Sportal carry the following story: Former England coach Kevin Keegan has said he is keen to return to football if the right job comes along.
If rumours are to be believed that job could be at Southampton should Glenn Hoddle leave for Spurs.
"I love football," he said on a visit to a horse racing meeting at Doncaster. "I’m not one of those people that’s besotted with it though. If a job came along that tickled my fancy. Like the Fulham job did, like the Newcastle one".
"I've never applied for a management job in my life - even the England job. I'm not going to go round putting my name in the hat for a job, but sometimes people come to you with an idea."

Could we? Should we? Tempting, but probably not!

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

Bloody thing!

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

YES, YES, YES, YES, in that order phoenix

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

Yes. Then again - we do have a manager - hmmmm - I'm not sure he could do it all over again but - hell - I'd like to see him try!

What on earth would we say to Young Bobby?

Keegan said he would never go back to SJP (but then again he said he's not a quitter and he also said he would never go into management). Does he have any issues with the existing board members? I think his feathers were ruffled by the whole plc situation but I don't know if he bears grudges. I would certainly want to speak to KK and discretely sound out his enthusiasm for a return. I'd love it - just love it if he came back.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

This one is so very, very difficult for so many of us, especially the 'more mature'(!) supporters like Jonno and me - that period in the early 90's was indeed "simply the best"; the best period in 30 odd years of what has largely been failure and despair.

The spine really tingled during every walk up to SJP in the certain knowledge that you were to be entertained by a team of talented footballers whose intent was to sweep the opposition away in a tide of swashbuckling, attacking play.

We won nothing; but who really cared; this was Geordie eutopia, pure and simple. The Entertainers gave us back our pride.

As we now know, it was all built on quicksand. How much of that was genuinely KK's fault? Some of it undoubtedly was, but perhaps he has learned some of those lessons - everyone makes mistakes; but then again maybe he hasn't.

God, I'd love to turn the clock back to recreate those magic days. Alas, my head tells me it turn to cr@p; couldn't work; wouldn't work.

It's always difficult to 'go back', and I don't think KK would take the chance. On balance, I have to say "hoy Kevin - NO!" It simply wouldn't work; just forget it.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

Nah. No fear.

Loved him when he was here but -

did you seet that tie he was wearing today during the press conference at Doncaster. And his hair. Where's he been for the past five years? Poland?

Nah. He couldn't cut the mustard in the dress stakes - even in the Strawberry.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

I'd reluctantly have to say "no" if it was as a replacement for YBR. I think KK's failings are all too obvious - tatics, bottler, etc.

But, if he were to come in alongside YBR to take over from Wick Madsworth, and perhaps to take over from YBR at a later stage, I'd be more interested. Perhaps the dynasty could then continue with Big Al coming in alongside KK, with the imortal YBR overseeing the lot from the boardroom. Hmmm - could that work??? Doug - waddyafink? (and I ain't referring to wor Dougal).

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

Way too many egos to get bruised there Screacher.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

The aspect of this I didn't consider is commercial. Were Keegan to return, that would virtually guarantee a ST sell out in the Summer and be a huge boost to sponsorship and an aid to selling those less- stripes-for-your-money new shirts. It would also make us very newsworthy which is good from the point of view of attracting new fans (you know - the old global brand awareness thingy - don't knock it - it's brought us the likes of the splendid Ciara and Eddy in Indonesia amongst others)and attracting players. (I mean, one can imagine Figo and Rivaldo stomping out of their respective clubs and demanding a move to one of the top partying cities in the World). These things have their own momentum and it would probably ensure the team got started in a wave of euphoria next season.

Too many imponderables for me to run the rule over this one - when does Bobby want to go, what are his plans for the restructuring of the football side of the business, would KK want to come, could he work with the existing directors, coaches etc and will the whole thing be scuppered if Terry Mac isn't available? But I would certainly want to give the matter serious consideration and talk to the parties involved to see if it is possible. I think the club would be very short sighted NOT to consider this, but only they have access to enough information to have an idea if it can work.

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

No need to ask where I stand on this subject.....if he even breathed NUFC under his breath I'd half kill the man.....

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2001

Terry Mac, welcome back

We still love auld Supermac

But Keegan is king

Gonna do his thing

Gonna take us up

Gonna make us sing ...

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Why are you so anti-KK, sparxx? I'm just curious. I feel he made a number of serious mistakes - in particular, his lack of attention to, and interest in, youth development, and scrapping the Reserve team - however, he also created something truly memorable in a way, and in a timeframe, that frankly nobody else could have done. In truth, supported by the Hall's willingness to invest, he effectively 'made' the Club as we know it today.

You have to remember that when he came here we were also-rans playing in a ram- shackle stadium, and he had no management experience whatsoever.
Coming back, he would bring much wider experience - including failure, which is an important learning expereince in management. Hopefully, he will have learned a lot from all those experiences.

As I indicated earlier, I'm really torn on this one - my heart says yes; my head says absolutely not. However, I can tell you that given where we are today, if I was Doug or Freddie I would certainly be giving it some consideration.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Clarky, you won't change Sparxx's mind.....I've tried many times before :)) I think KK must've run his dog over or something....

Me, I'd like to see him back.....

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

We're in the poo and sinking fast. Get him back, nothing to lose.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

I love the commenst regarding his tactical naivety.

This is the tactical naivety of a side in 1995, which finished 6th our worst Premiership finish under him. We scored 67 goals conceding 47.

Now Mr Dalglish, a more tactically astute manager (?) in his only full season had us conceding only 33 goals, clearly more defensively astute, we scored 32 goals and finished 13th.

Mr Gullit in his near full season (can't be asred to work it out) had a team that conceded 54 goals, so not as good as Kevs worst, but they did score 48 goals, again finishing 13th.

Last year zoomed back up to 63 goals for, and 41 against and 11th.

Me ? I'd love to have the tactical naivety which gets us into Europe all the time, has us scoring bucket loads of goals. If our manager could do that it'd be great. Get somebody elese to concentrate on youth side of things, getting the pitch reseeded and making sure the drinks cabinet is full in the board room.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Nobody would care a jot about our record of clean sheets if we were also on a 25 match unbeaten run.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

The thing I can't help but compare is the general gloom & despondency, and total lack of direction now surrounding the Club, with the anticipation I had for every single home game when KK was here - you just can't bottle that, or indeed put a value on it.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

my reasons for disliking Keegan are well documented. he's a quitter, plain and simple. He quit twice on us, yet people treat him like he's the bloody messiah....he's not, he's a quitter, that's all he'll ever be...

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

I hope our next boss "quits" when we are 2nd in the Prem

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Never.........Don't look back.

It was a fantastic time when he was there but you could never capture and re-kindle the spirit of that period.

Onwards and up (or down!) but never back.

It smells of Coventry, Everton etc!

And yes. I agree sparxx. He is a quitter.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

I'm with sparxx, the man's a bloody liability. Yeah we were 2nd when he buggered off but we had just signed Shearer and should have been going full throttle for the Prem. Instead, after the 5-0 we drifted and he got more and more miserable as he realised he wasn't going to get a nice slice of the flotation cake.

He IS tactically inept. He does not understand the modern game at all. You need to defend in numbers and scrape draws as well as slaughter teams 5 nowt. You need to occaisionally hang on to a 1-0 lead not go all out for two. He doesn't have a clue as he admitted after his hopeless reign as Ingerland manager, a post he conned his way into and then quit. His team selection and substitution policy was surreal at times.

The man's a greedy egotistical liability and if he has any sense he should stay away from football management forever.

Now then, bringing back Ossie, that's what we should be talking about.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

With Sparx and Dread on this one , my views on KK are well known

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Yes Keegan was a quitter right enough. He quit the Toon job after a run of some 5 or 6 fairly poor results and sinking to 4th! (I think it was) in the Premier.

What a shame Kenny Dalglish wasn't a quitter ...

The point is that knowing when to quit is a strength of character. Hanging on to a job you're unable to do shows a marked lack of integrity.

(I'm going to quit writing this now.) :-)

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Jonno, I believe you may think this is about Keegan - Dagleish , no way , my judgement on Keegan is a totally separate issue, as with Dagleish, Gullitt and Robson if asked , compare like for like is not the way forward. I shall now offer my best wishes to Sven on the game tomorrow which no-one seems to care about , he has landed a mammoth task to try to excruciate our country from the position they are in through the failure and tactical ineptness of Kevin Keegan in the early stages of the competition , Apart from a fervent "Geordie Enclave" the majority of the UK recognise his failings ,lets put things into perspective shall we, they cannot all be wrong, can they?

I shall in time probably be hard on Bobby, if he is not doing the biz why go soft on him , he will not appreciate it at all . Jonno in one stroke you in my opinion highlighted the problem that is Newcastle United Football Club, 4th in the League gets a bold-who cares or even remembers, the man blew it at Newcastle, let down his country,better waffler than Barton is a clapper, seen it all.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Apart from a fervent "Geordie Enclave" the majority of the UK recognise his failings ,lets put things into perspective shall we, they cannot all be wrong, can they?

Would these be the same "non-Geordie Enclave" who were clammouring for KK's appointment as England manager a few months earlier? Just wonderin' like.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

lets put things into perspective shall we

Good idea Buff. He took over with the club facing relegation to the 3rd tier and 3 years later they were challenging for the title, playing the most exciting football ever seen at SJP and making some very astute transfer deals. Viewed from that perspective the man's faults were fairly minor IMHO. Criticism of tactics etc is ok but any attempt to trash the man's record is ridiculous IMHO.

-- Anonymous, March 23, 2001

Jonno, Full circle pal, Ill convert you yet, WHAT RECORD , Sir John I fully admire for the advancement of the club. Think of other managers of that period, think of the backing, think what may have been achieved long term , turn the pages of the record books back and feel what could have been acclomplished then and as a base for the future , re-runs of the fifties success aint enough for me now Jonno , in my mind Morecambe and Wise will be remembered as the "Entertainers" , Keegan and Newcastle Utd the best chance we ever had to make a lasting mark in the annuls of football history, On and On, he let me down very badly, I cannot forgive him.

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2001

It interested me to see Eamon Dunphy (I think) say Jack Charlton was the worst manager the Republic of Ireland ever had. Now at first reading this may seem daft but his logic was that Jack was given the best set of Irish players there ever was and what did he ever win with them ? Well they got some applause for only going out of 90 World Cup on penalties but for God's sake they should have won ii with those players.

I don't use this as a pro or anti Keegan comment, just as comment that what one person may view as success another person views as a disaster.

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2001