KK Not So Special To Ashley
The Messiah that is Kevin Keegan has been summoned to London for “clear the air talks” with Newcastle club owner Mike Ashley following his post match outburst on Sunday.
Newcastle were outclassed by Chelsea and went down 2-0 at home and Keegan stated that the best Newcastle could hope for was a UEFA Cup place next season, asssuming he is given some money to spend over the summer. He pointed out that he had been made promises before, which were subsequently not fulfilled and although he was sure that wasn’t the case here, he hadn’t been told what cash was available.
The clear implication was that he wants Ashley to publicy state what he is prepared to spend. KK is also trying to set expectations at the right level for the Newcastle fans who think they are a “big club”. Having a lot of fans prepared to spend their hard earned cash on a ticket each week does not unfortunately make you a big club. Big clubs win trophies and Newcastle haven’t done that for 2 generations.
Even if Ashley backs Keegan this summer it is unlikely that he will be able to find exactly the right blend of stars first time round. It takes a number of years to get the right strength and depth of players, and there will be times within that period where there are slumps - even Manchester United have been there when one or two stars fail to pick up the pace of the Premiership or take a season to settle in and get used to the climate in the North West. (Maybe Thaksin at Manchester City should bear this in mind).
Therefore Keegan’s comments are sensible - the question is how will Ashley react? My gut feeling is that Keegan was a sticking plaster brought in to appease the fans who were disillusioned with Big Sam and that he doesn’t hold Keegan in the same esteem. He clearly wasn’t the first choice. That, coupled with the strange appointment of Dennis Wise soon after, leads me to believe that Keegan will be lucky to be at the helm come the start of next season, and that a small cockney chap will make the trip downstairs to take over. I’m sure the legions of Geordies will simply love that.
on May 8th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Yes it’s quite a desperate situation. Like you I highlighted the need for funds if Keegan is to mould the side. Sadly I fear you are right and that Keegan was a knee-jerk reaction to calm the fans following Allardyce. I hope that isn’t the case and Keegan travels back up North following his meeting with a budget for the transfer window.
In my ‘ideal’ I still see lines of people piling out of their terraced houses and making their way to the match every weekend.These are the working class. The poorest sector of society if you like. They can’t afford the gates but they go and they have passion. For them taking the easy option of watching the game “down the pub” is out of the question. They pay their entrance and scream their praise and objection.
Newcastle and Liverpool are perhaps the most obvious example of this scenario in the Premier League.
Yet sadly the fan’s angst continues to fall on deaf ears. Keegan therefore quite rightly speaks on their behalf and speaks the truth. Gone are the days of the fans being the true owners of the club. We are where we are and money talks. Newcastle aren’t alone in this. To survive and compete at the highest level you need colossal amounts of money.
An interesting discussion. .