There are more than a few old adages in football – ‘number twos don’t make good number ones’, ‘it only takes a second to score a goal’, ‘never employ David Pleat’ and so on, but one that has particular resonance right now is the ever popular ‘Never Go Back’.
Kevin Keegan clearly doesn’t heed such adages, as today he has agreed to return to St James’ Park, the scene of his greatest days as a manager. I am today also about to ignore the same adage, as I am going back to the bookies, to bet on Newcastle being relegated.
For a few seasons at Newcastle he was a god. He took them to the peak of the premier league, and should have won them the title, but his live TV meltdown was something his career never recovered from. He was poor at Man City and his laughable appointment as England manager set a yardstick that the FA only managed to better with the appointment of McCLaren.
The problem with Keegan is that he is all passion and no plan. He is as tactically naïve as they come, yet believes that he can motivate players to win games. Time has moved on since his last spell at the club, and football has too. There is no place for his style, he will be out of his depth and I predict that within 12 months he will do one of his now famous walk outs citing pressure or the fact he is not up to it.
Shearer was never an option. He only said he wanted the job when it was clear he wouldn’t get it. He will never take the Newcastle job. The Geordies worship the man, chant his name when they are down, dream of his leadership. He can never live up to their hype, so why risk losing that status. The only job he is after is Lineker’s.
They could have had Houllier, they could have had Deschamps. They chose Keegan. They are going to pay for that decision in a big way – watch this space…
