Newcastle shouldn't make the same mistake as Spurs, says Hughton

Kevin Keegan is the Magpies' seventh manager since his first reign drew to a close in 1997 with predecessor Sam Allardyce having lasted barely half a season in the post.

Hughton, who worked under nine different bosses in 16 years at former club Tottenham, has experienced the uncertainty that type of turn-over can bring.

Calling for time: Assistant manager Chris Hughton with Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan (left) with in March

However, he is now hoping Keegan, his staff and players can make the most of the faith invested in them by owner Mike Ashley and chairman Chris Mort to make a real impact next season.

"Stability is the key word for Newcastle now," Hughton said. "I have come from a club which always spoke about stability but never really had it. There were many changes with managers in a short space of time.

"There is no doubt all that upheaval does not help. A period of stability is what is needed here. The club made a decision to bring Kevin Keegan in and it was a popular one. Now, though, we have to produce the goods."

Ironically, top City lawyer Mort is expected to stand down within weeks as his sabbatical draws to a close, with his deputy Derek Llambias tipped to replace him.

However, as executive director (football) Dennis Wise and his team attempt to recruit the players Keegan believes can make a real difference to the current squad, Hughton is looking forward to the new campaign.

He said: "I am quite sure Kevin looked at the end of last season with an eye to building towards next season.

"What the club will do in terms of recruitment is down to the management and down to the club. From a coach's point of view, it would be nice to have the platform."

The Magpies failed in their early bid to lure Croatian midfielder Luka Modric to St James', and have been linked with a list of potential targets since which grows by the day.

They were not commenting today on claims they have tabled a £9million offer for Galatasaray midfielder Arda Turan, while their interest in West Ham striker Dean Ashton would be scuppered if he agreed a new deal at Upton Park.

That is precisely what happened with St Etienne frontman Bafetimbi Gomis, who is understood to have been in Newcastle's sights for some time.

However, Keegan, Wise et al always knew they would need contingency plans and they have drawn up a list of other options should their top targets prove elusive.

There is little transfer activity underway yet generally, but there is a long way to go before the start of pre-season training, by which point the manager will hope to have new faces on board.

However, with Emre, Stephen Carr, Peter Ramage and James Troisi having been shorn from an already small squad, Keegan will be more comfortable once he has boosted his resources in terms of both quality and numbers.

To that end, he will hope for progress too on contract talks with striker Michael Owen and defender Steven Taylor, who each have a year left on their current deals.

Discussions with Owen are due to resume later this month, while the club is yet to reach agreement with England Under-21 skipper Taylor, something former star Steve Howey has urged them to do as a matter of urgency.

Howey said: "Steven can only get better, really. There have been a few times when he has been caught out but, all in all, I think he has done well when he has played. For me, he has been unfortunate with some of the players he has had to play alongside - people like Jean-Alain Boumsong, for one - but he needs to be trusted if he is to progress."