Kevin Keegan is confident Newcastle are fully focused on what he now sees as a 10-game season.
Magpies look for big finish in relegation battle
Kevin Keegan is confident Newcastle are fully focused on what he now sees as a 10-game season.
The Magpies are without a Premier League win since December 15th - some 12 games ago.
Keegan himself took charge eight games ago - but during that time they have secured just two points and exited the FA Cup.
Now just three points above the drop-zone, Keegan has called on his players to concentrate on their own fixtures and not become distracted by the teams around them.
Focus
"When you are in a situation, whether it is the top of the table or bottom of the table, you always look at other people's results - but the one thing you have always go to focus on is your own," he told
Sky Sports News.
"It is no good to keep looking and thinking they have lost and or they have drawn there, if you are not winning yourself.
"We have told the players that we have a 10-game season now, 10 matches left, these are the fixtures we have at home, these are what we have away.
"We are focusing on winning the 10-game league we are in down the bottom."
Newcastle, in fact, only have nine games remaining as they battle to secure their Premier League survival.
"We are a big club and in a position a lot of people think we shouldn't be but reality is we are and we are going to be looking for character, strength and team-work and making sure as a unit we are hard to be and if we do that, with the ability we have there will not be a problem," said Keegan.
Changes
The Newcastle boss confirmed that there will be some changes for the Monday night clash with Birmingham.
"There will certainly be the odd change," he said.
"We have gone too many games without winning - they won't be major but you will definitely be seeing a different team.
One player who will not be involved is James Milner who hurt his foot against Liverpool last week.
"He is struggling," said Keegan.
"He won't be available this week but he tells me he is a quick healer so we could have him back in a week, 10 days, or two weeks.
"It depends on how bad the bruising is, but he did get a nasty knock."
