After days of speculation suggesting the 57-year-old's second spell in charge at St James's Park could be heading for an ignominious end, he emerged from talks with owner Mike Ashley in London with his position intact.

Keegan was summoned to meet the billionaire amid the stir caused by his comments after Monday afternoon's 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea in which he admitted that his club was "a million miles away" from challenging the Premier League's top four.

But after the pair, along with chairman Chris Mort, newly-appointed deputy chairman Derek Llambias, executive director (football) Dennis Wise and vice-president (player recruitment) Tony Jimenez, got together today, the meeting at Freshfields ended with plans for the future in place.

Mort said: "It was a good meeting. It was both productive and constructive."

The brevity of the statement is perhaps understandable given the unwelcome publicity that has engulfed the club at regular intervals in recent years.

All involved will hope they can now get on with the business of building for the future.

Keegan headed south standing by his comments - although feeling that, in some cases, they had been taken out of context - and he did so making no apologies for wearing his heart on his sleeve.

The former England boss has never been afraid to air his feelings in public, although he was swift to dispel suggestions that his post-Chelsea reaction was a repeat of the infamous "not like it was in the brochure" incident during his first reign at St James's Park.

Instead, he insists what he said was an attempt to tell it like it is - something he will continue to do.

Keegan said: "Part of my job as manager of Newcastle United is to tell fans what's happening at their club.

"Part of the media's job is to report it correctly and keep it in context and not go off on tangents.

"You can take the same phrase three different ways, and it can mean three different things. You know that.

"I will continue to do what I have always done while I have been manager of Newcastle United, and at Manchester City and at Fulham and with England. I haven't changed.

"I am not scared of saying what I think the situation is, and I won't change that."