Allardyce backs Keegan

Newcastle's former boss Sam Allardyce has backed Kevin Keegan to be a success despite a poor run of results. Allardyce also asked the Newcastle board to give Keegan more time as the club is destined to be 'great down the line'.

"Newcastle are destined to be a great club down the line," said Allardyce in the Times.

"But the longer it goes without success the harder it is to achieve it and they can't do it by changing managers all the time.

"I've no real bitterness over my departure anymore. I've moved on.

"We were finding a way of playing, having changed everything behind the scenes.

"The players were still learning to blend. It was a question of patience.

"It is like building the Empire State Building in a month. It can't be done."