin operation. "It hasn't hindered or increased the time he's going to be out," interim boss Chris Hughton said. "We're hoping he'll be training within a week." Despite the lack of official announcement in advance of the operation, Hughton insisted there was no reason to change Owen's targeted return against Hull away in the Premier League on 14 March. "He has had a minor - very minor - groin repair which came in line with the period of time he is out with his ankle," added Hughton. The 29-year-old England international is the club's top scorer this season having amassed 10 goals in 23 appearances despite spending large periods struggling with injuries. He missed three games after straining his groin while training in October and the Magpies took advantage of the January transfer window to sign Peter Lovenkrands to bolster their attacking options. Talks between Owen and the St James' Park hierarchy over an extension to his current contract, which expires in the summer, have been interrupted by a tumultuous term at the club. Despite being offered a three-year deal, Owen has insisted that he will only make a decision over his future at the end of this season, when he could walk away on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling.

Carroll pens new Magpies contract
Newcastle striker Andy Carroll has signed a new three-and-a-half-year contract at the Premier League club. The 20-year-old has scored twice in six games for the Magpies this term, having made his full home debut in January. Carroll, who was born in Gateshead, spent some of last season on loan at Championship side Preston before returning to St James' Park. "This is where I want to play my football and this season has been a dream for me," said Carroll. Carroll, became the club's youngest ever European debutant when he came on as a substitute in a 1-0 Uefa Cup win over Palermo in Sicily in November 2006. "I came into the side earlier in the year and scored twice in six games," added Carroll. "My first goal for my home-town club was amazing and I hope to score many more in the future." Meanwhile, Carroll has been called up to the England under-20 squad for their friendly against Italy at Loftus Road on 31 March.

Shearer to become Newcastle boss
Alan Shearer is set to be appointed as Newcastle manager until the end of the season. And former QPR boss Iain Dowie will be part of his coaching staff. Ex-Magpies striker Shearer, 38, has often been linked with a return to St James' Park but has been critical of the club's management structure. He would be owner Mike Ashley's fourth manager this season following the exit of Kevin Keegan, as the club fights a grim battle against relegation. Keegan exited under a cloud in September following a row with the board over summer transfers. His replacement, the veteran Joe Kinnear, required triple heart bypass surgery in February leaving Chris Hughton to pick up the baton on a temporary basis. But Newcastle have slipped to third from bottom of the Premier League - and plans to have Kinnear back for the final part of the season have been shelved. Former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd was among a clutch of figures to welcome Shearer's appointment. He told Radio 5 Live: "It's great news. Newcastle are in a fight now, they're in the trenches, and I think Alan is the guy to carry on that fight." Kevin Gallacher, a team-mate from Shearer's playing days at Blackburn Rovers, said: "It's a surprise appointment - it's thrown me a googly to say the least." Football pundit Mark Lawrenson siad he was also "hugely surprised". He added: "If anyone can lift Newcastle out of the doldrums it's Alan. He's got no experience of management but people like Jurgen Klinsmann and Franz Beckenbauer at Germany came in with no experience as well. He is regarded as a god up there in Newcastle." Shearer, a born and raised Geordie, scored 206 goals in 404 appearances during a 10-year playing stint at Newcastle to earn legendary status on Tyneside after joining for a record £15m fee from Blackburn. The former England striker, who retired from playing in 2006, has made no secret of his desire to become a manager one day. However, he was thought to have strong reservations about Ashley's regime - describing it as "strange" following Keegan's shock exit. The same month, Shearer, a pundit on the BBC's Match of the Day, rejected an offer to join the club's coaching staff. Both on and off the pitch, Newcastle have lurched from one crisis to the next this season following the departure of Keegan early in the campaign. Following a fans' backlash over Keegan's exit, Ashley raised the possibility of selling the club, before deciding to stay on. Key striker Michael Owen has been involved in just four games this year because of an ankle injury, while Charles N'Zogbia moved to Wigan in the January transfer window after a high-profile bust-up with Kinnear. Newcastle, who have 29 points from 30 matches, host third-placed Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday with eight games of the season left. And one of Shearer's old Newcastle team-mates, Steve Watson, thinks the new manager will have an immediate impact. "He speaks sense, he's very single-minded and knows exactly what he wants to do," Watson told BBC Radio Newcastle. "He will have that immediate effect on the squad and the fans that only someone like Kevin Keegan could have. Every single player will have the utmost respect for him and listen to what he says. It won't matter how they play, they just need to get points on the board. "He won't put up with people saying 'I won't play here' and I think he will have an immediate effect - and let's face it he's got to." The supporters have also been galvanised by the decision, with hordes crowding St James' Park to celebrate the news. And Magpies supporter Frank Gilmour said the appointment of Shearer was certain to create a buzz. "You can guarantee people will be starting to queue at the ground now to buy any remaining tickets for the game against Chelsea," he said. "The atmosphere at that game on Saturday will be unbelievable." Former Newcastle chairman Sir John Hall, who brought the boyhood Newcastle fan to St James' Park as a player, called the move "desperate measures for desperate times" and said he would have preferred Shearer to be a long-term appointment. He added: "I've always felt Alan was the only man at this moment in time who could manage Newcastle. He's a bit like Keegan, when we took him back 20 years ago. Keegan always had the magic touch and I think Alan's the same." Former Magpies chief executive Freddie Fletcher oversaw the transformation at St James' Park when Kevin Keegan arrived and he can see parallels between the two appointments. "It's very similar to what I did when I came in 1991 when we had to sadly dismiss Ossie Ardiles and drop in Kevin Keegan short-term to keep us in the then First Division," he said. "This is a similar move, it's a sensible move and it's the best chance we've got of staying in the Premier League." John Anderson, a former Magpies defender, welcomed the move but warned: "It's going to be a big, big ask to keep them up - they've got a very tough run-in."

Keegan wins £2m Newcastle damages
Former Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has been awarded £2m damages plus interest after winning his case against the club for constructive dismissal. The panel agreed that in signing Uruguayan midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez, against Keegan's wishes, the club were in breach of a term in his contract. It was also agreed that Keegan would receive no further damages. Keegan parted company with the club, owned by businessman Mike Ashley, in September 2008. A relieved Keegan said in a statement: "I am delighted that the Premier League manager's arbitration tribunal has today formally announced that it has upheld my claim for wrongful dismissal against Newcastle United. "The tribunal has found the conduct of the club in forcing a player on me against my wishes represented a fundamental breach of my contract of employment. "I do not believe that there is any manager in football who could have remained at the club in the light of their conduct. "I also want to confirm that a central purpose of my claim has always been to clear my name and restore my reputation. "I consider it of vital importance that I was able to let people know about the full circumstances of my resignation and the way in which I had been treated by the club. I hope that this purpose has now been achieved." Newcastle refused to comment on the case, merely reporting the panel's decision and publishing the official report. The transfer of Gonzalez features heavily in the report, as does the relationship between Dennis Wise, Tony Jimenez and Ashley with Keegan. In particular, the report concludes that the deal to bring Gonzalez to the club, on a loan basis, was "in the commercial interests of the Club." The report continued: "The 'commercial interests', according to the club, were that the signing of the player on loan would be a 'favour' to two influential South American agents who would look favourably on the club in the future. "The loan deal cost the club nearly £1m in wages for a player who was not expected to play for the first team but no payment was made by the club to the agents in respect of the deal." It was Ashley who brought Keegan back to Newcastle for his second spell in charge at St James' Park in January 2008, following the termination of Sam Allardyce's contract. The report states that Keegan was offered a deal which was worth an initial £3m per annum for three-and-a-half years, a figure which was the basis behind his initial damages claim in the region of £8.5m for his agreed spell in charge, and a reported figure in the region of £25m for the length of his career in football before retirement at the presumed age of 65. Ashley's decision proved a popular one with supporters, who recalled the former England boss's initial spell in charge on Tyneside and the cavalier football his sides played during a four year stay at the club in the 1990s. Having retained the club's Premier League status that season, Keegan and chairman Mike Ashley appeared to have a strong relationship, but this strained when Dennis Wise was appointed as an executive director of football. Keegan began the 2008-09 Premier League season in charge, leading the club to two wins, a draw and a defeat in four league and cup matches before leaving on the Thursday, 4 September 2008. Gonzalez's signing was made on deadline day of Sunday, 31 August 2008, an act which prompted Keegan to tender his resignation. Wise left the club in April 2009, former vice-president (player recruitment) Tony Jimenez left in October 2008, while owner Mike Ashley remains at the club despite a long-running bid to sell it.

Barton vows to keep his moustache until Newcastle win
The longer they go without their first victory, the hairier it could get for Newcastle in this season's Premier League - in more ways than one. Spurred on by a challenge from team-mates, midfielder Joey Barton has grown a moustache, which he refuses to shave off until the Magpies win a game. Barton told the club website: "It started out with about eight of us saying, 'you couldn't grow a beard'. "One thing led to another and before I knew, I'd agreed to grow a moustache." Barton added: "It could be here for a while longer if we don't get off to a good start - but hopefully it'll be gone soon. It's got a bit of flak and a few people have said it's ridiculous." The 27-year-old's top lip will have to remain unshorn for at least another few days after Newcastle fell to a 3-0 defeat at Manchester United in their opening fixture on Monday. They next face Aston Villa on Sunday in their first home game of the campaign, with Barton no doubt desperate to be given the nod to get out the razor. Of course, Barton is continuing a proud legacy of infamous facial hair in English football. Liverpool are often considered the past masters of the art, with the likes of Mark Lawrenson, Graeme Souness, Ian Rush, Terry McDermott and Bruce Grobbelaar all sporting moustaches during their playing days. But notable mentions must also go to the likes of Neville Southall, David Seaman, Chris Kamara, Brian Kilcline and Micky Quinn. More recently, in September 2008, then Hull boss Phil Brown and Tigers goalkeeper Matt Duke both grew moustaches as part of TacheBack - a campaign designed to raise money for testicular cancer charity Everyman.

Safety First For Pardew
Alan Pardew knows just how crucial the next few games are to his side's Premier League fate. Newcastle travel to Blackburn on Saturday, followed by fixtures against Birmingham, Bolton, Everton and Stoke. Those teams are all in and around the Magpies in the heart of the Premier League, and Pardew is under no illusions that his troops have to pick up points from those clashes. But the boss is refusing to set a points benchmark for safety just yet. "The next four or five games are very important," he explained. "It's a period of the season where we are all pretty tight together and over the next two or three games you are either going to get away from it and maybe fight for Europe, or you're going to find yourself in a real dogfight. "It's probably very dangerous to put a (points) figure on survival because it looks like being something of a freak season. "I know Sir Alex (Ferguson) has come out and said what he thinks will win it (the Premier League), but even that is open to question and he's the main man. "I wouldn't like to put a figure on that, but it is important that we stay where we are and not get involved in that."

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