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What better way for Aston Villa to recover from a demoralizing defeat to Fulham last week than hammering their next opponent. Newcastle were caught in a 4-1 backlash and are now in dire straits, without a win in their past nine games.

While the Magpies remain in 12th position, they are only seven points ahead of Birmingham, who are third from bottom. Their next three fixtures against Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool are intimidating and it is likely Keegan’s first victory since his second stint as manager will be put on hold again. The messiah himself conceded that his team are embroiled in a relegation battle rather than gunning for European qualification.

Keegan said: “All the away games we’ve got left are difficult ones. We’ve got enough ability to stay in the Premier League, but I’m under no illusions, we’ve got to get to 40 points before we’re safe.”

Actually, things weren’t all that gloomy in the first half when Newcastle led through a Michael Owen header and they exhibited stronger build-up of the game. The betting books also favor Newcastle to triumph as they have notched more victories (15) against Aston Villa than any other team they have faced in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, Newcastle did not pick up where they left off in the second half. It was Aston Villa who turned the game on its head with a renewed vigor in attack and netted twice in the space of six minutes after the break.

Wilfred Bouma equalized in the 48th minute - his first goal in three years - as his shot took a wicked deflection which left the Newcastle defense and Shay Given wrong-footed. The magnificent John Carew then stole the show with a hat trick, beginning with a header from Ashley Young’s corner, three minutes later.

Despite an injury plagued season, Carew still retains a lethal touch, especially in the air, that made him one of the most feared strikers in Europe in his prime days. In the 72th minute, he made it 3-1 with another header and completed his hat trick from a penalty in the game’s final minute after Steven Carr handled the ball in the area.

Villa manager, Martin O’ Neil, marveled at the stunning fight back, saying: “It was a brilliant second half. The players’ response was just fantastic.”

Actually, there wasn’t much of a fight once the first goal went in. The wall of resistance, if ever there was one, crumbled and Kevin Keegan, in typical fashion, was clueless in preventing a bloodbath. We turn to his goals conceded so far, 3-3-4, and you will know how adept he is at making tactical changes to plug the holes in defense.

Several factors were at play for Villa’s revival, a complete reversal to their insipid first half display. It is easy to mistake them for England with all their skewed passes and inability to keep the ball. I feel the introduction of two substitutes, Craig Gardner and Marlon Harewood, was crucial. It provided strength and pace to the front line, which Carew capitalized on to penetrate the jittery Newcastle defense. Coupled with Villa’s effectiveness at set plays, a Newcastle victory was merely an illusion.

If Villa had been more active in the January transfer window, O’Neil will have more options to choose from, especially in times of crisis (losing two in a roll is a major crisis when they are challenging for a top four spot). I do not doubt the fact that O’Neil has revitalised the club in an efficient system but I am stymied by his perseverance in the bungling Stiliyan Petrov.

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Petrov is the weakest link: he gave the ball away too cheaply. If O’Neil is worried about wasting the 7 million pounds transfer fee, he should weigh the disadvantages of fielding Petrov and the improvement in Villa’s game immediately after he was substituted.

With this result, Villa overtake Liverpool in fifth place in the Premier League standings. Indeed, this season, Villa harbor different aspirations to Newcastle as Champions League qualification is a realistic goal while their counterpart has nothing concrete to show, except to flex their financial muscles by getting rid of the previous manager and then embarking on a flurry of back room appointments.

Martin O’Neil was chivalrous in victory and offered support for Keegan, saying: “We live in a world of instant gratification and Kevin will be aware that this resurgence will not happen overnight – it will take some time. He wants to be judged after several months in the job.”

Sam Allardyce is a lucky man, getting a fat severance package and watching his successor sink deeper into the quicksand. All of a sudden, his stint in Newcastle is starting to look credible.

Still Keegan needs more time, possibly a full season, even in the worst case scenario that Newcastle demote to League One. Hopefully, Mike Ashley stick by his man and allow Keegan time and resources to rebuild the team the way he wants. Living in a world of instant gratification and expecting to see results overnight is bad for any club.

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