Oh no it isn’t, oh yes it is!
What a month it’s been for Newcastle United. Keegan and his beloved Toon started the season with an impressive point at Old Trafford, things were looking good, until Keegan gave Mike Ashley a wish list which consisted of Thierry Henry, Ronaldinho and Frank Lampard. Wise got him Collocini and Gutierrez, good players non the less but ones Keegan knew nothing about. Two weeks on and Keegan’s left, oh no is hasn’t, Keegan’s back, oh no he isn’t, Keegan’s leaves again, oh yes he has. How much more can their poor fans take? ‘My life is finished ‘ said one disgruntled lady fan on Match of the Day. And top all this, they lose at home to Hull City.
If the tumult and fanfare was anything to go by in the extraordinary re-appointment of King Kev at Tyneside, then his swift booting out of the back door by owner Mistah Michael Ashley is just the sort of revelation needed to sustain the unhappy rumblings of disquiet being played out at St James’ Park in recent years.
Ever since Keegan took them to the most tantalisingly close challenge to the Premiership crown in the mid-90s, the club has had an air of uneasiness to it – there’s desire and passion in the bellies of the hoards of fans in the terraces who should, quite frankly, not have their shirts off in the middle of December. And boy, there are some rather massive bellies on display. That ferocious drive has been masked in recent years by the nagging possibility of failure. King Kev said himself, to trigger the unrest in the boardroom, that you need to spend big in order to have the remotest chance of challenging the Big Four. The subliminal message was clear; Ashley simply wasn’t sticking his hand in his pocket to bring in the players needed to make such an assault on the billy big-times.
Now it’s all come to a head, and Keegan now has another P45 to add to his collection. You can’t help but feel sorry for him, and in some ways, he has a very good point. He couldn’t have possibly let this on himself for fear of instantly losing the dressing room, but Newcastle United is a shadow of its former self in terms of player quality. Without naming names, a fair handful of players there are, for want of a politer word, rejects. Many of their players make their last big transfer to the North East, knowing there may be very little chance of equalling such a move later in their careers.
Keegan would’ve loved it, he really would’ve loved it, if he could’ve had the cash to join the bidding wars for the big name stars. Instead, he’s lumbered with Xisco, someone who I’m sure once upon a time rapped about girl’s pants, and more Italians with ridiculous hairstyles. For six players signed, they’ve had to let five go, making at the very least a total of £17m for their efforts. All of their transfers in were undisclosed fees, bar one which was a loan.
Michael Ashley certainly shares the same strong will and might for Geordie success, a point by proved by sitting among carefully-selected fans. It’s quite hard to see what decisions on the field can really restore Toon to anywhere near their former greatness. In the meantime, they’re doomed to Aston Villa’s plight under the former Ellis era – the dreaded mid-table obscurity.
