Kevin Keegan - New Newcastle Manager

Well after the pomp and dramatics of the Keegan appointment have worn down, and his first premiership match has come and gone with much of the same that we saw under Sam Allardyce, it's time to give a level-headed opinion on the new era which is beginning at Saint James Park.

I use the word "Era" because that's what the directors at NUFC see it as, and what the supporters see it as as well. When Ashley and Mort came in and took over from Fat Freddie Shephard, most Newcastle supporters viewed it as FINALLY a light at the end of the tunnel. Freddy had been running the show for a number of years, making decisions without football, but money, and money only, in mind. So when Ashley bought the club, after the initial wonder of "who the crap is this guy" wore off and we began to really trust him, it was a huge sigh of relief. They brought in Mort, who was great at talking to the media, and great at connecting with the football side of things. While we were never truly content with Big Sam, a new trend began to emerge, which was trying to rebuild our youngsters and make Newcastle United a force for the future. You see, for the number of years under Fat Freddy, we were known for buying players who were well past their prime, only interested in a final fat payday before they retire for good. So any interest in our young players at all was a nice change. But the strange thing was, while all that was going on, Sam was bringing in all these foreign players who weren't familiar with the English game and they never really settled yet this year. So as it turns out, Sam was running the signings of the first team (who were crap) and Chris Mort was doing the research of the youngsters. So now, barring a few pimples in our first team squad (namely: Joey Barton), the only remaining evidence of poor management from the top by Freddie Shephard was the one and only Big Fat Sam Allardyce.

Mike and Chris thought about WHEN they would Axe BSA for a while. But the final conclusion was this: When he DOES go, whoever will take over will have a transition on his hands. So would we rather scrap the rest of this season and give the new guy a half year to transition, or do we give Sam until the end of the season and let this year be a failure and next year be a transitional one, and wait until 2009-2010 to really compete? Yes, while we all think it was a bit harsh for Sam to be let go only 1/2 season into his first term at Newcastle, looking at the big picture, this was a better business decision and truthfully has put the Geordie nation a bit at ease. Not only do we have the man that we wanted running the show, who will get much more time than Big Sam just for being one of our own, but we've got a 1/2 season where we can easily sit back and say - we're shooting for midtable - so these games are purely about progression of quality.

So, now that we've got the timing out of the way, the appointment. King Kev. KK. Mr. Kevin Keegan. Keegan was first a player with Newcastle in the nineties and was a offensive midfielder or a striker. Newcastle was the last club he played for, and only was there three years. Before Newcastle, had been at Livepool, Hamburg and Southampton. He was a bit of a pretty boy and liked to show off the talent and scoring prowess that gave him the known role as one of the best footballers in English history. He was massively popular in Newcastle, and on his final match after announcing his retirement, he scored a goal for the Black and Whites, then after the match, he took off on HELICOPTER from St. James Park in a over-dramatic farewell. After a stint living like a hermit in Spain with his wife, he came back to coach for Newcastle, where he won promotion and was hero of the NorthEast until Freddy Shephard came in and changed the way business started being handled. Kev wasn't too please so he moved on. Then was Fulham, followed by the England job, followed by Manchester City. After Newcastle, his managerial career slowly wound down, so most people outside of the North East remember him for his less successful managerial positions rather than his very successful Newcastle one. So we'll see how he bounces back.

Obviously the major discussion in this one is the fact that in some ways, Newcastle are reverting BACK to past glory. But at least for me, who came into the Newcastle family well AFTER Keegan had left, I like the appointment and it makes me incredibly excited to bring someone known for attacking football into the fold. Newcastle used to be known all over England for their attacking flair. They were everyone's "second team" because even those who didn't live in the North East would love to watch Keegan's brand of all out attacking and skill-based play. The crowd was known for being incredibly behind the team because even if the team lost, you would consistenly see football that was exciting, and every player would be out their giving their all every minute. Basically, since Shephard came into the fold, this has slowly kept disappearing until finally, Shephards final and most notable aquisition was the appointment of Sam Allardyce, who is known the the exact OPPOSITE of attractive football. Sam was actually known for and PROUD OF his style of defensive, gritty, slow-paced, long-ball play. So when the fans got a view of this being played on Saint James' Park, they were none too please. The immediate shift back to the Keegan style is relished by the entire Geordie faithful, including yours truly.

However, he also brings with him some peculiar problems.

1) He's been working in a "football circus" for the past three years with kids, and has admittedly not seen a live football match in England for that entire time. Could restrict him a bit when trying to adjust to today's game and in the transfer market, looking at players who he's never seen play.

2) His offensive style was basically what began Newcastle's terminal shambles in defense. Sam was supposedly brought in to remedy this, and we are all hoping that Keegan will pay at least SOME attention to the defense rather than reverting back 100% to attackattackattack. His first (rumored) transfer is calming us on this front, being Jonathon Woodgate from Middlesboro. While a bit old and injury prone, he's one of the best center backs (or wing backs) in the game and they know each other well, he and Keegan.

I think at best, we can hope for a top 9 finish this season, but more importantly, this season is all about proving to the players, the manager, the board, and the fans, that we intend on attacking and playing attractive football and once Keegan gets a 1/2 season under his belt and a bit more money in the war chest for the summer, that we all can have something really wonderful to look forward to in 08/09. Next year, no matter what happens this year, we will want to shoot for a top 6 spot. Period. No reason not to. 09/10: Top four. It's ambitious, but this is what Keegan is all about.

I think at worst, we'll realize that his optimism isn't tactical enough for the new, transforming game of the 21st century, and he'll end up like he did in Fulham and Man City, with his head in his chest. This is a guy who wears his heart on his sleeve, so if things DONT go well, it could be a quick road into a downward spiral.

My prediction is that Keenan will bring the flair back to the Magpies, you can count on that. This season will see VERY few results and I'm guessing we'll end up in a similar position as if Sam were still here - I'm going with 13. But next season, we'll end up 7th and players will begin to show the determination that Keegan is known for. As long as its fun to watch Newcastle again, I honestly don't mind if we don't play European football for a couple of years. Just give me something worth getting up at 6am on a Saturday for.