Keegan will meet owner to clear the air after talk of rift

Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has confirmed he will hold talks with owner Mike Ashley tomorrow amid speculation their relationship is at breaking point.

The 57-year-old will head for London to explain his admission, following their defeat by Chelsea on Monday, that his side are unlikely to break into the Premier League's top four during his time at the helm.

Keegan tried to play down the rumours of a split by making a statement before his pre-match press conference today which had been brought forward by 24 hours.

He said: "The reason we have fetched the press conference a day early is that I am going to London tomorrow to talk with Mike Ashley. That's a good thing and I'll look forward to that.

"That's the only comment I'm going to make on anything to do with that today because this is a pre-match conference for the game against Everton and that's all I'm going to talk about from now on.

"Any other questions, they'll save for another day and I will try on that day, whenever it is, to answer them as honestly as I can."

Keegan was unable to resist explaining himself once more, though, as he insisted Newcastle can be the fifth biggest club in the country but did not have the financial clout of the top four.

He said: "I was giving an honest answer to a question about how we had fared against Chelsea. I said we were a million miles away.

"We are the fifth biggest team in the country and I need to make sure we achieve that. Sunday against Everton will be a big test for us to see if we can reach that point. I won't say 'we'll win the League' because I'd be carted off to the nuthouse if I said that.

"Only Man United have bigger crowds than us. But they have a bigger global appeal because they have a bigger profile than us."

Meanwhile, striker Mark Viduka, who was due to have an injection on a long-standing Achilles problem today, could be out of action for between three and six months.