Kevin Keegan's reign as Newcastle boss was described on these pages yesterday as "apocalyptic".
But after last night's performance, it appears the four horsemen who were galloping their way towards Tyneside have taken a breather and won't be banging down the St James' Park gates just yet.
The Toon are still, of course, in deep trouble, and that first win under King Kev remains as elusive as Rio Ferdinand on drugs test day.
It's no secret that they love a good saviour up on Tyneside - a fact that is not lost on Keegan himself.
So much so that the silver-haired former messiah is keen to deflect attention away from himself by identifying another man who is now seemingly capable of single-handedly rescuing Newcastle's dismal season.
Michael Owen's leveller against Birmingham last night had Kev in raptures, and thanking his lucky stars that he would at least be sharing the morning's headlines with someone else.
Keegan believes little Michael's strike - a real poacher's goal - finally signalled a return to form for the England man.
We all know that one goal can do a striker the world of good, a view Keegan clearly subscribes to following his assertion that Owen is still a world class player.
But his record speaks for itself - Owen has netted just four times in his 13 appearances since the turn of the year, two of which were against lower division opposition in the FA Cup.
Kev was keen to point out that "everyone needs a few games to get back to full sharpness" but Early Doors would contest that pretty much a game a week during 2008 constitutes slightly more than that and by now Owen should be firing on all cylinders.
Forget his goal, last night's sitter suggests he is still a long way off.
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Since its infancy, ED has enjoyed (at least until the alarm clock chimes at 6 am, when the sour face of reality has to be confronted) a recurring dream. It centres of ED's favourite team and the latest product of their youth system, a promising young striker who comes on to make his début and ends up scoring the winner in a crucial must-win game.
That player? The boy wonder ED of course.
Unfortunately, ED's gifts on the football pitch remain a figment of its wild imagination (as anyone who has played against eurosport.yahoo.com's dire five-a-side team will testify), but some have the good fortune/talent to actually live out their dreams.
Freddie Sears is one such lucky/talented blighter. His performance at the weekend on his first appearance for West Ham was fairytale stuff, prompting Hammers' fans to remind anyone who would listen that if you're a local East London lad, like Sears, you've got a real chance of making it at Upton Park.
You see, the Hammers have always been big on nurturing local talent and like to see themselves as an old-school, family-orientated club with strong ties to the local community - even their celebrity fans come from the area (Ray Winstone and Russell Brand put the likes of Angus Deayton and Eamonn Holmes to shame).
It is ironic then, that just two days after Sears made his bow, prompting everyone to hail the Hammers' traditional values, they go and appoint an Italian as their first ever director of football.
Gianluca Nani - certainly not a resident of Hornchurch - will be involved with "enhancing the international scouting network" and he will "assist with transfers and help develop the youth academy" apparently, which could well spell the end to bringing the likes of Sears through the ranks.
In one breath Nani claimed he will "follow this tradition" but in the next he said "that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to sign players like Kaka or Adriano when they are young".
Those words will do little to allay the fears of every Essex boy from Basildon to Southend, who are at risk of being on the receiving end of a lesson about the harsh reality of a free market.
So good bye Brooking, Ince, Lampard, Carrick, Cole and Defoe, and hello to a set-up in the Arsenal mould, only with a distinctly Italian, and not French, flavour.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I don't think I'll be fetching him off again. He was quite angry, wasn't he?" Kevin Keegan proves that player power is at a peak after Obafemi Martins threw a strop on his way off the pitch last night - but won't be subbed again any time soon.
FOREIGN VIEW: The Real Betis fan who knocked out Athletic Bilbao keeper Armando with a combination of a good arm and a plastic bottle at the weekend has been bailed. The man, a builder from Sevilla, had to shell out 3000 euros to buy his freedom - expect Betis to be fined a similarly paltry sum by the Spanish FA, who aren't exactly well known for clamping down on such behaviour.
TODAY'S TALKING POINT: Credit to g_hine for raising everyone's awareness of the National Curriculum: "You don't get a government grant for the history lesson - I'm afraid it's not a core subject. You might feasibly get one for the reference to binary. The government tends to award those dealing with Maths, Science and English (I have disregarded your contribution to the furtherance of the English language)."
What tune do you like to hear blasting out on the tannoy before your team takes to the field? The Ride of the Valkyries (used in Apocalypse Now) could be appropriate at St James' Park at the moment, but what gets your proverbial juices flowing? How about the Rocky theme tune? The Blaydon Races? Z-Cars? Er, Reach out (Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag)? Post your views in the usual manner below.
COMING UP: There may be some television stations out there who have the balls to try to convince you that tonight is 'Extraordinary Tuesday'. Do not believe them. Other than Hull's trip to Colchester, Wolves' clash with Scunthorpe and a couple of Scottish Cup quarter-final replays (we've got live scoring of all that on eurosport.yahoo.com) you'll be lucky to find any football worth following.
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