SIR Bobby Robson believes that if one club is going to break the ever-strengthening monopoly the top four currently maintain over English football then it is the team he managed and supported as a boy.

The black and white legend, who celebrates his 75th birthday next week, was the last United boss to achieve a top four finish with the Geordies.

It was during that era that the Geordies also made a return to Champions League football with a side built around the pace of Kieron Dyer, Laurent Robert and Craig Bellamy, the guile of Nobby Solano and Gary Speed and the goalscoring prowess of captain Alan Shearer.

But, while the Toon Army have endured some difficult times since Robson's departure more than three years ago, the former England boss is backing Newcastle and Kevin Keegan to take the club once again into the upper echelons of the English top flight.

"There are clubs in the Premier League who could do it," said Robson.

"There are clubs who could break the monopoly, but Newcastle are the ones who have the best chance of breaking into it and staying there because of the fanbase, the financial backing and the fact it's a one-club city which eats, drinks and breathes football.

"I'd love to see it happen, even now, I'm just a fan really. Newcastle are a bigger club than Everton, they are a bigger club than Aston Villa and even Tottenham.

"They are big clubs, of course they are, but Newcastle are bigger. I might be biased of course, but I firmly believe that if one team is going to shake things up it is Newcastle United."

And, of his time in the United hotseat, Robson added: "We might have done it you know. We came close, do you remember?

"We never did as well as I thought we could in the League Cup, I don't know why, and the FA Cup is very tough to win, the Big Four have dominated it.

"But for a time we were in the Big Four, we scared them, don't doubt that for a second. I know we scared them because people like Sir Alex Ferguson told me we did, that young team we had - Shearer, Robert, Speed, Solano, Dyer, Bellamy, Jenas and so on - it was a quick team, a pacy team and we played good football as well."

Some supporters may forget that it took Robson two seasons to build the aforementioned side of Shearer et al which took the Premiership by storm with a fourth-placed finish in 2001/02.

And the former Barcelona coach believes that Keegan too should be afforded the time to build his own side.

"It's going to take Kevin time," he added.

It isn't going to happen straight away. It took me two seasons to get us into Europe, but I had that little bit of time and we improved gradually, we built the squad up and when players left we brought in better ones to replace them.

"That is what Kevin will do. I don't think we will go down, I can't see us being relegated this season, so Kevin's just got to consolidate, look at what he's got and then go out in the summer and get the best players he can.

"It's not going to be easy because all the clubs are going for the same players, but Newcastle have got a chance."

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