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Liverpool v Newcastle: The theatre of nightmares for Keegan

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There will be pressure on both teams as Kevin Keegan takes Newcastle to Anfield for the first time since that epic 4-3 loss in 1996. Nik Wardle looks at this one.

The film Life of Brian is very funny. For those who haven't seen this biblical satire, the simple plot is that common folk mistakenly think an ordinary man called Brian is the Messiah - he isn't and later gets hung for (unwittingly) masquerading as such. There are currently parallels at Newcastle United - although I don't expect Kevin Keegan to be ultimately hung - ultimately sacked, perhaps, but more than likely he'll end up resigning.

When Keegan breezed back into St James Park in January, he tapped into the fanatical support of the club by claiming Southerners went to the theatre for entertainment whilst those from the North East watched football. This isn't strictly accurate as Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and West Ham sell out all but minor cup games. Meanwhile Newcastle's near-neighbours Middlesbrough rarely sell out and although Sunderland's attendances have been good there's a 10,000 gap between the highest and the lowest. That apart, the theatre is more entertaining than watching Newcastle at present - that is, unless, you like car crash TV.

Keegan also claimed in his first press conference that he hadn't watched a game in two years. To begin with, I thought this was just a ruse to take the pressure off but it's looking like this is true. Why he didn't buy defensive reinforcements in January is a mystery. There was still a couple of weeks of the transfer window left and even if Keegan was out of touch; surely one of the coaches or scouts could've recommended someone? It's rumoured that he did try to buy Jonathan Woodgate but you would've expected a list of targets and not just one.

In six league games under the new manager, Newcastle haven't yet won. It's true they've had some tricky fixtures but any Newcastle side over the past decade would've expected to pick up more than two points in home games against Bolton, Middlesbrough and Blackburn. They've got ten games to save themselves and have a mixture of difficult and winnable games left. What's worrying for the Geordies is that they start with Liverpool away and with a trip to Birmingham to follow that, it's conceivable that they may not add to their points tally until mid-to-late March. At present they're just three points off of a relegation place and have the same dismal goal difference as Fulham and Reading. What's interesting is that in Sam Allardyce's last six games, his team picked up seven points. Sam's side may not have been easy on the eye but I doubt they would've been embroiled in a relegation battle.

Saturday's opponents, Liverpool, have too many issues of their own to contend with to deal an easy hand to an ex-legend. It would be a footballing disaster for them to not get Champions League football and it would be even harder to take if they lost out to neighbours Everton. The Reds are at [1.41] to win this game - Newcastle are out at [11.0]. A good bet for this game could be over 3.5 goals at [3.55].

Home games against Fulham, Reading and Sunderland should be enough to save Newcastle and this is probably why they're the seventh favourites for relegation at 6.4. Football has changed in the decade or so since Keegan was last at Newcastle. And unless the owner bankrolls the club in the same relative terms as was done in Keegan's first era there's little chance of a championship challenge. If you look at the modern day equivalents of the players Keegan purchased then: Rooney for Shearer, Crouch for Ferdinand, Amauri (Palermo) for Asprilla - you can see how much spending power he had before and how unlikely it is for a return to that brief period of challenging for the title. But first things first, he has to stave off relegation, and only then can he concentrate on earning his Messiah status.