The view from outside

[James]

Several opposition fans have left comments on the main site having a go at us.

[TRon]

This is what I mean. I just logged onto the Daily Telegraph site and the first story I see:

Kevin Keegan will only swell Newcastle's crowd

 

By Jim White

Last Updated: 1:51am GMT 18/01/2008

 

 

 

It's the second coming. The Messiah has returned. Happy days are here again. But enough about Trevor McDonald's homecoming with News at Ten (ITV all week). You may have seen that Kevin Keegan is back too, back where he belongs, back among the faithful.

 

 

As it happens, King Kev's astonishing resurfacing at Newcastle on Wednesday was the perfect story to help the revived News at Ten to bed in during its first week, the kind of dramatic headline that those bongs were made to announce. Bong! Keegan is back. Bong! Newcastle appoint man who walked out on them 11 years ago. Bong! Yes and someone must have been smoking a bong to make an appointment like that.

 

What's more, Keegan's managerial career is ideal to be condensed into a two-minute television news profile: excitement on the terraces, an unhinged rant while wearing a pair of dustbin lids on his ears, resigning in the dismal rain at Wembley. Even better, there are no boring trophies to clutter up the action.

 

It is all so familiar, the flakiness, the self-doubt, the skin so thin there is no need for X-rays, you can only assume members of the Newcastle board don't possess television sets. Because if they did they would have learned long ago that there is only one thing certain about making Kevin Keegan manager of your football club: it will end in tears....

 

You can read the rest of this rant here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml;jsessionid=JUD20FYHEZPVNQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/sport/2008/01/18/sfnjim118.xml

 

That's a professional writer. The readers join in to stick the boot in further down the page, with one or two decent types firing back, but you get the gist.

 

 

 

[brummie]

I know I'll get hung, drawn and quartered for saying this, and that people will say I don't understand what it means etc (and maybe I don't), but I've got a feeling it will - in this case, not because it is KK, but in this case - end in tears (I'm ignoring the witless hyperbole in the above article, and going for the final line).

 

Emotionally, great move, instantly get a feelgood factor back at the club.

 

But is this the best move MA could have made? I doubt it.

 

Still, it should be interesting finding out.

[Baggio]

I think there's quite a large percentage of non Newcastle fans who would love nothing more than this going tits up.

[Guest K9]

I really can't see it going tits up

[Guest The Corner]

Most of the negative comments made by other supporters seems to just be people repeating what they have heard in the media said by others. Same as the Allardyce sacking, other fans slating it without having actually watched the football. Personally i wish they would just fuck off, theres no need for their opinion

[Optimistic Nut]

Can you blame them though?

 

Imagine what we'd be like if Sunderland had re-appointed Reid last season, of if Bryan Robson takes over from Southgate.

[indi]

From today's MEN:

 

Hince: Third Tyne lucky?

Paul Hince

18/ 1/2008

 

THERE is an old adage in soccer that says "never go back."

 

Kevin Keegan will have heard of it but he turned a deaf ear to it.

 

And something tells me that a third marriage to Newcastle United will rapidly end in a messy divorce.

 

I got to know Kevin reasonably well when I covered England's 2000 European Championship campaign in Belgium and Holland for this newspaper.

 

I must confess that I was mightily impressed with him. He was endlessly patient and witty. By that time I had been the M.E.N. England correspondent for donkey's years. I have counted England managers in, and counted them out. Robson, Taylor, Venables, Hoddle and dear old Sven. But from a press point of view Keegan knocked them all into a cocked hat.

 

For the first time after England and Her Majesty's press had pitched their tents in the Belgium town of Spa, he gave evening newspaper correspondents like me exclusive conferences.

 

That will mean little to you, but for us lads it was of enormous importance because we no longer had the morning journalists listening at KK's press conferences and pinching our best stories.

 

Throughout that tournament Kevin was treated abysmally by the tabloid press, they accused him of being a buffoon with no tactical awareness. How he kept his temper with them I will never know.

 

Here was a bunch of reporters, who had never kicked a ball in their lives, putting the boot into a person who had won everything the game had to offer and had taken Newcastle to within inches of the Premiership title in his first managerial role.

 

When he resigned as England's manager after the 1-0 defeat against Germany at Wembley it devastated me to see such a proud and honourable man weeping in the after-match press conference.

 

Delighted

 

So I was delighted when, in May 2001, he was unveiled as the new manager of the Blessed Blues.

 

The next morning I drove to City's training ground in Carrington to interview assistant manager Willie Donachie.

 

Kevin was there as I parked up, taking delivery of a sponsored car, and I walked over to him with my hand held out to wish him well.

 

Do you know what he did? He literally ran away shouting that he wasn't talking to the press.

 

Some time later I asked him why and he said it was because of the battering he took from the media during the European Championships.

 

My response, that he was not criticised by the Manchester Evening News didn't interest him in the slightest. He looked at me as though I had just crawled out from under a stone.

 

Keegan was a different man to the one I met and liked in Spa a year earlier. Now every sentence was laced with cynicism. He believed there was a bomb behind every question, where no bomb existed.

 

I remember a press conference after the mighty Blues had trounced Barnsley away from home. City had strolled into a three goal lead by half time but seemed to pack away their tools in the second with the match ending in a 3-2 victory.

 

After the match I asked Keegan a straightforward and obvious question. "Did your lads take their feet off the gas pedal in the second half," I asked.

 

His face went puce. "No they effing didn't," he thundered. "But you'll still write your usual lies anyway."

 

A former City manager who remains a good friend to this day had phoned me when he heard of Keegan's appointment to warn me that he was a cry baby who would spit out his dummy every time he didn't get his own way.

 

Awe

 

Keegan got his own way at Maine Road all right, by the bucket load.

 

Chairman John Wardle, lovely man that he is, over-indulged Keegan ridiculously in my opinion. I believe he was in awe of Keegan. He repeatedly referred to Keegan as "the boss". The true boss of a football club is the head of the board.

 

I believe he was afraid that Keegan would do a runner, as he had at Newcastle. John allowed Keegan to embark on a spending spree.

 

In the transfer window during the summer of 2002 no manager in Europe spent more than Keegan.

 

Exotic players who no-one had heard of were shipped in at monstrous prices. Keegan wasted millions of his club's money. Many of those players disappeared off the radar after a couple of first team outings to be sold later for peanuts.

 

He took the Blues back into the Premiership, but his team quite clearly were fathoms out of their depth.

 

Slowly the Blue Mooners began to suspect that Keegan was not the Messiah after all.

 

The cheers turned to boos and that is one thing the thin-skinned Keegan cannot tolerate. Any manager with an ounce of guts would have remained and attempted to ride out the storm.

 

Keegan, clearly, is short of that characteristic. In March 2005, for the third time in his managerial career, he threw in the towel and walked out on his club.

 

Can a leopard change its spots? Sooner or later the dummy will come out of the pram again.

Source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/s/1032812_hince_third_tyne_lucky

[TRon]

From today's MEN:

 

Hince: Third Tyne lucky?

Paul Hince

18/ 1/2008

 

THERE is an old adage in soccer that says "never go back."

 

Kevin Keegan will have heard of it but he turned a deaf ear to it.

 

And something tells me that a third marriage to Newcastle United will rapidly end in a messy divorce.

 

I got to know Kevin reasonably well when I covered England's 2000 European Championship campaign in Belgium and Holland for this newspaper....

 

....A former City manager who remains a good friend to this day had phoned me when he heard of Keegan's appointment to warn me that he was a cry baby who would spit out his dummy every time he didn't get his own way.

 

Awe

 

Keegan got his own way at Maine Road all right, by the bucket load.

 

Chairman John Wardle, lovely man that he is, over-indulged Keegan ridiculously in my opinion. I believe he was in awe of Keegan. He repeatedly referred to Keegan as "the boss". The true boss of a football club is the head of the board.

 

I believe he was afraid that Keegan would do a runner, as he had at Newcastle. John allowed Keegan to embark on a spending spree.

 

In the transfer window during the summer of 2002 no manager in Europe spent more than Keegan.

 

Exotic players who no-one had heard of were shipped in at monstrous prices. Keegan wasted millions of his club's money. Many of those players disappeared off the radar after a couple of first team outings to be sold later for peanuts.

 

He took the Blues back into the Premiership, but his team quite clearly were fathoms out of their depth.

 

Slowly the Blue Mooners began to suspect that Keegan was not the Messiah after all.

 

The cheers turned to boos and that is one thing the thin-skinned Keegan cannot tolerate. Any manager with an ounce of guts would have remained and attempted to ride out the storm.

 

Keegan, clearly, is short of that characteristic. In March 2005, for the third time in his managerial career, he threw in the towel and walked out on his club.

 

Can a leopard change its spots? Sooner or later the dummy will come out of the pram again.

Source: http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/s/1032812_hince_third_tyne_lucky

 

FYI, we were 'warned' of Keegan's tendency to spit the dummy when he refued to speak to SBR for years for discarding him from the England squad. That was BEFORE Keegan came to Newcastle to write his name in folklore. Tell us something new mate.

 

 

[Optimistic Nut]

I remember an article from Beresford not so long ago. Something along the lines of Keegan had a go at him at half-time in one match, Beresford started having a go back saying that Ginola should help him more, Keegan argued a bit more and Beresford called him a c*nt or something similar.

 

A few years ago they met at some sports dinner and Beresford was all smiley asking how he was since he hadn't seen him for years, and Keegan's response was, "Oh, still think I'm a c*nt do you?" and walked off...

[Robster]

I know I'll get hung, drawn and quartered for saying this, and that people will say I don't understand what it means etc (and maybe I don't), but I've got a feeling it will - in this case, not because it is KK, but in this case - end in tears (I'm ignoring the witless hyperbole in the above article, and going for the final line).

 

Emotionally, great move, instantly get a feelgood factor back at the club.

 

But is this the best move MA could have made? I doubt it.

 

Still, it should be interesting finding out.

 

I think if you look at the opening pages of the thread about KK becoming manager again, most posts were of disappointment and suggested it was a bad move.

What has happened since is that people have got swept up in the euphoria and the nostalgia but quite a few fans were a bit sceptical at first. I was one of them. I would never have chosen KK but now, I am looking at it as a scenario where KK can get us back on our feet again and get a bit of confidence in the team/club, then when the time is right, his replacement will carry on the work (and we wont cock it up royally like we did the last time).

 

I dont think it will go tits up, but I cant see us hitting the massive heights of 10 years ago simply because of the gulf between the top 4 (maybe 3) and the rest

[madras]

People are envious man. They can't but would love to comprehend what someone like KK means to us, why we are so obsessed with a s**** football team that's never won f*** all. Ironically the media obsession has giving them a small window into our world because that's what it's like 24-7 for us. We're obsessed with our football and our club and no lack of trophies, s**** football or anything else that puts off other fans would ever get in the way of that obsession, if anything it just cranks it up. This past week has been absolutre heaven for us and that's without a trophy or 3 points for a win. And they don't understand this. They don't get to feel what we feel about their own club like we do. I actually feel sorry for half of them. Imagine living in Blackburn where after the match the football club closes for a week. Here it's always open.  f*** them.

 

I think that is a brilliant point. I cant think of another club where a man, returning after nothing was won duting the inital reign, can create such complete and utter delerium.

 

I have felt so proud this week

 

this "won nothing" stuff is realy beginning to nark me...we finished 2nd in the top division..we were the 2nd best team in the country...if we'd finished 10th and won the FA cup...guess what...we'd still be the 10th best team in the country.

[madras]

and from the hince article.......for a team "fathoms" out of their depth to finish ninth in their first season back up aint all bad i would have thought.

[Filflop1]

Personally I think its just the fact that its not thier clubs making the headlines and they hate just like the southern press do that any NE club might actually be starting on the road to something special and even if it does end in tears if we start playing quality footy again and thumping the odd team by 5,6 or even 7 goals, maybe they are worried that their side will be on the recieving end.

 

And just like Kev said people from outside "dont understand"

 

and do we really give a F**K what they think anyway 

[merlin]

I don't get it. Keegan's good for the game, his football excites people. The last time he was in charge every time you went outside the city, if you were in Manchester or London, people wanted to talk about Newcastle United. Everyone was spellbound by us.

 

Maybe the mongs who are coming on phone-ins, or giving views on News sites aren't representative.

 

You have to remember that many of these people were in VERY short pants last time KK was around and they won't be used to seeing NUFC as a top club ; they will have grown up being told by the outside media(many of whom have an agenda of differing kinds against the club)that we are a second-rate joke -

you can thank Messrs Shepherd & Hall Jnr for that with all the stupid events that have occurred over the past 10 years.

As has been said, those supporting clubs who have recently become challengers(or would-be challengers)

for a place in the Top 6 are especially put out - they cannot understand why NUFC should get all the publicity etc..

There is no doubt that in the last 10 years, news reporting of all kinds has declined enormously, as has proper education, so there is more concentration on 'Tat & Trivia' than real-time info-giving, so these plebs will just not know what NUFC was like 10 years ago - the willingness of much of the media to rubbish the club has done much damage.

 

I have to say that I am surprised how positive Sky have been about KK returning, but I suspect its because they know that if his brand of football returns to NUFC, there will be more excitement in the Prem matches, so less chance of people stopping their Sky subs as times get harder in the next year or so - much of the Press is definitely anti and it will take some time before the club gets any credit at all ; even then, they will say its all down to Ashley's money and that WE are the gloryhunters...

[merlin]

I know I'll get hung, drawn and quartered for saying this, and that people will say I don't understand what it means etc (and maybe I don't), but I've got a feeling it will - in this case, not because it is KK, but in this case - end in tears (I'm ignoring the witless hyperbole in the above article, and going for the final line).

 

Emotionally, great move, instantly get a feelgood factor back at the club.

 

But is this the best move MA could have made? I doubt it.

 

Still, it should be interesting finding out.

 

I think if you look at the opening pages of the thread about KK becoming manager again, most posts were of disappointment and suggested it was a bad move.

What has happened since is that people have got swept up in the euphoria and the nostalgia but quite a few fans were a bit sceptical at first. I was one of them. I would never have chosen KK but now, I am looking at it as a scenario where KK can get us back on our feet again and get a bit of confidence in the team/club, then when the time is right, his replacement will carry on the work (and we wont cock it up royally like we did the last time).

 

I dont think it will go tits up, but I cant see us hitting the massive heights of 10 years ago simply because of the gulf between the top 4 (maybe 3) and the rest

 

A good post - agree with much of this ; unlikely to go tits-up, but unlikely to reach the same heights as 93-96..

[Guest nufc_geordie]

In all fairness to some of the reports by the Southern press, I can see a point. In my opinion he was stupid to come back and risk his God-like status, but the other side of the coin is that he has shown massive bravery putting himself in this position. I fully expect it to end in tears, maybe in 12 month, maybe in two years, hell, he might even make it for 3.5 years. One thing I am damn sure about though is that it will be a rollercoaster and having Keegan (or Shearer) in was the only thing that was going to unite the whole fanbase.

 

This has been our problem for many years now, the fanbase has been split by managerial appointments, and this in turn has led to their short stay at the helm. Once Keegan has had his go, and I will back him all the way, the people who have endlessly cried for his return or Shearer to be appointed, the ghost of past history, will be gone and we can start afresh. OK the Dalglish appointment didn't work, but there weren't many people who were against it at the time, and that will happen again when Keegan goes. Stability for now on a rollercoaster ride, and already the fans have united again!

 

What's funny is that coming up in the next month are possibly re-enactments of Keegans two most famous games. Liverpool (a) and Man Utd (h)!

[Mick]

Whatever happens in the near future, Kevin Keegan owes this football club nothing, we owe him a hell of a lot.  I will never turn on him if things don't go with the script, he's been here twice before and both times he's left the club in a better state than when he arrived, the last time he left the club should have seen us fighting at the top for years, it didn't happen but none of that was down to him.  Both times he's left he's left foundations that couldn't be built on by those who followed.

 

The media can shit-stir all they want, it makes no difference to me at all, and I’m probably more determined to support the club as a way of telling them to piss off.