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Sam has gone, are you listening?
In the streets, fans are grinning
A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight,
walking in a Keegan wonderland.
So what do the younger fans think, who weren’t around during Keegans first managerial stint
Discuss on our fans forum.
So Kevin Keegan has become Newcastle's new manager! A surprise appointment? Yes. A controversial appointment? Probably. A good appointment? He could be, in my previous article I spoke about how the next Newcastle manager basically need two things; time and backing (from both fans, players and the board!) One of those things is 90% guaranteed, the backing form the fans. The fans that have been around for long enough to remember him from either his first or second stint at the club.
But what about the people that really don't remember him that well? What about the fans that started supporting the black and white in say June1996? At I don't know I’ll take the random age of 7! Someone that lived south of the midlands. And subsequently (due to all of these factors) never got the chance to see the man at work!
These are the people that Kevin has got to win over! These are the people that look at you in bemusement when you talk about Sexy Football or "that interview after the Leeds United match" or "that odd away strip" (which coincidentally Arsenal have started wearing - I'm telling you United are gonna catch them and win the league!) Anyway I digress - my point is will he be able to capture the hearts, minds and imaginations of another generation of Toon fans? Or will he be left ruing the decision to return to the North East?
You might think that the 3rd paragraph is a completely random person but in fact there was a child of seven who started supporting Newcastle in 1996 (approximately 3/4 weeks before Alan Shearer was unveiled as their latest signing). He lived just north of London and it turns out that although he doesn't remember Newcastle pre 1996 - he knows about it. That kid happens to be writing this article (with an all too long winded introduction) so with out further ado I shall get on with it.
As you can imagine with myself not being able to remember too much about Keegan's first time at the club it's hard to write about it however I thought I'd look in to it - what do the Newcastle fans really think about the appointment?
There is one thing in particular that jumped off the page at me a comment made by Kenny Smith from Australia (according to a well known networking website)
"He may not have been the best choice, but nobody can deny the atmosphere at SJP last night. Suddenly the air of expectation and excitement has returned, and that can't be a bad thing."
Two points to make about that, the first is I have to agree he may not have been the best choice, he was obviously not our first choice - what with Harry Redknapp turning the job down and everything. But it was great to see the support he, and the team, had on Wednesday night!
The second point is to reiterate something I said in my last article. Don't get your hopes up! Don't let the "air of expectancy" cloud our judgement! It's about making small and manageable steps to get us to where we want to be! Something I was taught at school to do with goal setting is that it should always have a few characteristics. One of those and in my opinion it was probably the most important was that it should always be achievable! There is no point in us trying to win the league this year - its simply not going to happen, and us fans have got to be the ones that decide where, realistically, we want to finish this year, and then cheer each and every black and white wearing player on until the final whistle of every match to make sure that we get there!
You see it's not just an 11-a-side game. It's 11 players, 5 subs, another 5 squad members, a manager, some coaches, a physio, a chairman, an owner and 50,000+ fans-a-side! Week in week out, and with our fans you know we have an advantage, a huge advantage! The fans on Wednesday were back to their famous best, and the players responded!
And that is my second point Keegan needs the backing of the players. He needs to know they will give him their all - and judging by the Stoke match they are gonna be happy to do so! The sense of a Keegan-esque team playing aesthetically pleasing football, knowing that as long as they score more than their opponents that's all that matter!
Sure that was just against Stoke City but still they were playing with smiles on their faces and a confidence that they have lacked recently. The only problem I see is with a certain young Mr Owen. They have a history of bad blood and, although Shearer has come out and said that the two of them will patch up any differences, the decision Keegan makes could be crucial! Does he give Owen the option of leaving if he wants? Does he demand Owen stay and risk upsetting him? Does he immediately ship him off to avoid any friction between them - but possibly upsetting the other players? What does he do? It's a pivotal decision for him and the right one could be the difference between success and failure!
The last backing he needs is the backing of the board, something I think he has already got in part. I mean this is Ashley's first managerial appointment at the club and so he must of gone for the man he wants to see here! He must of thought back to the 95/96 season and wanted to recreate that buzz! And he must of dipped in to his pocket to ensure his services (guess it’s like United paying KK back after he paid McDermott for the first season of his contract as assistant manager)! But like the fans Ashley must set realistic goals and give Kevin the financial backing to achieve them!
Lastly if he gets all those things, support from the fans, players and board, then I'm sure he will get the last valuable part of the jigsaw - time! Time to mould the club and the players in to what he wants to get out of them. Time to rediscover his managerial skills and time to show the fans what they want to see!
So I don't remember Keegan first time round but I've seen the buzz he creates around the place already! This is a good time to be a United fan, things can only get better for the club! I'm excited to see what will happen over the next few years, let’s hope it's a long and successful time under Kevin Keegan. And let’s hope that this Keegan Wonderland isn't like Narnia - just land frozen in time, in the past! Let's look to future, get our eyes set on a goal and don't turn away from it and let's make this a great third coming for the man!
I realise my thought's have been a little all over the place in this but I hope its made sense and I'll leave you with this:
Will Keegan be a good choice for the Newcastle manager position? Well you know as I've said all along - only time will tell!
Discuss on our fans forum.