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The Big Interview

The Big Betfair Interview: Steve Stone

Kevin Keegan was hailed as Newcastle's saviour when he came back to replace Sam Allardyce but it's been anything but plain sailing. Betfair talked to former England star Steve Stone, now a FiveLive pundit and a massive Toon fan, about their prospects.

Steve, now your boots are hung up how often do you get to see Newcastle?

I don't miss many games. I get to go a lot working for the BBC, and when I'm not doing that I still get there just as a fan. That should have been a treat for me but instead it has been a real shame to see how things have gone this season. I think even when Sam was in charge everybody was agreed that even when they were winning early on the performances weren't convincing, and I think it started to crumble back then.

Do you enjoy the days when you are just a fan and can go back to your boyhood and get emotional or excited.

Exactly. That's what I enjoy. When I'm there for the radio it is still work, and you still have to be very professional about what you say. I can be quite biased but I have to be more balanced. It's great when I can just go and watch them. For many years I've watched from afar. I've never really got to go to a home game apart from when I played against them. To go and watch should be a bit of a joy, but it hasn't been since I've retired! It hasn't been going great, and really I think everybody wants it to turn round and be positive, just have a first win

So where have things been going wrong?

I think a lot of managers have come in, and realised that defensively the team has been poor, and they have gone like for like and tried to change around what's already in there. But what they have brought in hasn't been any better than what they've already got. From about four years ago, even from just before Graeme Souness came in, there's been too much money wasted on trying to buy expensive centre halves, people like Alain Boumsong or Titus Bramble, and it just hasn't worked.

But don't the fans just want exciting football going forward?

It's okay saying they need to score goals, and the rest of the team needs to be progressive, but if you can't get the defence right you are not going anywhere. With the likes of Michael Owen in the team you should be able to get a solid defence and build on it from there. But teams nowadays once they go a goal in front just sit back and become very difficult to break down.

So is it the recruitment that's been at fault?

Yes, every time you change a manager he wants his own players in, and every manager will go in and say the problem has been defensive, and they would be right to say that, so they try and bring in their own players and change what is there but unfortunately what they have brought in hasn't been that good.

Name names

If you look at what Sam brought in, and no disrespect to him, but if you look at the players he signed they have not been better than Steven Taylor so far, and for them to progress you would expect somebody to be better than him to bring him along. He's a young lad and that's a big responsibility on his shoulders at the minute, and probably it is too much for him. He's got the likes of Steven Carr down the side who doesn't stay fit long enough, and a lot o f experienced professionals about him who don't seem to me to be stepping up to the plate and taking the responsibility. The young lad is left on his own trying to cover the full backs, trying to cover the other centre half, and he's having to do too much. I worry he's somebody that could get disheartened and lose confidence and his form, because he hasn't got players around him to bring him on - and he's a real prospect, you know.

There's talk about Kevin Keegan's position already?

It isn't rocket science, and changing managers every five minutes won't help. I do think it will be different to how it worked out last time. People say he walked away, and the same with England, and to a lesser degree Manchester City. They say he always spits his dummy out, but I think for him to walk away this time his credibility would be shot. He would never be able to get back into football at any level again if he walked away now, because he's taken the challenge on, he knew what it would be about, and he has got to see it through.

How serious is the threat of relegation?

I've heard people around here say they can't see them going down, but the form has to change somewhere them to be safe. It really is a difficult time. And at times I've wondered where they are going to get the next win from. The major problem anybody would say who has watched them recently is once they go 1-0 down you cannot see them getting back into the game, and they just crumble. The draw at Birmingham is the first time they've really shown any fight. It seems as if they have been in games but not really doing anything, then all of a sudden they let one in and go for a heavy defeat, and that has knocked the confidence massively. They have really got to scrap a first win from somewhere, even if it is a 1-0, it doesn't have to be pretty, and then build on it.

Is Fulham that chance?

Well you'd hope so. They had some really difficult fixtures before they went to Birmingham, playing Liverpool, Manchester United and even Blackburn. Now they've got matches where you would think they should be able to get something. But Fulham proved against Everton they won't be easy, and then after that comes Sunderland.

How badly did Michael Owen need that goal at Birmingham?

I feel sorry for Michael. I don't think he's been getting any service. Sometimes when I watch the game I just watch him, and he's still making the same sort of runs, and he's still making the sort of darts into the box, and getting into the positions, but what is being delivered is either of poor quality or it is not coming at all. It's going to affect his confidence and general play. More and more I've seen him dropping back even past midfield into defensive positions just to try and get a kick of the ball to get his confidence. I've done it myself as a player. You just want to get a touch of the ball and get involved in the game. He'll be the first to admit his form isn't great but Michael thrives on other people giving him the ball. If you deliver he will score. I just feel for him because he's taking a lot of stick but if he was in a team that created more he would score more. He's done it all through his career.

Thanks for your thoughts Steve, and we've got a free £50 charity bet for you

I'm going to have a leap of faith and back Newcastle to finally get that first win under Keegan when they play Fulham at [1.93]. The winnings can go to Macmillan nurses - they looked after my Grandad when he passed away with cancer18 months ago and they were top class. It's an awful experience but they helped him unbelievably.