Keegan Deserves Better Than This!

Keegan's reluctance to accept that the 22-year-old could be heading out of St James' Park is born out of the frustration which has seen him fail to add suitable numbers to his squad this summer.

Mike Ashley has always said Milner has a price on his head, despite KK insisting he is not for sale, and that alone has encouraged Aston Villa to hang onto the hope they will finally get their man.

Keegan wants Michael Owen's contract sort out ... and he has done since May! Only YESTERDAY did Ashley sit down and talk about it ... but even then ... only with Keegan, not the player.

The Toon chief has made it clear that he does not have a sufficiently big enough squad to compete in the higher echelons of the Premier League.

However, his words appear to have fallen on deaf ears as the club's board refuse to sanction more arrivals.

Yes we have heard about Ashley's "WOW" signing, and other odds and sods that the owner has told "in confidence" to the sponsors who refuse to renew their private boxes at St James' Park.

But does anyone believe a word Ashley says anymore?

To make matters worse, Keegan may now see his plans hindered further by the unwanted sale of one of his more creative influences.

Kevin Keegan: "James has a three-year contract. I do not want to talk about losing him.

"He is absolutely top notch - around the club, around the training ground. He is getting better and better every game."

With a mounting injury list giving Keegan cause for concern, the former England manager admits he is running out of time in his pursuit of fresh faces.

"My optimism gets less the nearer we get to the deadline (1st September)," he added.

"I suppose if we don't get anybody, we'll just have to soldier on and wait for everybody to come back."

Keegan's hands are tied ... and fans are growing as frustrated as the man himself.