I am taking the opportunity to write a bit about my favourite football club and launch an appeal so that the local Newcastle United Supporters Club be set in motion once again.

Although I could not form part due to circumstances beyond my control, I am fully aware that a local Newcastle United supporters club did exist in the past years. Sadly, however, maybe even due to the team’s performances, the club seemingly ceased to function.

To try and set the ‘local ball’ rolling again, I have made a small effort and set up a small, but informative, website about Newcastle United. I urge all local Newcastle fans (others are surely welcome) to log on to the site and have their say. The website’s address is www.newcastleunitedmalta.wetpaint.com.

In the meantime, I am trying to contact the previous leaders of the local supporters club. Other people who are interested in setting up a Newcastle United supporters club (Malta) are invited to contact me on [email protected].

One of the major highlights in last week’s English Premiership programme was surely the Newcastle vs. Sunderland derby (better known as the Tyne-Wear Derby). Historically this was the 128th such derby and Newcastle continued with their impressive unbeaten run with a 2-0 win with both goals netted by Michael Owen.

With this win, the Magpies are 49-39 in the derby win tables and have been unbeaten in the Tyne-Wear classic for the last nine derbies. Talking more of history, records show that since 1966, Newcastle have never failed to score a goal in the derby.

Looking at the last weeks, Newcastle have been unbeaten in the last six matches (including four wins for a total of 14 points from a possible 18) and have scored 12 times in the process. The win against Sunderland was also Keegan’s third successive home win.

With this win, Newcastle are now definitely safe from relegation, a possibility that appeared scarily a couple of weeks ago when Keegan was under a large amount of criticism after failing to bring a win since his return as manager. In fact, at the time Newcastle seemed to be playing some, according to some analysts, unpromising football and had to wait ten games, under Keegan, to grab the first win.

The tide has seemingly turned round and now the players are openly stating that they are very happy playing under Keegan and his way of doing things.

Michael Owen seems to have regained his renowned form lately. In fact, since the beginning of February, Owen has found the net eight times in 11 matches and six in his last six games. This is an impressive run of form which has also coincided with the fact that he is finally shrugging off his injury problems which have haunted him quite extensively in these last two and a half years at Newcastle.

Kevin Keegan wants Owen, who is now 28 years old and before played for Liverpool and Real Madrid, to sign an extension to his contract. Owen will run out of contract, presently at around £5 million, at the end of this season, and there was some speculation that he would opt to leave Newcastle although Owen himself admitted that he sat down with manager Kevin Keegan a couple of weeks ago and Keegan discussed his vision and plans for the club.

The manager believes that Owen is very happy at the club and would be the most important signing for the coming summer where there seem to be plans to bring over a couple more of quality players to re-transform Newcastle back to their former glory and develop the club over the next years.

In this regard, just days ago, Newcastle chairman Chris Mort (who together with Keegan and neo-club director Dennis Wise will consider their options to strengthen the squad) warned supporters not to expect a big-name signing this summer. It seems to be true that Kevin Keegan is expected to perform an overhaul of the squad in his first summer back in the managerial hot-seat.

Yet Mort has stressed that Keegan is looking to bolster his squad with a host of quality signings rather than follow the club’s traditional path of landing just one high-profile signing.

These words came after reports came out linking Thierry Henry to Newcastle. Mort spoke very professionally when he stated that running the club’s finances is basically a balancing act and one needs to learn from the Leeds United story where the club was unable to cope when success did not arrive.

Apart from Owen, reports have come out that Obafeme Martins has agreed a £90,000-a-week contract, which removes the £13million get-out clause inserted in his original deal. The 23 year old Nigerian international, who was also linked in a possible move to Arsenal, should extend his stay at Newcastle by four more years.

Owen and Martins are top Premiership golascorers for the Toon so far this season with 10 and eight goals respectively while Viduka has notched seven.

However, while it would be no surprise if Keegan who is renowned for his enterprising brand of football concentrated on the attacking aspects of his team this coming summer, defence will remain a major focus.

Newcastle’s rearguard has come in for more than its fair share of criticism since Keegan’s first spell in charge at St James’ Park. Yet last Sunday’s clean sheet, against rivals Sunderland, was the club’s third in a row and fourth in five attempts.

Keegan still seems still to be aware at the perception it was the defensive perormances that cost him during his initial five years at the club when Manchester United just beat Newcastle to the title in 1995-96.

While speaking of the defensive department, it was nice to hear this week that Senegalese defender Habib Beye, brought to St James’ Park by former manager Sam Allardyce last summer, is hoping to extend his contract despite still having two years remaining on his existing deal.

Beye joined the Toon after four years with Marseille and since then played almost 30 games for Newcastle. He has adapted very well to his new environment and seems to like the idea of extending his stay at St James.

Remaining on the defensive set-up, Newcastle chairman Chris Mort has, this week, also spoken of his desire to commit Steven Taylor to a long-term deal at St James’ Park.

Under Kevin Keegan’s tenure, Taylor who is surely a fans’ favourite, has further established himself as a key member of Newcastle’s squad and has in the past intimated a desire to remain with his hometown club.

Another player who has extended his contract is the, in my opinion at times underrated midfielder, Nicky Butt. The latter, who can be a midfield supremo on his day, believes the revitalized club is on the verge of success following Kevin Keegan’s return as manager and is very much expecting an upturn in fortunes.

Butt is optimistic that the latest trend will continue and the season will be wrapped up in some style. Confidence is at a high but according to Butt the best ingredient in this change of events was surely the fact that the players stuck together in the difficult moment and showed great team spirit.

Possible new players arriving in the summer include Luka Modric, a 22 year old midfielder from Dinamo Zagreb and who has also played 24 times for Croatia, Tottenham’s central defender Anthony Gardner (presently on loan to Everton), Sam Vokes, 18 years, from Bournemouth and Bolton’s duo, midfielder Kevin Nolan and defender Ben Haim.

Talk has also gone around that Newcastle will bid for Liverpool duo, Dirk Kuyt and John Arne Riise, Manchester City’s Richard Dunne, Luis Fabiano from Seville as well as Werder Bremen’s playmaker Diego.

This week Newcastle play West Ham at Upton Park and we hope that the positive run is maintained. Historically this will be the 117th encounter between the two sides with 47 wins for Newcastle, 33 draws and 36 wins for the Hammers.

The good news for Keegan is that he will finally have a full squad available, including Emre, Stephen Carr and James Milner. I do not think that Keegan will change the starting eleven players.