Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has confirmed he will meet club owner Mike Ashley in London on Friday, but insists he is looking forward to the talks.

Ashley is widely reported to be angry by Keegan's outburst following their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Monday, prompting speculation over the manager's future at St James' Park.

Keegan said Newcastle were "a million miles" away from joining the elite clubs in the league and complained he had no proof yet that he would receive the financial backing required to break into the top four.

This week's press conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Everton was brought forward 24 hours in a bid to pre-empt a tide of questions on the subject, although Keegan remained tight lipped on the subject.

He said: "The reason we have fetched the press conference a day early is that I am going to London tomorrow to talk with Mike Ashley. That's a good thing and I will look forward to that.

"That's the only comment that really I am going to make on anything to do with that today because this is a pre-match conference for the game against Everton and that's all I'm going to talk about from now on.

"Any other questions, they'll save for another day and I will try on that day, whenever it is, to answer them as honestly as I can."

Keegan had also said the Premier League was becoming the most boring in the world, with the same clubs finishing in the top four every season.

"We are a million miles away from the top four. What I can say to our fans is that we will try to get fifth and win the other league that is going on," he said.

"We should make a run at that and providing the owner backs me - and I have no proof of that but no doubt he will -- I can get four or five players in and we might win that second division in the Premier League. I don't' want to mislead the fans.

"I have three years here and it won't happen while I am here. It's very tough to get in the top four."

Keegan returned to Newcastle as manager in January, and after a poor start when the team failed to win for nine matches their form has improved recently and Monday's defeat ended a run of seven unbeaten matches. Newcastle are currently 12th in the table.

Keegan has three years left on his contract and while it is unlikely he will be sacked, he has been asked to explain his comments.

Keegan is in his second spell as Newcastle boss having managed the club from 1992-97, but he famously threatened to resign soon after joining when he said the job "was not like it said in the brochure".

His last exit from Newcastle in January 1997 was unexpected, as was his return after three years out of the game, in January.

Eurosport / Reuters