How do people actually feel about KK these days? I only ask as I was looking at TOTT and there were people on there fulsome in their praise for him and desperate for him to return.

Personally I feel that as a player and a manager he gave NUFC some of the best times in my living memory and for that I'm grateful. However my view of him is tainted by his departure. I know that this was partly about the role of the NUFC board, the flotation etc but at the end of the day, KK had already decided he was leaving. it was just a case of when.

In the end I just feel he bailed out on us and for that reason I will applaud his return but I won't be cheering too loudly.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Answers

I'll cheer heartily.....still think the man is a god, I hope to give him an ovation after we've beaten them 4-0......

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

I'm on Gav's side of the fence on this one.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Quite simply, we wouldn't be where we are today without him.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Wish I could be there to give him a rousing reception. Uncle Bobby hasn't (yet) done half the job Keegan did for us and I adore him.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Love the man.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

When the draw was about to be made for the 5th round I was praying that we would get Man City at home. (why doesn't this ever work for the lottery?) I'd love it, just love it for us to play one of his teams. I've still got admiration for the fella, even though he can be tactically nieve at times. Anyone else get any flashbacks circa 1997 when watching Man City play yesterday? They reminded me of how we used to play under KK. Brilliant going forward, but allowed a two nil lead to slip. I prefer the way we are playing at the moment. I feel as if we are a more solid team. KK's teams always seem a bit fragile. Like Lynda I will welcome KK, but hope he can be gracious in defeat.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

I loved KK but I was pleased when he shipped out. The lad was physically and mentally exhausted. Hoying away the Premiere title finished him, he could give no more after that.
If he stayed he would have had a heart attact or would have become a basket case.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

During the second half of the Ipswich-City game I turned to my kids and said Newcastle will play Man City next round. They asked how I knew, and I just said 'cos'. When they went to the draw I offered them a penny each if Newcastle didn't get City. Cheers Dad.

Stunned amazement when 15 followed 7. Why don't you do that with the lottery dad ?

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

I did something similar with the missus.....saw us drawn at home and then I called out Man City.....City were drawn and she said...you saw this earlier then? :))

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Apparently Kev also said the same thing to his lads at the game. It was fated, it seems.

On the subject in hand, I would gladly shake Keegan by the hand and wish him long life and happiness for the delight he gave us as player and manager. I also wish that his whole side pull their hamstrings as soon as they run onto the pitch.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Lynda.... you should never start threads like this....you're asking for trouble!!!!

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

According to some sources Keegan won't be at St James because we won't pay him enough.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

How will we feel if KK and Man City win the cup when we won nowt with him?

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Macbeth, Either you've got lots of kids, or you're a tight ba..ard. Now in my day, when you could buy a lucky dip and a Beano for a penny............

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Football will never have seen anything like the reception that KK gets @ SJP.

I really hope he does something to acknowledge his return. Wether it's a lap of honour or a walk onto the pitch at half time, it will be worth it for him.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Hopefully Jim, he can give us a 4-3 win, probably after Man City go 3- 0 up.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

KK as a player was great for us. As a manager he was out of this world. He did more for NUFC than anyone else I can remember. He has to be loved and praised by us all.

Dead right he would have gone mental if he had stayed with us.

No one better at lifting teams from the lower divisions up to .. well almost Champions.

It is almost as sad for him as it is for us that he has won nowt as a manager.

As somebody said earlier he is tactically unaware. But great to watch his sides. The philosophy of scoring at least one more than the opposition has always been good. Shame it won't work for him on his return but he does deserve all the applause he will get when he comes to St James Park (will he arrive by Helicopter?)

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

I felt quite emotional on hearing this. I hope him coming back with a team trying to beat us will help us achieve closure on his reign which I don't think we have achieved even now. I also intend to shout from him as though he was the horny one out of WestLife.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Can't wait for the game. I'll be singing me heart out.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

It will be a very strange and very emotional day. Actually, I'm not sure how he will handle it - I don't think he'll want to be the centre of attention on a big FAC day for both Clubs, but it will be very difficult to avoid.

I looked forward for weeks to his first appearance at SJP in Pedro's Testimonial, but he worked it cleverly so that he didn't take too much focus away from Pedro. While it was nice that he did that it took something away from the reception he got, and I have to say it left me unfulfilled.

I think the best scenario here would be for us to win the game, and for him then to come onto the field to take the accolades from his adoring fans.

There is a danger that the game could become a sidewshow to KK's return, but I suspect that somehow he'll manage to avoid that happening. The man is sheer class.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

I think some of you lot are seriously niaive. Agree he played the beautiful game it was a delight to watch when it went well but I'll never forget the enduring images of grown men crying match after match when we lost the premiership that season when we were 12/15 points ahead. He was naive and you lot are also. Remember he had no youth set up and no reserves. Just got the cheque book out with Sir John to bank roll him and financially crippled the club in the process. Left an awful legacy for the men following. That is the main reason why we slid into obscurity under Kenny and Ruud boy Hullit. The money was gone! Imagine how Bobby would have done with that sort of backing? For me Bobby Robson is head and shoulders above Keegan. A diplomat, first class manager of the highest order and a winner by the way, likes his teams to score goals with good attacking football, a bloody nice bloke and if anyone will go down as a legend in these parts then it will be Bobby.

Superkev bailed out when he realised he had blown it or should I say Sir Johns wad and don't ever forget it. He bailed out at Fulham, and England as well. Bobby will never do that. Celebrate the manager we have now instead and be glad, he's more likely to win us something than Kevin ever was. Tossers.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Gotta tell ye this fence is pretty comfortable. One the one had KK did almost put us on a stratoshere beyond our wildest dreams on the other he left us at the alter when he thought he couldn't take us any further. If city don't promoted will he quit or if they get relegated will he quit? He does have this habit of walking out when things aren't going to plan. Bobby would never do that. I am sure he'll get a fantastic reception on his return so long as we don't over do it. What needs to happen is for us to dismantle city in every department, then as dougal said we will have closure.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Keith - you're perfectly entitled to your opinion: the insult for those exressing a different one wasn't really necessary.

I think if you check your facts you'll find that KK's transfer balance (£out - £in) wasn't too bad. What created a far bigger financial problem for the Club was the profligacy of Dalglish and Gullit who failed utterly to take the Club on from where KK had taken it.

Were we can all agree is that if BR had come in straight after KK we would undoudtedly have won the PL before now because he would have used the funds wasted by TSM/TDO to restructure KK's team and improve it.

No one to my knowledge is denigrating Bobby's efforts, but it would have been infinitely harder for him if KK hadn't saved us from the old Div. 3 and established a new platform for us to build upon.

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

Well said Clarky! Let no-one, but no-one rundown what Keegan did for NUFC - both as manager and player. Sure, he had his faults, and I'm one that does blame him for "dismantling" the Resorves. But make no mistake - he saved us from the 3rd division. A place which could have taken eons to escape from. I'm not sure YBR would have done that - they're different animals. Thank you Kevin.

KK brought a new lease of life to an old club. Along with benefactor SJH. Both were right for each other, but sadly, for one reason and another, they drifted apart. But up to that time, they both brought us something we'd craved for for a long time. OK, so we didn'tquite achieve the final goal. But it we were glorious in defeat. Thank you SJH and thank you Kevin.

So, KK didn't achieve his ultimate goal at Fulham. So what. He set a pattern that Tigana has moved forward. I honestly believe that KK was torn between two stools. He wanted to tak eFulham all the way, yet he was also offered the greatest opportunity which can be offered to any football manager - to manage your country. Whether he was right to take it is open to discussion, but he didn't shirk from the responsibility. He gave it his best shot. Who else was around to do it? OK, so he missed, but he had the b@lls to realise his shortcomings. How many might have stuck it out and failed? Quite a few I'm sure. BUt in going when he did, at least he gave an opportunity to someone who coukd (and did). Don't knowck him for that.

KK has a recognised style, approach and achievement. Man City were in deep doodoo and they knew what they needed to get them out. I hope he does.

But for me, whatever the result, I will be there applauding KK. If it hadn't been for him, we wouldn't have been within reach of the CL - in the current campaign or either of the previous two. Nor the UEFA either. Thank you Kevin. Enjoy your return - but not too much ;-)

-- Anonymous, January 28, 2002

I've always believed that Ossie would have kept us up and launched us into the PL the following season playing dazzling one touch football with a team of young local lads. I've never forgiven Keegan for his treatment of Ardiles (accepting the job before Ossie had even been sacked) and then he quits on us not once but three times to public knowledge. Never liked him as a player and thought he was a fake as a manager. My arse will stay on my seat and my hands will stay apart upon his return. In my little corner of the Gallowgate I know of half a dozen others who will also not be applauding.

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2002

name those 6, we need to know who they are, and many have never fogiven him for his goals in 1974, or falling off his bike (symbolic that like) in Superstars.

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2002

and while we're at it there's that bloody record he had out and his hairdo. Jeez and you people want to applaud him because he was our fourth most successful manager, what's the woreld coming to!

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2002

How about that World Cup header he missed 'cos he wanted to give it a bit of full on perm attack?

Keegan had many faults but he led us back to the good times once again making NUFC a feared opposition for any team. Shearer, Beardo, Cole, Asprilla, Albert, Ferdinand, Ginola...we were f**king marvelous and made other teams worry about how they would cope with us. Keegan knew exactly what Geordies wanted - glorious football, the romantic stuff of legend and lots of goals. The legacy is down to the bad management of his successors: as said b4, if only YBR wasn't so honourable with his Barca contract...

-- Anonymous, January 29, 2002