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Welcome Back King Kev!

Premier League Newcastle United
by Rahul - BBC Sport (U6192747) 16 January 2008
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Kevin Keegan, hey? You couldn't make it up! The feeling of adrenaline I felt when a colleague broke the news to me surged through my body like a David Ginola through-ball.

And that surprised me. Thoughts of Didier Deschamps and Gerard Houllier were what had got my blood pumping. Continental coaches with bags of European experience. Keegan? Pah, it will never work I thought. The game has moved on since Keegan led us all on a merry waltz up the Premier League over ten years ago.

It took today's announcement to realise I had let my brain rule my heart for too long. Keegan. His name in the same sentence as 'Newcastle' causes goosebumps to break out over my arms. Just say it. Keegan. Magic.

The quality of players he brought to our doorstep were simply magnificent. You didn't need bags of European experience to know that Ginola could cross a ball, that Asprilla had an extraordinary gift, that Peter Beardsley could shimmy like Travolta or that Alan Shearer was a bit handy in front of goal.

Allardyce had bags of experience. So did Souness and Dalglish. It got us nowhere. What they lacked, Keegan had in abundance.

It was inspiration, pure and simple. He could inspire. Players got excited, fans got excited, the media got excited, and the opposition fans got excited. They were exciting times.

Can he excite us again? Who knows? But the thought of going into the unknown is ultimately more exciting than the thought of a team led by the likes of Harry Redknapp and Mark Hughes. These are good managers. But they don't cause the adrenaline to flow.

The sight of Robert Lee scoring a hat-trick of headers against Antwerp away from home, Shearer scoring a hat-trick in 13 minutes against Leicester, Beardsley unleashing a 30-yard thunderbolt into the top corner against Norwich, Manchester United humiliated 5-0 at home, and Andy Cole scoring 41 times in his first season in the Premier League. A better player when he went to Manchester United? Never.

And Ginola's volley against Ferencvaros? Despite what Match of the Day thought, Zola and Beckham never scored better goals than that one in the 1996/97 season.

There will probably be accusations of Keegan being tactically naive floating around on the web right now, but how tactically naive can you be by finishing 2nd in the League? How bad can your defence be when you only concede two more goals than champions Manchester United in 1996?

If having a 'scientific approach' to football is hoofing the ball 50 yards to a big man, I'll take tactical naivety everytime.

It's been a long time since the feelgood factor was at St James' Park. It's been all downhill ever since Craig Bellamy scored that sensational winner against Feyenoord in 2002.

Yet it has taken Keegan just 30 seconds to make me anticipate, rather than dread, the rest of the season.

Welcome Back King Kev. You've been missed.

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comment by Berba_Is_King (U8293908)

posted Jan 17, 2008

He's talking about Ahsley and the Toon!

He'll last a year and a half - enjoy! winkeye

Nah, I do think other fans should leave you to it BUT then again you do like to tell all and sundry how big you are (we are accused of the same) so you have to expect some grief from it.

ok

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comment by liongeorge01 (U3343379)

posted Jan 17, 2008

Magdad, no-one can deny you your dreams because you ain't gonna get any more than this. The top 4 is an elite group you can only aspire to. Oh, by the way check out the managers of the top 4. nough said..........

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comment by magdad (U10850651)

posted Jan 17, 2008


How big i am is none of your business!!!!!!!!biggrin
I've heard about you southerners laugh
No it's not grief, it's actually quite laughable, thats what debates like this are all about.
Truth is, if you're not a Geordie then you won't understand what we're all about, just like we won't understand you lot-nothing wrong with that but hopefully you'll all get a taste of it soon. winkeye

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comment by magdad (U10850651)

posted Jan 17, 2008

The top 4 is an elite group that Chelsea only recently joined with the money of Abramovic.
For Abramovic read Ashley!
top 4 managers????
Avram Grant....nough said also.
Alex Ferguson.....for how much longer?
Arsene Wenger....almost left, might still do if a top european club come in.
Last but not least...Rafa...till the end of the season, if the club is still owned by the yanks.

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comment by mcmanaman125 (U8075317)

posted Jan 17, 2008

Lion George - you're very wrong.
The top 4 is only an elite group because of Newcastle's poor management. NUFC are number 1 in a whole city, they've got a bigger fan base than Everton, Tottenham or City will ever have cause those teams will always live in the shadow of their neighbours.
If Newcastle get it right, they'll have every chance of breaking the top 4 and even if that doesn't happen then Keegan is about to put an end to the one thing that they hate host (no Not the Mackems) the boring football.
It's a great story and in a year's time expect NUFC to be getting thrashed 4-0 by Blackburn one week and winning 4-3 over Arsenal the next.

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comment by magdad (U10850651)

posted Jan 17, 2008

mcmanaman125.........well said!
not sure about the Blackburn result though smiley
with a change of manager there comes a change of fortune as they say, when Ferguson and Wenger leave what change of fortune will they have?
Bring back Ron Atkinson and George Graham into the equation and we have a whole different ball game (or the likes of them anyway).
What i'm trying to say is that no club can stay at the top forever, maybe now is the time for a shake up?

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comment by (Under no circumstances ever to be prefaced with "_viva_")...Adam Z. Lucifer (U10184997)

posted Jan 18, 2008

Q:"how tactically naive can you be by finishing 2nd in the League?"
A: Extremely so when you got there from a 12point advantage!
"Andy Cole... A better player when he went to Manchester United? Never."laugh
No, not WHEN he moved... but AFTER he moved... helluva lot better all round.

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comment by fogle45 (U10056682)

posted Jan 18, 2008

liongeorge01, I'm not standing up for Keegan or Newcastle, just laughing at what you said..."by the way, check out the managers of the top four", presumably you don't been Avam Grant?

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comment by mag1980 (U10869051)

posted Jan 19, 2008

Who ever made this comment is a fool !!! and does not understand what football is al about to the people of Newcastle, watching big Sam's style of football was like watching Wimbledon, if thats what you like then you should not be watching the Toon. Come on Keegan 4 - 0 today as well.

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comment by MASSIVE32 (U10873402)

posted Jan 19, 2008

I THINK YOU'LL FIND THEY WON OTHER TROPHIES INSTEAD

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