Toon boss: Didier is top Drog

Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan is refusing to give Chelsea striker Didier Drogba any further encouragement before the Blues visit St James' Park.

The 30-year-old Ivory Coast international provided the perfect answer to Rafael Benitez's jibes before last Wednesday night's Champions League semi-final clash with Liverpool by dumping the Reds out of the competition with a trademark double in a famous extra-time victory.

Keegan, perhaps wisely, refused to be drawn into the debate over the £24million man's approach to the game, but is in little doubt as to the danger he poses to the Magpies' seven-game unbeaten run.

He said: "I think he's a great player, end of story.

"I am not going to motivate Drogba to play against us any more than I am going to motivate any other player.

"He is a great player. If you said to any manager in the Premier League, do you want him in your squad, if they said, 'no', they would probably be lying.

"He is a big-match player and they have got big matches coming up, so we will need to watch him."

Drogba, of course, has previous as far as Newcastle are concerned.

It was his double in Marseille that ended the Magpies' UEFA Cup dreams at the semi-final stage in 2004, and his controversial free-kick at St James' Park in December 2006 secured Chelsea's passage to the last four in the Carling Cup.

Only Shay Given and Shola Ameobi of the men who played against Marseille, and Steve Harper, who was on the bench, remain on the books at Newcastle, and of the three, only Harper will be involved this time around.

But Keegan will hope a new-found confidence on Tyneside will help his side more than put up a fight as they attempt to effectively end Chelsea's title hopes as the season reaches an intriguing climax.

Asked about the battle for honours between the Blues and Manchester United, he said: "They are two great teams who by incredible chance, the luck of the draw, results, great performances, have ended up pitting their wits against each other not just for the championship, but also for the Champions League in far-away Moscow.

"It just underlines, if ever you needed it - I don't think we do as managers or I don't think the players do - that the league we are playing in is a strong, strong league.

"It is resilient with lots of characters in it from all over the world, most of the best players - not all of them - and it makes you feel proud to be part of the Premier League.

"They have underlined that this is a quality league, three teams in the last four in the Champions League.

"It has been an incredible season and just enhances the Premier League we play in.

"It just makes everybody feel maybe it's not that bad to finish 10th in this league or 12th as we might finish. It gives you a little bit of a boost."