Let me start off by saying that I love Kevin Keegan. I grew up inspired by this Afro-hairdo Mighty Mouse of a superstar playing for Liverpool and Hamburg.

I saw how he was the catalyst for Bill Shankly’s transformation of Liverpool and how he almost single-handedly lifted an otherwise mediocre German club team to become champions in the Bundesliga and near Champions in Europe. He remains one of the very few Englishmen to have succeeded in playing abroad, so much so that he twice won the coveted European Footballer of the Year award.

I still remember how his inspiration led Southampton to sit on top of the league in 1982 – albeit for a brief while – a feat which the club has never achieved since. And I still remember his tremendous overhead-kick “goal” for Saints which was unjustly ruled out for some reason my mind has blocked out.

'As a manager, other than leading Newcastle to second place in the Premiership in 1996, he has been an abject failure'


I love Kevin Keegan - but only as a player. As a manager, other than leading Newcastle to second place in the Premiership in 1996, he has been an abject failure. Quite why the Geordies see him as a Messiah is beyond me.

Perhaps it's because anyone following the dour Sam Allardyce is an improvement, and the Toon Army still recall when their team, led by Keegan of vintage 1993, were dubbed the “Entertainers”. And to be sure, they played some very attractive attacking football, the likes of which, in modern times, can only be seen at the Emirates Stadium. And if Kevin can once again inspire Newcastle to play anything like they did of 15 years ago, that would be an achievement in itself.

But modern football isn’t just about playing attractively. It’s about winning. Because winning brings in money and money is everything in the modern game. Arsenal fans allowed Arsene Wenger a season of transition because he proved he is a winner and can deliver. Keegan may not get such indulgence because his record proves he cannot deliver. Worse, he’ll crack when under pressure.

And surviving this pressure to win is everything for a modern manager – especially at a top club which Newcastle fancy themselves to be. Witness Jose Mourinho: sacked despite back-to-back Premier League titles. Sacked because his team finished second and drew with lowly Rosenborg. Sacked because for this season, he looked incapable of leading Chelsea to Champions League glory. Witness also Rafa Benitez who, despite leading Liverpool to two Champions League finals and winning one, is a candidate for the dole.

Lest we forget, Keegan, after throwing his famous “Love it” tantrum, walked out of Newcastle after they squandered a 12-point lead and handed the title to Manchester United.. And let's not forget that he similarly walked out as England manager after confessing that he was not up to the task. And he walked out again at Manchester City after achieving little of note despite blowing a £50m transfer kitty.

For the subsequent three years, he has been in a football abyss, admitting to watching no live games during that time.

Now he walks into a cauldron of expectation at Newcastle facing a scenario where his promise of entertaining football has been shattered by going three games without scoring a goal and conceding six to his spiritual successor at entertaining football, Arsenal.

If it isn’t over by now, the euphoria surrounding the second coming of the Geordie Messiah will soon be. And then what happens next at Newcastle?

To be fair, the problem with Newcastle is that the Geordie fans expect that only one of their own can lead them to the Promised Land. And that having lived with the memory of Keegan in 1993 through the disappointments of Ruud Gullit’s sexy football and Graeme Souness’ dour management, coupled with seeing the commitment of Alan Shearer through thick and thin, the Toon Army must reckon that it's better to put their faith in a home boy rather than trust another outsider.

Personally, I wish Kevin well. In my heart of hearts I want him to succeed because in this day and age of money and achievement-before-anything football, it’ll be nice to see a successful return of the romantics.

But as Glenn Hoddle found out at Spurs, and Howard Kendall at Everton (Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth being an exception), a second coming is anything but welcoming especially when your first incarnation provided so much hope. A return will only bring on more expectation to a more mature and cynical audience that you can deliver on that first promise of salvation, and that is not something that Keegan has been able to do anywhere he has gone.