KEVIN KEEGAN makes his first visit to the Emirates Stadium for tomorrow’s FA Cup tie with Arsenal in typical upbeat fashion.
 And the Newcastle United boss shrugged off talk that Arsenal’s 5-1 drubbing by Spurs in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night is the worst thing that could have happened to his side. Keegan told me today: “I will be reminding my players that when they drew 1-1 with Arsenal at St James’s Park last month it was their best performance of the season. “And that I want more of that.” Of course, most of the interest before the match will be centred on just what team Arsene Wenger will send out – he played a virtual reserve side when Arsenal knocked United out of the Carling Cup in September. Keegan added: “Arsenal will be smarting from Wednesday night’s result. There is no doubt about that. But I don’t go along with talk that it was a bad result for us. “There are two ways you can look at it. The confidence of the Arsenal players will obviously have taken a bit of a knock, and it is up to us to take advantage of this. “But Arsene Wenger is a great manager and it is an unusual situation for him to have to pick his side up after a 5-1 defeat. “And don’t forget that’s exactly what our players did after we were beaten 6-0 by Manchester United at Old Trafford, and they could hardly have responded better than they did against Stoke City. “Our players will know exactly what it is like to be on the wrong end of a hammering, and this will help us prepare them for tomorrow because they know Arsenal are in a similar position to what they were after that defeat at Old Trafford.” Keegan has won at Arsenal as United manager when Peter Beardsley, Ruel Fox and a Martin Keown own goal saw Newcastle come home with a 3-2 victory in 1994-95. This led Keegan to add: “I can remember it well, but of course it was at the old Highbury ground.” Keegan’s upbeat manner is just what United and their players – not to mention the 5,000-strong travelling Toon Army – need as they prepare to go to the Emirates twice in the space of four days. And he joked: “Don’t forget we are unbeaten since I came back as manager.” But Keegan and his right-hand men Terry McDermott and Arthur Cox know it will be tough for United tomorrow, with Arsenal’s defeat on Wednesday night only their third in 37 games this season. Keegan could hardly have a tougher baptism on his travels, with two visits to Arsenal in the space of four days – but the United boss will resist the temptation to keep his squad in the south. He said: “Years ago we would have stayed down. But I think it’s best for us that we come back so that we can train in familiar surroundings and treat any of injured players.” | 
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