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Kevin Keegan faces 'mammoth job' at Toon, Robson says

Former Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson has said Kevin Keegan faces a "mammoth job" to turn round the fortunes of the north-east side in his second spell as boss at St James' Park.

Robson said the former Liverpool and Newcastle striker had taken a bold step in returning as United boss after a spell of relative success in the 1990s.

In an interview with the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, Robson said: "Kevin has a mammoth job all right, a really difficult job because his squad is not good enough."

"That is the harsh fact of the matter. He has to make do and mend until the summer, when he can put together his own team," he said.

"That will mean retaining some, but definitely getting rid of others. They will not win anything this season, but equally, won't go down. I am convinced of that because of the points they have in hand over the bottom clubs. However, it is not going to be pretty. It is going to be a tough slog," Robson said.

Newcastle have not won any of their five matches since Keegan returned in place of Sam Allardyce last month to the club he twice guided to second-place in the Premier League in 1996 and 1997.

"Of course he is finding it tough. We all hoped they would have got a lift and won under Keegan by now," Robson said.

Robson added a lack of speed was hampering the progress of Newcastle, currently a mediocre 13th in the table.

"There is a lot that can be improved in the team, including the fact that there is not enough pace throughout the side, not enough legs all over the park," he said.

"Charles N'Zogbia is quick and so is Obafemi Martins, but who else? I don't think Michael Owen is as sharp as he was at his very best," Robson said.

"I deliberately got pace into my side and I think Kevin will do likewise come the summer," he said.

Robson, who is undergoing treatment for cancer for the fifth time, said a suggestion from Allardyce that Newcastle didn't match the former Bolton manager's ambition was wide of the mark.

"You must give the fans what they want because they are the best in the world in full cry. You must give them a bit of dash and a slice of flair," Robson said. "I don't know that Sam could adapt to this club after Bolton. Keegan knows it well, of course, and must be given a chance."

Robson was in charge of Newcastle from 1999-2004 but, like Keegan, who left two years earlier, couldn't bring a major trophy to St James' for the first time since 1969 when the Toon won the now defunct European Fairs Cup.

"I am proud of what we achieved in my five years at St James' Park," he said. "They talk of the `big four' now as if they are untouchable, but we smashed through the barrier when we finished third ahead of both Chelsea and Liverpool -- and it wasn't that long ago, 2003 to be exact."

"I took the club to fourth, third and fifth-top of the Premier League, and that's sustained success," Robson said. "Mind you, I still got the sack from fifth-top, which hurt and baffled me, but I am not going to dwell on that."
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