Never Go Back

What a delightful notion that Kevin Keegan can become the Newcastle United manager in January 2008 with his track record and having been out of the mainstream of football so long.

It gives hope to those people who send in letters of application for random Manager's jobs that become available.- Both my brothers have unsuccessfully applied for the England job in the past. The FA's rebuttal polite, swift and negative. My only vicarious link to the England managership has been horrendous trouble with the inland revenue.

That said. Keegan like Capello is a stroke of genius, watch Newcastle mount a serious revival, Keegan is pure magic and his effect on the Toon originally, Fulham and Man City subsequently is unique and has never been equalled by any other manager in my recollection.

I once bumped into Keegan and his trusty sidekick Arthur Cox at Hartshead Moor Services on the M62 one late Wednesday evening back in August 2003. The two football men were returning from a reserve game in Sunderland. Kev was sheepish, I'm a lot taller than he is and I guess you never truly get over a Baseball batting incident. I congratulated him on his ability to transform City from a Club of intense self pity to a genuine big club with European Football coming up [OK it was a while ago]. He took it in good faith and went on his way with enough confectionery for an entire team bus - which was actually returning separately from the senior management team.

Good Luck to Kev and a plague on the nay sayers. Here's to Football and the true spirit of our game, lost long since.