Keegan's Newcastle return ends in drab scoreless draw

Kevin Keegan's return to Newcastle United couldn't inspire a return to form on the field Saturday, with the club hanging on for a lackluster 0-0 draw against Bolton.

Keegan was back at St. James' Park after 11 years, but had to wait more than an hour for his depleted lineup to fashion a shot that came close to the target.

With several players missing to suspension and the African Cup of Nations, Keegan's team looked timid in the first half before starting to threaten more often after the break _ but still without a creative spark.

And it was Bolton's Jlloyd Samuel who came closest to scoring a winner, but Shay Given produced a reflex save from point-blank range in the 90th minute to block the best chance of the match.

"It was frustrating," Keegan said. "We certainly didn't play as well as we can or I thought we could. There are a lot of reasons for that, not least because these players played a game last Wednesday with 10 men for 60 minutes and were terrific.

"I think we were a bit tired today _ that's my first excuse, an honest one."

Although he snapped a four-game losing streak, Newcastle dropped to 12th in the Premier League.

Keegan, who was hired after Sam Allardyce left the club earlier this month, emerged from the tunnel before the game blowing kisses to the 52,000 in the crowd, many of which were wearing "Return of the King" hats.

"It was an atmosphere they wouldn't normally get and we hoped that would drive us on," Keegan said. "But we stuck together and worked hard _ surprisingly for a team of mine we defended very well."

After the drab start, "King Kev" now has two weeks left in the transfer window to attract new players to deliver on his pledge to reproduce the entertaining soccer of his five-year reign in the 1990s.

Keegan has spoken to former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer about joining the backroom team, but they are yet to discuss a specific role.

"We didn't get into that," Shearer said late Saturday. "I'll sit down with him at the end of the week and we'll discuss it and see what's best for everyone."

Newcastle was missing Emre, Alan Smith and Nicky Butt to suspension, while Habib Beye, Abdoulaye Faye, Geremi and Obafemi Martins were away on international duty in Ghana. Mark Viduka picked up an injury on Friday and Joey Barton is in rehab after being charged with assault and affray.

"We missed a lot players today. Take that into consideration and forget the hype and it's actually quite a good result for us," Keegan said. "It will improve from here. Maybe we will get players in. We are a quality squad but we are a small squad."

Michael Owen was handed the captaincy, despite previously describing his period under Keegan at England between 1999 and 2000 as a "dark phase" in his career.

But Keegan now needs a united squad to deliver Magpies fans their first major trophy in 39 years. Of the current squad, only goalkeeper Steve Harper, on the bench Saturday, was here during Keegan's previous stint in charge.

"We weren't good enough to break them down," Keegan said. "There was plenty of effort, plenty of endeavor, trying so hard _ maybe too hard _ to make things happen."

The party atmosphere quickly evaporated, with Bolton claiming three corners inside the opening four minutes as Keegan's side failed to assert themselves against the well-organized Trotters.

Former Magpies defender Andy O'Brien tested Shay Given in the fifth, Matt Taylor skewed from distance in the 18th and produced a weak header in the 38th.

A makeshift Magpies side, with Shola Ameobi starting for the first time in four months, failed to get a single shot on goal in the first half as Owen struggled for service.

But the passionate crowd was more patient than in the dying days of Allardyce's regime as they watched Jose Enrique come closest, firing a shot from 25 yards (meters) wide in the 25th.

Bolton fans roared out of taunts of "You should have kept Big Sam."

Despite upping the tempo and finally pressurizing Jussi Jaaskelainen's goal in the second half, Newcastle still struggled to create chances.

Stephen Carr fired wide in the 51st, and Charles N'Zogbia's promising strike was blocked in the 54th before he sent a free kick high five minutes later.

The French midfielder saw a penalty kick claim dismissed in the 62nd when Ricardo Gardner appeared to bring him down in the penalty area.

Jaaskelainen was finally called into action just after the hour, tipping James Milner's dipping cross over bar, but wasn't troubled until Ameobi's header in the 83rd.

"(Keegan) has lifted the crowd and the city," Ameobi said. "It's fantastic to have him here and play for him."

However, Keegan will not get a lot of breathing room as he tries to revive the team's flagging fortunes, with two upcoming matches against Arsenal in the FA Cup and league.

Although Newcastle has won four league titles and six FA Cups, its last major trophy was the 1969 Fairs' Cup, the forerunner of the UEFA Cup. It last won the league title in 1927 and the FA Cup in '55.

Allardyce left Newcastle on Jan. 9 after winning just eight of his 24 matches in charge, while losing 10.