Furious fans await Newcastle

NEWCASTLE: Furious Newcastle United fans will stage protests today to voice their growing anger and frustration over the latest crisis to engulf the slumbering English Premier League side.
Official club stores have already been shunned by supporters refusing to line the pockets of the St James' Park hierarchy and the protests, planned around today's fixture against Hull City, will see thousands of season ticket holders vent their anger in response to the treatment of iconic former manager Kevin Keegan, who left his job under a cloud last week.

Northumbria Police have moved to double the usual number of officers on duty this weekend in a bid to nip any potential trouble in the bud and deeply unpopular owner Mike Ashley is yet to decide whether he dare face 50,000 of his fiercest critics.

The leisure wear billionaire has been advised to reassess his own personal security needs if he does opt to take his seat in the St James' Park directors' box in the wake of the furious backlash which followed Keegan's exit.

With no big name successor lined up to appease the baying hordes, it is little wonder caretaker manager Chris Hughton is approaching his first game at the Newcastle helm with trepidation.
It is understood the former Tottenham Hotspur coach has been told he could be picking United's team for another three weeks as Keegan's potential successors shy away from managing the troubled north-east club.

"We appreciate things may be difficult for the fans at the moment," said Hughton. "But one thing Newcastle supporters are renowned for is their support of the team." Hughton, of course, is not seen as one of the team'. His allegiance to Ashley and director of football, Dennis Wise, is well known and he will be the obvious focus for fans' fury should Ashley stay away and things go wrong against newly promoted Hull.

By contrast, a convincing victory will go some way towards ending a period of intense unrest and begin to move the focus back to football.

Losing the influential Argentinian international Jonas Gutierrez will not help Hughton's cause and the in-form midfielder could be out of action for several weeks after suffering a shoulder injury against Peru in this week's World Cup qualifier.

Hughton could call upon new signings Ignacio Gonzalez and Xisco to step in but neither the Uruguayan nor the Spaniard has trained with their new teammates following transfer deadline day moves to Newcastle.

Hull may never have a better chance of winning on Tyneside and their manager, Phil Brown, could hand a debut to Guinea international Kamil Zayete after the former Young Boys of Berne player landed a deal at the KC Stadium.

Ironically, Zayete impressed Keegan during a trial at Newcastle last month and United's failure to sign the 23-year-old defender was one of the factors which widened the rift between the Magpies' former manager and his board.

Brown also expects to have Dutch midfielder George Boateng and defender Anthony Gardner available after both players trained this week