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Keegan receives blank cheque


Dr Kenneth Noisewater
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Kevin Keegan receives blank cheque to restore Newcastle United’s former glory

 

George Caulkin

 

Kevin Keegan has been told that imagination should be the only limit to his rebuilding plans at Newcastle United, with the club promising him “ carte blanche” in the transfer market and beyond. The new manager, who once said he was “1,000 per cent” certain never to return to Tyneside, spent yesterday reacquainting himself with his former home and engaging in several hours of talks with Chris Mort, his chairman.

 

Keegan entered the visiting dressing-room at St James’ Park when he endeavoured to greet his players on Wednesday night, but that proved a rare wrong turn. The next morning, the 56-year-old took his first training session, joining his squad for a kick-about and warm-down before turning to more substantive business.

 

With the transfer window closing in less than two weeks, Keegan has limited scope to refashion his first-team squad. He has barely watched a match since tending his resignation at Manchester City three years ago and his instinct is to allow his present charges to prove themselves. He will lean heavily for advice on Peter Beardsley and Terry McDermott, his long-time acolyte and a Newcastle coach.

 

Yet opportunities will be grasped if they present themselves – Newcastle have already been made aware of the availability of Wes Brown, Wayne Bridge, Jermain Defoe and Daniel van Buyten, the Bayern Munich defender – and, in the longer term, Keegan’s creativity will be encouraged. Significant funds will be forthcoming, although Ladbrokes are already offering 11-5 that Michael Owen will not be a Newcastle player next season. Keegan spoke yesterday of having “unfinished business” at a club who have been reenergised by his third coming.

 

Negotiations with Mort lasted until well into the evening – Keegan left Newcastle’s Longbenton training ground after 6pm – and subjects for discussion, apart from potential signings, included enhancing the youth academy and make-up of his back-room staff. The biggest decision to be made is whether to offer Alan Shearer, the club’s record goalscorer, a substantive role.

 

Associates of Chris Coleman, who played under Keegan at Fulham, denied that his resignation at Real Sociedad was connected to events at Newcastle; Beardsley and McDermott will be involved on the coaching staff, while Derek Fazackerley, Manchester City’s first-team coach and another Keegan confidant, is tipped for a role. Uncertainty last night surrounded Nigel Pearson and Steve Round, who were prominent under Sam Allardyce.

 

Keegan’s official presentation will be at the stadium at 2pm today, but the former England manager has requested little fanfare and stands will not be opened for supporters. Keegan wants to minimise disruption as much as possible before tomorrow evening’s match at home to Bolton Wanderers, when his reception will be raucous.

 

“I wouldn’t say it was a big decision – I love this club, so from that point of view it was very easy,” Keegan, who has agreed a 3½year contract, said. “I met the owner [Mike Ashley], I like him very much, I met the chairman and just asked them what they felt was needed at Newcastle – ‘what do you expect from your football club?’

 

“I spent an hour with them and that convinced me it is right to come back. I have certainly inherited a really strong and talented group of players, which is something I didn’t have when I came last time. Then we were wondering whether we could fill the stadium and that is not a problem here now – it will be trying to get a stadium big enough if we can put the football on and get any success here.

 

“It is very, very exciting. My dad was a Geordie, so I know what they want and what they don’t want. As long as they are realistic and patient, I think we can help them have dreams again and possibly win something.”

 

Why it might work

Kevin Keegan’s appointment has triggered some extreme reactions; while Newcastle United supporters have embraced Mike Ashley’s decision to bring back their “Messiah”, others have questioned his sanity. Here are ten reasons why it might just work.

 

Football, bloody hell

Since when did logic make sense? Howard Wilkinson and Steve Cotterill were the most qualified coaches in English football when they arrived at Sunderland in 2002. This is emotional, mad and brilliant; that’s why it’s perfect.

 

Más que un club

It was Sir John Hall who coined the phrase “Geordie Nation” and, just as with Barcelona, Newcastle is a place apart, geographically and spiritually. Other managers have not got to grips with the expectation. King Kev always has.

 

Our friends in the North

“My dad was a Geordie, I understand them,” Keegan said yesterday. So did Sir Bobby Robson. So does Alan Shearer. Newcastle’s playing kit features black and white stripes and hearts on their sleeve.

 

The Persuaders

Keegan got Shearer to turn down Manchester United. He told Rob Lee that Newcastle was closer to London than Middlesbrough. He tempted Nicolas Anelka to Manchester City. His name still resonates.

 

Love it, love it

Just think about the dross that came before under Sam Allardyce, Glenn Roeder and Graeme Souness. Now consider the contrast. Grown men are smiling again. Didn’t football used to be fun?

 

Ten feet high and rising

“He walks into the room and a player grows by 20 per cent,” Steve Harper, the goalkeeper, said yesterday. A squad featuring Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Damien Duff and Shay Given should not be eleventh in the table.

 

Michael Owen

Perhaps a more expansive style of play will bring the best from the England striker, whose spell on Tyneside is unfulfilled. Owen may, in turn, finally see the atmospheric club sold to him by Shearer.

 

Pile it high

Ashley is Newcastle’s owner. Keegan sells tickets. Sports Direct is Ashley’s main business. Sports Direct sells a lot of football shirts. So does Keegan. Do the maths and then count the money.

 

Danger – genius at work

Keegan picked Gareth Southgate as a central midfield player, but so had Terry Venables. “Everybody called Terry a tactical genius – when I played there for Kevin, everybody said he was a numpty,” Southgate said.

 

You don’t have to be mad to work here, but . . .

Freddy Shepherd, the former chairman, has half a dozen resignation letters from Keegan on his toilet wall; what some describe as mental fragility is actually creative tension. It took Newcastle to second in the league.

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle3207352.ece

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Couldn't give a toss about the rest of the article, I just hope the blank cheque bit is correct.

 

My keyboard looks like a plasterers radio after reading that.

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Couldn't give a toss about the rest of the article, I just hope the blank cheque bit is correct.

 

My keyboard looks like a plasterers radio after reading that.

 

To be fair, it probably did before an'aal :icon_lol:

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Couldn't give a toss about the rest of the article, I just hope the blank cheque bit is correct.

 

My keyboard looks like a plasterers radio after reading that.

 

To be fair, it probably did before an'aal :icon_lol:

 

I'd just washed it B)

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Couldn't give a toss about the rest of the article, I just hope the blank cheque bit is correct.

 

My keyboard looks like a plasterers radio after reading that.

 

To be fair, it probably did before an'aal B)

 

I'd just washed it :)

 

:icon_lol:

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Wes Brown - :icon_lol:

Wayne Bridge - B)

Jermain Defoe - ;)

Daniel van Buyten - :)

 

Still haven't forgotten about Bridge against Croatia. He stood out as being the worst on the pitch for me, which says a lot.

 

I still haven't forgotten about all them other times he's played and looked class :icon_lol:

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Kevin Keegan has been promised a £30million transfer kitty for January and a further £60m in the summer in order to compete with the top four clubs.

Newcastle owner Mike Ashley has told Keegan he will be allowed to splash his cash to deliver Champions League football to the city again.

Daily Mail
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Don't really want to be pedantic here, but having a "blank cheque" IMO isn't really what I think is fair to Mike Ashley.

 

I'll be happy if the club show ambition to capatilise on their fanbase.........although I concede initial spending may be necessary to jump higher ie back into europe at least.

 

Moving on from there, I have a belief that we have a manager who is more than capable of delivering if he is given good backing

 

Obviously. Whatever the southern twats in the press are going to say about all of this. Which we will all read about over the next few days and the weekend

 

I'm more than happy to have the manager back who should never have left in the first place

 

Edit.

 

I'm also looking forward to these arseholes saying that Keegan is making the same mistakes as before etc etc blah blah when he buys a top quality trophy signing when he should be buying defenders .......

 

Anybody with half a brain who has seen Newcastle play can see where the team needs to be strengthened, and it isn't the defence and hasn't been for the last 2 years

 

KK will see straightaway that zoggy is the best player at the club, and bring in a quality player to play in midfield or up front asap.

Edited by LeazesMag
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Couldn't give a toss about the rest of the article, I just hope the blank cheque bit is correct.

 

It's actually a very positive piece.

 

As for the blank cheques, since Ashley seems to be genuinely interested in having an attractive, successful Newcastle United team, I'm hopeful the figures mentioned today are true. £30m now and £60m in the summer would certainly turn us into contenders for Europe again, even with a poorer manager. And with Keegan and the optimism and euphoria, who knows...

Edited by Bombadil
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Hope the cheques not totally blank like, needs Mikes signature on it.

 

As for the numbers being thrown around, I take it with a pinch of salt tbh. Papers eh.

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Grown men are smiling again

 

I think this is the key to the whole Keegan thing - I would argue theres been a gradual decline in potitivity since Bobby left which reached its low point with Allardyce - you could argue he was a victim of that but at the same time it was of his own making.

 

As for a blank cheque I think what it actually means is that instead of saying "you've got £20m" or whatever to spend what they are probably saying is we;ll discuss and approve targets on a one by one basis without any set limits - slightly different than Keegan just saying "him, him and him - thats £19m please".

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30 mill to blow in under a fortnight :icon_lol: Gonna be like the Prem version of Supermarket Sweep.

 

B) Brewster's Millions.

:);):icon_lol::)

 

FFS!

 

John Candy has Ashley's good looks, and Pryor has the Keegan's hair.

 

index_clip_image001.jpg

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Couldn't give a toss about the rest of the article, I just hope the blank cheque bit is correct.

 

My keyboard looks like a plasterers radio after reading that.

 

To be fair, it probably did before an'aal B)

 

I'd just washed it :)

 

White washed it? :icon_lol:

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