BLACKBURN manager Mark Hughes has backed Newcastle counterpart Kevin Keegan to turn things around at St James' Park - although he hopes the improvement does not start this weekend.

The Magpies have yet to win since Keegan took over for his second spell at the club in the middle of last month.

Keegan's appointment brought renewed hope after period of stagnation under former boss Sam Allardyce.

However, they have taken just two points from the five Barclays Premier League matches in which the ex-England coach has been in charge, with their last outing seeing them thumped 5-1 at home by Manchester United.

Hughes brings his side to the North-East this weekend looking to continue the misery for Keegan although he feels, given time, the Newcastle boss will effect the change necessary.

There has been a fantastic reaction off the field but maybe that has not transferred as yet on to the field of play in terms of performances and results, which haven't gone the way they would have liked,'' said the Rovers manager.

Kevin knows the club very well, better than anyone, and he knows what it takes to turn that around and he will be given time, which maybe any other manager wouldn't have been.

At the moment it is a little bit difficult and there is a lot of focus and attention on the club and the team but really that is their concern and not mine.

I think they have struggled with injuries to players Kevin would have liked to have called upon but it is difficult to come in and have an immediate impact on the style of play.

You can have an impact on what's happening in and around the club and there can be a goodwill factor towards you but, at the end of the day, you still have to get results whoever you are.'' When Allardyce was sacked in January, Hughes was one of the first people to be linked with the vacancy but despite attempts to distance himself from the job, speculation continued until Harry Redknapp was initially offered the post and then Keegan took over.

Hughes admitted it was not something he dwelt on and felt himself he was never in the running with the Newcastle hierarchy.

I don't give it a thought one way or another,'' Hughes added.

There was a lot of speculation at the time and I didn't comment too much on the situation as I thought anything I said would be magnified and taken out of context so I took a step back and got criticised for that.

I very quickly moved on and I don't really believe I was ever in the thoughts of anyone at Newcastle.

I think with the appointment of Kevin Keegan it was very clear that, after Harry Redknapp, they were very much in the frame for Kevin and it was never an issue for me.''