Massive Keegan interview with John Gibson

[NE5]

• Says Shepherd, the Halls and Fletcher were "great" during his time there and that the latter - dubbed the "Jockweiler" - was especially essential to Newcastle at the time.

 

Keegan said in his autobiography that Freddie Fletcher was behind the clubs up turn - "He is a very ambitious, very clever man who played a vital role in the developement of the club. I couldn't have done it without him, without the Halls' money, without Douglas's brilliance with figures, or director Russell Jones's expertise with the stadium, which he built as quickly as we built the team."

 

 

it won't hurt you to admit that they all played their part ?

 

 

 

My point was to highlight what an influential figure Freddie Fletcher was and how he's been missed since leaving the board, not to take anything away from the part played by the Halls or Shepherd.

 

that is true, but at the time, a lot of people didn't like Fletcher, because he was the figure behind the bond scheme, and the money making policies of the club and the effect they were having on grass roots fans, and the corporate development of the club at that time, and they only saw that rather than the impact his job had on the club overall.

 

Which is fair comment. But you can't deny that the press, and fanzines at that time, had many articles written by people saying how they were not happy with the direction the club was taking, because of him.

 

 

[NE5]

Fletcher took it too far but ultimately he tried to take us somewhere upwards. He got stuff wrong but at least he put himself there to be shot at.

 

Fat Fred !!! What is his mission?

 

that is true.

 

The board is still attempting to be successful, but you have to accept that, at the time when Fletcher etc took over, the only way was up, with new ideas, new finance. Now this is not the case, it is far more difficult to move forwards from the position we are now in, as an established top team, knocking on the door of winning trophies but needing a breakthrough.

 

Anyway, I'd be more impressed if you didn't use these Americanism  8) 

 

Mission !!!!!!! It isn't Star Trek .....

 

 

[leazes.ender]

 

I wouldn't have Arsprilla back at Newcastle for all the tea in China. I think he is a s*** professional, and in the end, a s*** player who lacks certain qualities that a team needs to win the premiership requires from its players.

 

 

Agree but take a watch of the game at the smogs, Barca or even when he went mental at Citeh and tell me that didn't get the juices flowing. When was the last time (maybe Oba excepted) that happened.

 

To win stuff, be it games or trophies you have to take chances, and Tino was our can opener. Unfortunately he was just too rusty.

[Mowen]

Great read, makes me very nostalgic for those heady days. In a way the Asprilla signing summed Keegan up - wanting to pay entertaining football to the cost. He was a sublimely talented player, simply beautiful to watch when on song - I've rarely if ever seen a player like him, but he was brought in without thought for what the team would do with him. I hope I can one day enjoy football the same way - and to the same extent - that I did during the Keegan era.

[leazes.ender]

 

Mission !!!!!!! It isn't Star Trek .....

 

 

I'd send him on a chuffing mission to Mars (not the factory as he's enjoy that too much).

 

[NE5]

 

I wouldn't have Arsprilla back at Newcastle for all the tea in China. I think he is a s*** professional, and in the end, a s*** player who lacks certain qualities that a team needs to win the premiership requires from its players.

 

 

Agree but take a watch of the game at the smogs, Barca or even when he went mental at Citeh and tell me that didn't get the juices flowing. When was the last time (maybe Oba excepted) that happened.

 

To win stuff, be it games or trophies you have to take chances, and Tino was our can opener. Unfortunately he was just too rusty.

 

I understand your sentiment. But ultimately, he is the perfect example of what some people call a "trophy " player, but in my opinion he was anything but.

 

"trophy" players are players who can win you trophies by playing consistently week in week out, and the more of them you have the better, but if you have even one player in your team who is inconsistent like Arsprilla was, you are out of contention.

 

The teams that win the trophies are the teams who play the most consistently with the highest performing players.

 

As you said earlier, you can suffer failure, but why settle for it, and ultimately that is what players like him will give you.

 

 

[leazes.ender]

Maybe its the passing of time but i just crave flair right now.

 

He wasn't a put the ball in the net player to back up (and add to Les) and maybe that (well certainly was) what we needed. I think his positive contributions are now soured by the player we saw being outshined by Barnes and Rush at Goodison on his last appearance.

 

That was an early warning of things to come, and what Keegan was takling about, where grotty teams like Bolton, Everton and Wigan have made teams think twice about having flair players.

 

Tino could have been our C**tona with the right amount of instruction and time.

[Baggio]

• Says Shepherd, the Halls and Fletcher were "great" during his time there and that the latter - dubbed the "Jockweiler" - was especially essential to Newcastle at the time.

 

Keegan said in his autobiography that Freddie Fletcher was behind the clubs up turn - "He is a very ambitious, very clever man who played a vital role in the developement of the club. I couldn't have done it without him, without the Halls' money, without Douglas's brilliance with figures, or director Russell Jones's expertise with the stadium, which he built as quickly as we built the team."

 

 

it won't hurt you to admit that they all played their part ?

 

 

 

My point was to highlight what an influential figure Freddie Fletcher was and how he's been missed since leaving the board, not to take anything away from the part played by the Halls or Shepherd.

 

that is true, but at the time, a lot of people didn't like Fletcher, because he was the figure behind the bond scheme, and the money making policies of the club and the effect they were having on grass roots fans, and the corporate development of the club at that time, and they only saw that rather than the impact his job had on the club overall.

 

Which is fair comment. But you can't deny that the press, and fanzines at that time, had many articles written by people saying how they were not happy with the direction the club was taking, because of him.

 

 

 

Aye, he got a fair bit of stick over the court case as he was chairman at the time iirc, he also got the fans backs up when he stuck up for Hall and Shepherd over the whole NOTW fiasco.

 

Having read KK and SBR autobiography's I've found that neither can praise the work Fletcher done enough, looking back he seems to be the man behind the scenes with the vision of how to move the club forward, similar to dein at Arsenal, Parry at Liverpool, Kenyon at Chelsea etc, it'll be a good move for the club if we can get someone like this back on board again in the near future, I know we've employed that Walton fella but I think he's been employed to sort the redevelopment around the ground more than anything else.

[NE5]

• Says Shepherd, the Halls and Fletcher were "great" during his time there and that the latter - dubbed the "Jockweiler" - was especially essential to Newcastle at the time.

 

Keegan said in his autobiography that Freddie Fletcher was behind the clubs up turn - "He is a very ambitious, very clever man who played a vital role in the developement of the club. I couldn't have done it without him, without the Halls' money, without Douglas's brilliance with figures, or director Russell Jones's expertise with the stadium, which he built as quickly as we built the team."

 

 

it won't hurt you to admit that they all played their part ?

 

 

 

My point was to highlight what an influential figure Freddie Fletcher was and how he's been missed since leaving the board, not to take anything away from the part played by the Halls or Shepherd.

 

that is true, but at the time, a lot of people didn't like Fletcher, because he was the figure behind the bond scheme, and the money making policies of the club and the effect they were having on grass roots fans, and the corporate development of the club at that time, and they only saw that rather than the impact his job had on the club overall.

 

Which is fair comment. But you can't deny that the press, and fanzines at that time, had many articles written by people saying how they were not happy with the direction the club was taking, because of him.

 

 

 

Aye, he got a fair bit of stick over the court case as he was chairman at the time iirc, he also got the fans backs up when he stuck up for Hall and Shepherd over the whole NOTW fiasco.

 

Having read KK and SBR autobiography's I've found that neither can praise the work Fletcher done enough, looking back he seems to be the man behind the scenes with the vision of how to move the club forward, similar to dein at Arsenal, Parry at Liverpool, Kenyon at Chelsea etc, it'll be a good move for the club if we can get someone like this back on board again in the near future, I know we've employed that Walton fella but I think he's been employed to sort the redevelopment around the ground more than anything else.

 

I wouldn't disagree with better quality coming into the club at any level whatsoever.

[OzzieMandias]

Fletcher took it too far but ultimately he tried to take us somewhere upwards. He got stuff wrong but at least he put himself there to be shot at.

 

Fat Fred !!! What is his mission?

 

that is true.

 

The board is still attempting to be successful, but you have to accept that, at the time when Fletcher etc took over, the only way was up, with new ideas, new finance. Now this is not the case, it is far more difficult to move forwards from the position we are now in, as an established top team, knocking on the door of winning trophies but needing a breakthrough.

 

 

Get real.

[Howaythelads]

Fletcher took it too far but ultimately he tried to take us somewhere upwards. He got stuff wrong but at least he put himself there to be shot at.

 

Fat Fred !!! What is his mission?

 

that is true.

 

The board is still attempting to be successful, but you have to accept that, at the time when Fletcher etc took over, the only way was up, with new ideas, new finance. Now this is not the case, it is far more difficult to move forwards from the position we are now in, as an established top team, knocking on the door of winning trophies but needing a breakthrough.

 

 

Get real.

 

Good thread and a decent read until the previous post.