Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan has praised Damien Duff and Alan Smith for the work ethic they have shown since being axed from the Magpies side.Keegan kept the same side - and the same 4-3-3 formation - he had used in the 1-1 draw at Birmingham for last Saturday's 2-0 win over Fulham and it would be no surprise if he did so once again when they travel to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham on Sunday.

That has been to the detriment of former regulars Duff and Smith, but Keegan has been hugely impressed with their response.

He said: "Damien has worked really hard and been totally committed.

"When I went to see him before the Birmingham game, I explained my reasons why I had to make changes.

"I said, 'You are the unlucky one, along with Alan Smith, this time'.

"But if I had gone to Nicky Butt's room or Joey Barton's room, James Milner's room or any of the players' rooms, I could have chosen any of them and said the same thing, and they all would have accepted it.

"I had to make that decision as manager and they have taken it well, and their response, both of them, has been to train even harder if that is possible, because the two of them do like training.

"They have been fantastic on the bench or on the sidelines. They have not got their heads down, they have said, 'right, I am going to get back in'.

"That's what you want, characters."

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