Blank cheque

According to the press today, Mike Ashley has promised Keegan somewhere between £20-30 million to spend in this transfer window, and then a bottomless pit of money to spend in the summer in an effort to bring some entertaining football to Tyneside. (Presumably funds which weren't made available to Sam Allardyce.)

Inevitably, the press have bandied around names such as Wes Brown, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Bridge, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Deco. Of course, whether any of these players ever find their way into a black and white shirt remains to be seen. I'd have thought that Brown and Bridge were significantly more important acquisitions than Defoe or Wright Phillips (although I think if we could get Deco and guarantee that he'd settle on Tyneside then he'd be an amazing acquisition).

However, I think the most important signings that Keegan needs to make are to sort out his backroom staff (with or without Alan Shearer). On the Shearer subject, I've got to be honest and say that I'm not really that fussed as to whether he joins the staff or not. If he does, then he'll need to earn his keep by either sharing some of the strain of management as an assistant, or helping improve the players in a coaching capacity. If he isn't going to do either of those things then my view is that he might as well stay in the Match of the Day studio.