The Third Coming

Can Kevin Keegan revive his glory days at Newcastle United?

It happened on Wednesday the sixth of January. The Third Coming of Kevin Keegan at Newcastle United. The world was stunned. Why Keegan, and why now?

Newcastle has employed Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Bobby Robson, Grame Souness, Glen Roeder and Sam Allardyce since Keegan left Newcastle for the second time in 1997.

All tried, and failed to replicate Keegan’s “glory days”, of second place finishes, thrilling football and the signing of people like Alan Shearer.

All of the men above failed for the following reasons. Dalglish, while unlucky with injuries, had mid-table finishes and boring football. Gullit and Robson, who had twice led Newcastle into the Top four and Champions League places, were both sacked in August after dropping Alan Shearer.

Souness preformed abysmally on and off the pitch, with no hint of silverware, except for an F.A. Cup Semi-Final hammering against Man. United, and bought Alberto Luque for £10 million.

Roeder received no financial backing, had dreadful luck with injuries and was shafted, unfairly, when Allardyce became available last year. Freddy Shepherd hired Allardyce and left weeks later. He never had a prayer. He spent £26 million, played dull football and dropped 5 points against bottom-placed Derby County.

Now, the Messiah is back. Why he is so highly regarded by the Toon Army is obvious. As a player, he was a prolific Second Division goal-scorer and famously left the ground after his last match by helicopter. As a manager, he led Newcastle from the depths of Division 2 to the top of the Premiership, by 12 points in January 1996. Newcastle then imploded, allowing Manchester United to win the league. The breaking point was when Keegan cracked under Alex Ferguson’s mind games, saying this on Sky Sports in one of the most famous moments in football history:

“When you do that with footballers like he said about Leeds; and when you do things like that about a man like Stuart Pearce. I'm I, I, I've kept really quiet, 'til now, but I'll tell you something: he went down in my estimation when he said that - we have not resorted to that. But I'll tell ya - you can tell him now, he'll be watching it - we're still fighting for this title, and he's got to go to Middlesbrough and get something, and... and I'll tell you honestly, I will love it if we beat them - LOVE IT!”

But it wasn’t just Keegan’s relative success. It was his personality, his bouncy, infectious way. It was his playing style. Fast, attacking, “you score 3, we’ll score 4” philosophy. He bought relative no-ones, like Phillipe Albert and David Ginola, and made them stars. Even Albert, a centre-back, scored a beautiful chip in a famous 5-0 win over Man. United.

But the image of Keegan that burns most brightly in my mind is him slumped over the advertising hoardings at Anfield, one of his former homes, after Stan Collymore scored a late winner for Liverpool in the greatest Premiership match of all time, a roller coaster of a match in 1996, that allowed Manchester United to gain the final upper hand in the title race.

Now, after watching his first press conference as the new Newcastle manager, I see a grey-haired, old man, a tired looking person. Although he did crack a few jokes, Keegan’s most endearing quality, his personality, has seemingly been eroded with time.

I think it’s good to have a genuine good guy and character back in the Premier League, but I think we all know, even The Geordies, that it will end in tears. It has to. It’s Newcastle United.

By: Ciarán Leinster.