TWO of my ex-Dell boys who I signed for the Saints have been in the news.

Alan Shearer, who came to us as a schoolboy with the help of Jack Hixon, my north east scout, and Kevin Keegan, who I signed when he was a ready-made superstar from Hamburg, where he'd been European footballer of the year not once, but twice.

Alan is a steady Eddie who has always had his feet planted firmly on the ground and has never forgotten the good standards which I like to think we taught all of our youngsters at The Dell, particularly in his time as an apprentice in the hands of Dave Merrington.

He has a natural aggression which is required of all centre forwards, who most of the time receive the ball with their back to goal and have giant centre halves kicking at their heels.

But unlike Robbie Savage, his toughness is not an affected quality and is used in the right way, not for show.

His goalscoring is legendary and his first game for the Saints as a 17-year-old brought him to everyone's attention as he scored a hat-trick against Arsenal.

Now, 17 years on and having made what turns out to be the correct decision to stop playing international football (for reasons different to our Welsh friend) to extend his career at Newcastle, he informs us he is to finish in a few weeks' time.

Being a Geordie myself, I know their passionate supporters want him to carry on. But Alan has made a decision and I think he will stick to it.

Now it's not just the north-east who will be wishing him a fairytale ending, and there is a real chance he can go out in a blaze of glory with Newcastle through to the last eight of the UEFA Cup and, more importantly, the semi-finals of the FA Cup.

Newcastle supporters always view the FA Cup as something special although they haven't won the thing for 50 years.

But folklore handed down reminds everyone that they were at Wembley three times in the 1950s so it could well be that this year marks the return of the Cup to Tyneside and the league championship to Chelsea, who last won that 50 years ago.

Either way Alan will be swamped with choices of staying at the club in some capacity or even becoming the next Mayor of Newcastle if he wishes.

There is a famous monument in Newcastle with Earl Gray standing on top and I'm sure they would vote for Alan to be placed up there too if he wanted.

He already has freedom of the city but I can assure everyone that despite all the fame and fortune he's acquired in his glittering career, he is still the same good-natured lad who came down to us all those years ago.

Now that Saints are out of the Cup, I for one hope that Alan picks up the medal he so desperately wants and also before the end of the season scores the handful of goals he needs to equal the legendary Jackie Milburn's all-time record of goals for the club.

Even Alan Shearer would accept Kevin Keegan's tremendous achievements as a player. After being turned down by his home team Doncaster as being too small, he went up the road to Scunthorpe and was thrust into the team as a teenager out on right wing and then, after being signed by Bill Shankly, won over the Kop and alongside John Toshack provided the most potent attacking force in Europe.

Having said that, a fact of which I'm very proud is that he actually scored more goals in one season for us at Southampton than he did in any season playing for Liverpool.

It's sad that now he has resigned from his managerial position at Manchester City some members of the media, probably too young to remember his early days, choose to criticise him.

One thing that Keegan and Shearer have in common is their 100 per cent attitude to everything they do and their single-mindedness in making decisions.

Kevin was always going to retire from management at the end of his contract, but it seems that these days it's a sin to announce that.

Some players make that an excuse for not performing well but I think he should be congratulated for deciding he has taken the club as far as he can at this moment and is moving aside to give someone else the chance to take it on.

The City fans will, I'm sure, remember his wonderful attacking attitude to the game and how he handled the transition from the old Maine Road fortress to the new ground. Saints fans will remember how difficult it was in the first year at St Mary's. Wonderful new stadia seem to lift the opposition more while the new residents are bedding in.

It has not been easy from that point of view particularly with the ever-present menace over the road at Old Trafford.

Newcastle supporters will forever remember the glory days of Kevin's management stint there when he filled the ground and gave them some wonderful memories.

That's how I think he should be remembered - for the very many exciting and good qualities he brought to the game.