Keegan has had to make a swift assessment of the players at his disposal and he is happy with the quality, if not the numbers, he inherited as he sets about raising confidence levels once again.He asked 27-year-old Smith to start alongside skipper Michael Owen in attack on Sunday after he was left out of Fabio Capello's first England squad, and has assured him he has an important role to play for the club.
Keegan: "Alan Smith is one of those players around the football club that are just a delight to have.
"These are the sort of guys you build the club spirit on.
"He may not play every week, but he can play in different positions."