We Got Keegan

[Yorkie]

At the start of the season the starting 11 for us would argubly be

 

Given

Beye

Taylor

Cacapa

Enrique

Milner

Emre

Butt

N'Zogbia

Owen

Martins

 

Spurs would be

 

Robinson

Chimbonda

Dawson

Kaboul

LeePyo or whatever

Malbranque

Jenas

Zokora

Lennon

Berbatov

Keane

 

Man for man, that is no way ''far superior to us.

 

We both had a poor few months at the start, Spurs brought in a proven top quality European Coach, we brought in Kevin Keegan.

 

Now we look at the positions now. Ridiculous.

 

Malbranque, Lennon, Keane.

 

You could do the exact same thing with Everton, Portsmouth, probably Villa, definitely Blackburn, and you'd say the same thing. All those teams have got two or three players that push them to the next level, we don't - not at all. N'Zogbia is the only potential one and he's being played in defense.

 

I still think we've got a good squad and i've maintained that from the word go.

[magpie418]

also, i don't think i've seen this posted anywhere, but here's a nice article from the guardia

 

Louise Taylor

 

 

 

cuntbubble

[TRon]

Quite like to hear folk's suggestions for who we could have got given that Ramos was already at Spurs when Allardyce left.

 

Don't spoil it, there was a queue a mile long of world class managers waving application forms don't you know?

 

 

[Guest Milburnthedog]

also, i don't think i've seen this posted anywhere, but here's a nice article from the guardian

 

Keegan faces challenge to adapt to the modern game

 

Newcastle's defeat to Man Utd showed Kevin Keegan must quickly come to terms with the athletic and tactical demands of the Premier League

Louise Taylor

February 23, 2008 8:21 PM

 

As coaches and players alike are prone to reflecting: "If you've got pace you've got a chance."

 

Unfortunately Newcastle United possess very little and, once again, it showed. Indeed with lightning acceleration a commodity in worryingly short supply among those wearing black and white, the quickest home player on view, Charles N'Zogbia, was sometimes dispatched as the lone defender, usually minding Carlos Tevez, when Newcastle won corners.

 

No matter that N'Zogbia is one of Kevin Keegan's most menacing attackers and also takes a mean dead ball, the ersatz left-back's speed dictated that he was needed lest United looked to capitalise on the counter-attack. Granted that plan was relatively quickly in tatters but it highlights the paucity of Keegan's options and the folly of not reinforcing his squad during January.

 

In front of the Frenchman down the left, Damien Duff emphasised that his once potent change of pace has dwindled away as, time after time, the left winger was dispossessed by Sir Alex Ferguson's players.

 

When Duff initially disappointed for Newcastle following his £5m move from Chelsea Glenn Roeder frequently reiterated the mantra: "Form is temporary but class is permanent and Damien is class." Sadly while Duff's football brain still looks stellar and the knack of winning the odd dangerous free-kick remains, his legs can no longer execute his brain's instructions.

 

For anyone who regularly watched the Irishman in his thrilling heyday at Ewood Park, Duff's decline is almost painful to witness. Talking of his former club, Blackburn Rovers are in Toon next Saturday for a game Newcastle really need to win if discussions about relegation battles and Keegan's ability to weather the storm are not to become uncomfortably intense.

 

After being ultimately overlooked for the Newcastle job last month Mark Hughes, Blackburn's manager will perhaps want to prove a point on Saturday. Only last week Sir Alex Ferguson was reminiscing about an FA Cup tie in which he was forced to move Hughes, then a United striker, into midfield and, only half-joking, enthused: "Sparky made 350 tackles and won them all." If such committed zeal has become a stranger to certain Newcastle players this season, the world's best tacklers can struggle to legitimately intercept individuals with the pace and sheer skill of United's Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani, to name just two of Ferguson's multi-gifted ensemble.

 

Football is an infinitely faster, more athletic and physically draining game than even 11 or so years ago when Keegan's old Newcastle beat Manchester United 5-0 here but whereas some managers - step forward the unlamented, in Geordieland at least, Sam Allardyce - have responded by building physically imposing yet depressingly robotic teams, Sir Alex's great knack has been to seamlessly incorporate all the now more or less mandatory physical attributes with an enduring fantasy element. A little over a decade ago Keegan proved brilliant at inspiring Geordie dreams; now his challenge is not only to repeat that hardly insignificant feat but adapt to the raised bar presented by the modern game's athletic and tactical demands.

 

The summer's transfer market dealings will be key but impending tests against not only Blackburn's Hughes but Liverpool's Rafael Benítez, Birmingham's Alex McLeish, Fulham's Roy Hodgson, Tottenham's Juande Ramos, Reading's Steve Coppell, Portsmouth's Harry Redknapp, Sunderland's Roy Keane, West Ham's Alan Curbishley, Chelsea's Avram Grant and, finally, Everton's David Moyes at Goodison Park may offer a few pointers. The first win of Keegan's second managerial incarnation on Tyneside cannot come quickly enough.

 

 

 

Exactly what I mean. Enough crap outside the Club. We need to stick together and bollix to Louise Taylor and the doom mongers.

[Guest Knightrider]

This time last year, Crumpy wanted Keane

[magpie418]

Louise Taylor

 

Allow me to ignore.

 

beat me :  (

[Zero]

We haven't played all out attack, we just haven't played all out defence either.  The way I see it we'd be beaten either way.

 

Given our current form and the players status, trying to play a 50-50 game with Arsenal and Man Utd should be counted as suicide.

Not suggesting we should play like Bolton again but have a defensive mind with proper counter attacking tactics isn't a bad option right?

 

I just want Keegan to show some tactical mind, just some, to comfort the doubters like us.

[Yorkie]

Louise Taylor

 

Allow me to ignore.

 

She talks some utter drivel, but it's difficult to disagree with what she's said in that one. Most of us are saying the same things about the individuals she pinpointed.

[Wullie]

Didn't Villa go on a 10 or 12 game run last year without winning a game? And at this stage were 2 points ahead of eventual droppers Sheffield United?

 

I realise O'Neill hadn't had as long as KK's six games at that point obviously.

[magpie418]

do you not think that Kev may be compromised somewhat by the shower of s**** he inherited?

Talented managers can make s*** looks like a stone. Simply as that. Keegan isn't that type of manager, but one who relies strongly on stars and squad strength.

 

Keegan can bring us success, I am not discounting him that much, but it is only possible if he can spend something like 50m this summer and really persuade some stars to come. But last transfer window did shows that good players didn't want to come here. Yes you could give him the benefit of the doubt for the lack of time but that does cast doubt towards his forthcoming summer signings right?

 

How the fuck would I know? i'm not bloody Jonathan Cainer man.

[The College Dropout]

I reckon the WHOLE team needs rebuilding.

 

A good squad? Not nearly. On paper it doesn't work and in practice we have no rhythm, nothing.

 

Our defence is terrible with one or two exceptions..At the start of the season so were Spurs.

 

Lennon> Milner

Malbranque is atleast = to whoever we play on the left

Jenas > Barton.

Huddlestone/Zokora>Butt

 

The Berbatov/Keane partnership works much better than anything we have and both players stay fit.

Bent is better than our 3rd choice striker and Defoe was better than whoever we have.

 

Chimbonda is is probably a little better than one of our standout defenders in Beye.

 

Bale and Kaboul and O'Hara look like they might have something as well.

[fredbob]

Quite like to hear folk's suggestions for who we could have got given that Ramos was already at Spurs when Allardyce left.

 

Didier Deschamps was the one for me, i thought he was stand out, he's been mentioned a few times for bigger jobs than ours and had come out and said he would of been interested, he ticked all the boxes in my book, minus a huge amount of experience but had achieved a notbale amount already in his short career. Had long term written all over him as well.

[Zero]

How the f*** would I know? i'm not bloody Jonathan Cainer man.

 

So tell me what's wrong to point out that the hope under Keegan's reign just lie on the coming summer?

[Teasy]

Something that does wind me up btw is that it's seemingly impossible to criticise Keegan without tons of people thinking you want him out, right now. It's bollocks.

 

He's made some decisions so far that have backfired badly. I'm still behind him. Does that compute?

 

There are reasonable critisisms and then there are silly overzealous ones, I don't recall to many reasonable critisisms being jumped on as if it equates to wanting Keegan out.

[magpie418]

Louise Taylor

 

Allow me to ignore.

 

She talks some utter drivel, but it's difficult to disagree with what she's said in that one. Most of us are saying the same things about the individuals she pinpointed.

 

a sliver of truth matters not in her case, she has an agenda. 

[Mick]

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/884/guinnessbookkeeganup4.jpg

 

[S.S.R.]

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/884/guinnessbookkeeganup4.jpg

 

 

[Guest YANKEEBLEEDSMAGPIE]

http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/884/guinnessbookkeeganup4.jpg

 

 

also, "most message board avatars depicted with a slick 70's hairstyle"

[Teasy]

I honestly didn't believe all the crap about how stupid and impatient some of our fans were.  I thought everyone could see that Keegans first several games, overall, were an impossible job.  I thought that people would write those games off and give him a chance.  Granted its a small minority who aren't, but what happens if we lose to Blackburn and Liverpool?, how many will jump on the bandwagon then?  I just can't believe some of the s*** I'm reading, and hearing from some of the so called fans of this club, impatient, unrealistic, petulant idiots.

[magpie418]

How the f*** would I know? i'm not bloody Jonathan Cainer man.

 

So tell me what's wrong to point out that the hope under Keegan's reign just lie on the coming summer?

 

So you're playing the hope card now? you were waving the doubt one around before.

 

 

 

 

[brummie]

Didn't Villa go on a 10 or 12 game run last year without winning a game? And at this stage were 2 points ahead of eventual droppers Sheffield United?

 

I realise O'Neill hadn't had as long as KK's six games at that point obviously.

 

This time last season, 37 games, 32 points, 13th place, and had won 2 of our last 16 games, 11 points from 48.

 

Personally, I don't think KK was the right appointment, but no matter who you (or anyone) appoints, if they don't get a decent chance then they are doomed to fail.

[magpie418]

I honestly didn't believe all the crap about how stupid and impatient some of our fans were.  I thought everyone could see that Keegans first several games, overall, were an impossible job.  I thought that people would write those games off and give him a chance.  I just can't believe some of the s*** I'm reading, and hearing from some of the so called fans of this club, impatient, unrealistic, petulant idiots.

 

spot on mate.

[Guest Dr. Richard Kimble]

I honestly didn't believe all the crap about how stupid and impatient some of our fans were.  I thought everyone could see that Keegans first several games, overall, were an impossible job.  I thought that people would write those games off and give him a chance.  I just can't believe some of the s*** I'm reading, and hearing from some of the so called fans of this club, impatient, unrealistic, petulant idiots.

 

spot on mate.

 

True and assuming we stay up it will be next to impossible to compete with the in-crowd for signings. I'd therefore rather have Keegan seeking talent than nearly anyone else.

 

 

[Zero]

 

So you're playing the hope card now? you were waving the doubt one around before.

I don't understand. I have been stating again and again that Keegan didn't show any tactical ability so far, and given his failure in last window and the poor result this season, the chance he also fail the summer transfer window is relatively high, and that's a critical hit towards his appointment. Things aren't looking good, just that.

 

Now it is like this forum's stress and pressure are just too high that people couldn't accept anymore negative words about the team, and doubting Keegan's appointment will be classified as no support to the team/want us to get relegated. Fucking hell. If the doubters don't give a shit towards relegation then why not just leave this forum and go somewhere else?

[Mick]

 

True and assuming we stay up it will be next to impossible to compete with the in-crowd for signings. I'd therefore rather have Keegan seeking talent than nearly anyone else.

 

 

 

I'd rather have Keegan seeking tallent, I'm not sure how much say he'll have with the new setup, Keegan has a record at this club which is second to none.