I honestly can’t speak highly enough of the man for his efforts on Tyneside. I was too young to remember him as a player for United, but his first stint as manager of NUFC was magical and whilst people will undoubtedly remember results like the 5-0 thumping of Manchester United the foundation for such results was put in place a few years previously when Keegan saved us from slipping into the third tier of English football for the first time in our history.
Sir John Hall has said that the club may well have folded had such a scenario occurred and the elation, joy and relief amongst the crowd when David Kelly scored that goal against Portsmouth to save us was up there with some of the best atmospheres I can remember.
Fast forward 12 months and a 7-1 thrashing of Leicester on the final day of the season put the icing on the cake of an incredible promotion season. Newcastle United were back in the big time, in a young Premier League, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Eventually Keegan left the club nearly five years after his appointment, and what a five years it was. Those memories were more than likely the catalyst to the excitement experienced when he returned to manage us for a second time in in 2008, 11 years after his departure first time round. However harmony didn’t last long and Keegan and Ashley soon fell out before going separate ways in very dubious and contentious circumstances which ended up with Keegan making a claim for constructive dismissal against the club, a claim he subsequently won.
Relations between Ashley and Keegan are obviously not great and Keegan has voiced those opinions on occasion. Not directly, but indirectly he has questioned the club which is of course his right to do, in much the same way we all have a right to question things.
And that is exactly what Keegan has done again. Speaking at a Soccerex event in Manchester, Keegan was asked about United and what the summer may hold. His reply has annoyed me a little:
“Some [players] will move on and I think that’s what Newcastle want. I think they are a selling club. They didn’t give Ba the sort of security in his deal,” said Keegan.
“I think they are going to move players on and if they can keep Graham Carr and he can keep finding them, I don’t think the Geordies care whose name is on the back as long as they come and play well and give their all.”
“I know Graham Carr very well and I employed him at Manchester City, He knows the French league and it is a good policy because they get very good quality players in who want to prove themselves in the Premier League.”
Praise on one hand, criticism on the other. It’s the label of us being a “selling club” that has annoyed me though. A lot of fans used to throw it around but when you look at the deals we’ve actually done there aren’t many that we either couldn’t do much about or haven’t benefited us in some way. Just look at some of the most recent ones…
Demba Ba: The one Keegan mentioned had a clause put into his contract due to his dodgy knee which has so far been fine. It wasn’t just with us where there was clause though as one was present at Hoffenheim which eventually allowed him to move to West Ham, where another clause saw him move to us. Anyone see a pattern here?
Andy Carroll: Yes the decision to sell so late in the window without a replacement was a bad one, but for £35 million could we really turn it down?
Jose Enrique: Had issues, was nearing his contract end and wouldn’t sign another. What do you do? Keep an uninterested player and let him go for nothing at the end of his deal or try and recoup some cash for him?
Kevin Nolan: The one that got away for me. He would still be good for us but he wouldn’t be guaranteed a starting spot and couldn’t get the kind of contract, cash or assurances he wanted whilst at Newcastle. Basically a move suited al parties.
Joey Barton: Had one good season for us out of four and was a liability in fairness. Released on a free, his Twitter shenanigans were funny but also disruptive and I’m glad he’s not our problem. His actions since leaving us have done nothing to change my mind on that one.
Leon Best, Peter Lovenkrands and Danny Guthrie: They would have been handy to keep around in all honesty but only because areas of our squad lack depth. Guthrie wouldn’t get anywhere near the first-team these days barring a central midfield injury crisis, same with Best and Lovenkrands who would just beef up our bench which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
My point being is that it’s easy to say we are a selling club, but it’s wide of the mark. We got good money (in my opinion) for all players who left for a fee and those who left for free were surplus to requirement in one way or another.
Whilst I’m aware that we’re always open for business, I’m also aware that we’ll only sell of the offer is right for the club. Keegan might be right and we might let some players go, but it’ll be for top whack which doesn’t make us a selling club although at least he does at least realise that the squad will be replenished.
I just think Keegan’s viewpoint is outdated on this subject. I love the bloke but realistically, barring a couple of clubs at the top of the footballing pyramid, ALL clubs are selling clubs in one way or another, and it doesn’t have to always be a bad thing.
I realise this is a divisive issue here and that I’ll be cutting close to the bone with some folk for disagreeing with Keegan and discussion might get a bit heated so please respect others opinions and keep abuse to a sane level whilst conversing with each other. Here goes…
What do you think of his statement?
Spot on Big Dave @70. The club has made it perfectly clear they will sell if the price is right. A big part of that is down to Carr of course as toonsy has said. Ash/Llam have huge confidence in him to identify good incoming players as they should. However Ash/Llam are much less able to act on Carr’s advice quickly or decisively enough as has been seen repeatedly in the last few seasons. It also seems obvious Ashley won’t invest in a top class manager because those men think for themselves and won’t just be turned into glorified coaches. Whether the Ash/Llam approach will ever work for us as a club instead of a business still remains to be seen. Most of the evidence suggests we don’t have the right combination of business and football brains to win anything sadly.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
if we were really a selling club why did we not sell the likes of collo caybeye ben afra krul cisse last summer and all teams sell players so dos that mean every bloomin club is a feeder club
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
TAE I have seen you blow many a gasket on here does that mean your a doughnut too 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
i agree with dave@75 and brought the crowds back did KK we had a long waiting list for season tickets they were like gold dust,has that happened since i very much doubt it
icedog(Quote)
@ BIG DAVE
lmao the difference is i dont do it live on sky sports news bud 😆
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Next summer will be a huge test of Ashley’s football ambition again With a huge increase in TV revenue there should be no excuse not to spend as many other clubs will. As Shearer said a Prem club has to spend 15-20M just to stand still. Do we want to stand still in 15th place or so? If we don’t I would suggest we spend well but within the clubs means with the increased revenue. That means at least 3 incoming high quality players. I’m not bothered where they come from as long as Carr has vetted them but we need more quality in the squad period. No team will compete for top 8 next season with 7 or 8 decent players and a bunch of fringe players and youth. Those days are long gone as the money pours in. It will be easy to get left behind especially with an owner like Ashley who appears to have his purse permanently sealed shut unless a huge panic is on.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
Robson was probably a more intelligent, stable manager than Keegan. Keegan was emotional, he let it all show, but I’m with Big Dave and Icedog. Keegan saved the club plain and simple. Without him we would probably be discussing a Division Two side at best. I think in another 10 years we will still be discussing Keegan and Robson but Pardew will be long forgotten.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
@ GEORDIETWO
agree about Mr Robson and mr keegan would do well to take a leaf out of his book on how to conduct yourself in my opion
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Ice well mate I take it you had a good time in malta, and yeah I had been watching your back and I have been trying to keep MM right, and he seems to be coming round a bit
Big Dave(Quote)
how many times have the board put the whole team up for sale ,end of argument ,and tae you still havent answerd my question
batty(Quote)
I would agree TAE @83 but I don’t think a leopard can change it’s spots. You have the take the bad with the good with Keegan especially. What we need now is a new manager with a fresh approach who can handle the type of players we have now. I still don’t think Pardew will be able to achieve much with our club. I hope if things go badly next season Ashley will have the courage not only to sack Pardew but to bring in a manager with real talent. I know others disagree strongly with this but surely if we sit somewhere around 13th or lower after 3 months next season Pardew’s time will be up?
GeordieTwo(Quote)
tae robson was robson and keegan is keegan ,didnt bobby turn us down once kk wins hands down
batty(Quote)
Totally agree Toonsy. Lot of respect for Keegan as a manager but I think he needs to leave it where Newcastle are concerned.
Team for Sunday (from who is supposed to be fit):
4-1-3-2
———————-Krul———————–
Anita——-Saylor—–M’Biwa——Jonas
———————Perch———————-
———Sissoko-Cabaye-Marveaux——
—————-Cisse–Gouffran————–
Subs: Elliott, Willo, Simmo, Tiote, Ben Arfa, Shola, Campbell
Oblong(Quote)
@ BATTY
dont really care what sort of lead the mancs blew dint really care about the mancs but the difference is they can afford to blow a lead were as we could not they blow a lead you can ussally bet they will make up for it next season
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Off again for a while lads. Have really enjoyed all your comments today as usual. The Keegan Robson debates will never end for a reason. They were the best managers we’ve had in decades and nobody since has managed to make us forget them.
GeordieTwo(Quote)
tae well manc couldnt afoord to blow a lead as they didnt win the prem last season ,the season we lost to man u thats the biggest amount of point they have had in there last 14 games ever in the prem 😕
batty(Quote)
@ BATTY
and whos going to win the league this season ?
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Geordietwo take it easy, but I will say there is a real chance that without KK building the club the chances are that SBR might never have came here 😉
Big Dave(Quote)
DAVE aye mate had a good time nice and hot,pup bought another house thats two he has now so ime proud of him hes going good think i will have to short-arm him for a sub next time lol as batty interest rates are worse than wonga 😆
icedog(Quote)
God bless king kev, He could tell me that dinosaurs shat angel delight and id smile and nod along. No one is more entitled to an opinion about newcastle united that him end of, He is the reason we have a football club.
I dont think its as cut and dried as he says but hes more than entitled to his opinion. I personally dont think were much worse than many others. Buying and selling are part and part and parcel of the game, I doubt anyone would call man utd a selling club but they couldnt keep Ronaldo when they got a huge offer, Pique when his head was turned by another club and Pogba when his contract was running down and he refused to sign another…
CC(Quote)
Is it right Webb is ref on sunday 😕
KIMTOON(Quote)
tae need i answer that ❓ but when we finished 2nd ide say it was against the best manc side ive ever seen
batty(Quote)
Ice I heard a rumor that the FSA are going to be looking into Batty’s charges.
As for Lee yeah he seems to be fast becoming a property tycoon I was ribbing him that I xas coming over next yr 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
@ BATTY
no need for a reply bud 😆 will admit they had 1 of the best teams they ever had,but this dude over here still takes blowing that 12 point lead like a gagger to me heart 😆
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
@Kim
Yeah
Santii(Quote)
DAVE you would be welcome ime sure mate,pleased your getting MM in line bet that was hard work
icedog(Quote)
Just checked it’s defo Howard Webb ,thank god we ain’t playing the Mancs.
KIMTOON(Quote)
<<<<<<<<<<< and this dude here still thinks public excutions should of been the order of the day 😆 for blowing that 12 point lead 😆
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
KIM thing is webb is a toon hater for some reason 👿
icedog(Quote)
and before any 1 says it yes i know im a tough task manager 😆
TOONARMYELITE(Quote)
Ice yeah i’m sure he would.
Yeah it was hard work but he’s still a work in progress not the finished article just yet, but i’m getting there 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
ICE@104 , funny thing is the Scum think he hates them too ! ,Perhaps he just hates the north east in general . Something tells me there might be a couple of reds on sunday .
KIMTOON(Quote)
Icedog, I’m glad you’re back because the we love Cisse mafia are starting to pick on me because I said I thought Cisse was offside too much. 🙂 Richietoon is the ringleader
Munich Mag(Quote)
Oh man I’m going to be well up for it on Sunday. I hope we batter the scum bags..
Regarding KK, we all owe the man for saving us and bringing us the entertainers years. That we blew the league is all history now, but it was absolutely brlliant roughing it out with the big guys and actually having the gall to go toe to toe with Alex Ferguson.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Am a bit concerned that Webb will be in charge on Sunday cos we all know the bloke likes to play to the audience somewhat. We need to give the ref no room to manouver and quite simply batter the makkems with three goals in the first half. Man wouldn’t that be brilliant ?
We have so few goals in the team that almost every game is nervy. Once we find a system to create more chances, or bring in a second striker then we’ll all rest a bit happier.
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM ,I saw enough of Marv and Benny to bet they will feed Cisse well enough ,hopefully they both get ample game time to inflict some major damage on the scums back line 😈
KIMTOON(Quote)
Webb will be itching to dish out the odd red ,that bloke ain’t happy unless he gets in the headlines. 👿
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kimmy@111, both Marveaux and Benny have that something special to unlock the defenses. Dare I suggest Marveaux playing an advanced central midfield role and picking out killer passes to Cisse and the likes ? Webb is an attention seeker 👿
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM ,Sounds good ,just so long as they get enough time that’s all I want. 😀
KIMTOON(Quote)
I’m probably two blog postings too late, but did I ever say that I was peed off with the fact that the Champions League diddy’s get a second chance in the Europea League ? And yet sure enough we now have 2 of those teams in Chelsea and Benfica reaching the semi final.
Way out of order if you ask me, the sooner this rule is rescinded the better.
Munich Mag(Quote)
Kim, do you think Pardew will risk it and throw the kitchen sink at the makkems from the off ? Or play it safe ?
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM did you see the off side.stats that JJ put up 😕 oh and good to see you found the right thread
Big Dave(Quote)
Big D…no I didn’t mate. Probably something to do with Cisse never being offside I would imagine 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM@115 ,Yeah me and Rod was having a moan about that yesterday ,it’s not right imo .
@116 ,God knows mate .Thing is he will be acutely aware of how important it is we impose ourselves on the game being the home team but at the same time it’s more than a derby this time it’s as much about the relegation battle and points as it is bragging rights. I got a feeling he may go a bit low key as in play a containing game a bit like last night then unleash Marv and Benny 2nd half. If Benny was 100% we would be at them from the start I’m sure. Myself I would go at them from the whistle try and get 2 or 3 first half to drag the confidence down then we could play with less pressure and hit them on the counter but then I’m no manager so what do I know 😆
KIMTOON(Quote)
Pootle @ 50- Keegan had Liam Brady. 😛 You’re getting a bit carried away there, marrow. I loved Liam O’Brien though.
Blackley & Brownlie(Quote)
MM i’m on my phone or I woulda copied them but basically he is caught off side a lot less than than other top strikers in the prem etc, oh and his goal scoring record compared to that guy Ba that you idolise 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Kimmy@119 I think you could be spot on there with your first assumption. Pardew will probably play low profile and try and take the sting out of the game and play a bit safety first.
I fancy a double wammy substitution from AP after 60 minutes of Shola and HBA who will turn the game. 3-1 toon is my prediction.
TTBAWA 🙂
Munich Mag(Quote)
If only Kev had a bit more bottle we might have seen where he could really have taken us. Robson will always be top dog, if you want to talk about people getting shafted then talk about him. Keegan got his money, Bobby took it far harder and never really recovered. Decide for yourselves which owner was the bigger **** 😉
Newkie(Quote)
Big D@121, idolising Ba… 😆 btw stick to your phone mate ; 😆 😆 -) those small buttons and big fingers don’t work out too well 😆 😆
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM , See my post @30 it was me that posted the offside stats 😉
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kimtoon@30, I won’t say owt bad to a lass 😉 😆
Munich Mag(Quote)
MM I hit wrong keys that often I don’t even bother correcting my mistakes anymore but thanks for your concerns 😆
Big Dave(Quote)
MM-Not like you to praise Pardews subs, before they even happen! 😀
Newkie(Quote)
MM ,I only looked out of interest not point scoring but was shocked at Benteke’s o/s stats .Think Jelavic and Cisse both suffer from the fact that when they came in in january they got off to a flyer and are under pressure to repeat it.If you look at how well Cisse did ,realistically he could never keep that rate of strike success up no striker could ,it’s almost impossible . If he was putting away a goal every game he’d be worth a fortune and most likely with a top club by now.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim 😳 sorry I was looking for them there and just caught on it was you that put the stats up 😀
Big Dave(Quote)
Dave ,That’s ok ,I’ll let you off 😆 Actually I thought you was right as JJ often puts up stats and I went looking for them thinking I’d missed them 🙄 😳
KIMTOON(Quote)
Kim this is the stats that JJ put up
Cisse vs Ba (NEWCASTLE UNITED CAREER STATISTICS)
via Soccernet
CISSE: 35 goals and two assists in 69 (four sub appearances) starts…
= one goal every 0.47 games. (124 shots at goal, one goal every 3.5 attempts)
BA: 29 goals and two assists in 54 (four sub appearances) starts…
= one goal every 0.53 games (202 shots at goal, one goal every 6.9 attempts).
Big Dave(Quote)
Dave ,Right ,I knew he posted a few stats like.
KIMTOON(Quote)
Di Canio saying that he can make Sunderland NE1 🙄
Andymag(Quote)
Di Canio saying that he can make Sunderland NE1 🙄 “Sunderland fans are amazing. They are known everywhere. That has made me and my staff feel even more responsibility.” I’m pretty sure he mixed them up with us, who the hell outside the UK has heard of Sunderland?
Andymag(Quote)
DERBY DAY EVE!!!!!!!!! 😀
It’s better than Xmas!!!!
Oblong(Quote)
Newkie@128 I know you are surprised and impressed mate 😉 I just have a feeling in my watter that this might come off. Get 5 of your hard earned english pounds on my prediction and you’ll be ok 😉
Munich Mag(Quote)
Andymag@135, Di Canio was misquoted, the actual interview went something like “They are known everywhere in Pennywell…” 😳 😈
Munich Mag(Quote)
Big D@132, canny stats those like. It only goes to show whilst they were both at the toon Cisse had a better striking rate than that Chelsea bloke Ba. Glad we got rid of the waster, cos he was nowt but trouble.
Pity we never replaced Ba’s goals in the team though. 🙁 Or are you intimating that Cisse’s record improved once Ba left ? That could perhaps be the case.
Munich Mag(Quote)
My thoughts on the out goings this summer….
GK Tim Krul
GK Rob Elliot
GK Steve Harper – Leave
GK Jak Alnwick – Loan
RB Mathieu Debuchy
RB Ryan Taylor
RB Danny Simpson – Leave
RB James Tavernier – Loan
CB Steven Taylor
CB Fabricio Coloccini – Leave
CB Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa
CB Mike Williamson – Leave
CB Curtis Good
CB Remie Streete – Loan
CB Kevin Mbabu – Loan
CB Paul Dummett – Loan
LB Davide Santon
LB Massadio Haïdara
DM Cheick Tioté
DM James Perch
DM Gaël Bigirimana – Loan
RM Hatem Ben Arfa
RM Gabriel Obertan – Leave
RM Sammy Ameobi – Loan
CM Yohan Cabaye
CM Vurnon Anita
CM Dan Gosling
CM Mehdi Abeid – Leave
CM Michael Richardson – Leave
LM Sylvain Marveaux
LM Jonás Gutiérrez
LM Shane Ferguson
LM Romain Amalfitano – Leave
AM Moussa Sissoko
AM Haris Vučkić
AM Bradden Inman
ST Papiss Demba Cissé
ST Yoan Gouffran
ST Shola Ameobi
ST Adam Campbell
If it work out like that 🙄 we are definitely going to need a few more “Purples”
Oblong(Quote)
We will need IMO….
GK – for back up and to push Krul and Elliott
2x CB – 1 Quality ready for the first team CB to push Saylor and M’Biwa. And a young CB who can fill in where needed ( Unless Streete, Good or Mbabu are ready for this role)
Pacy winger- Someone with Obertan’s pace but with an idea what he is doing with/without the ball at his feet.
ST – I love Shola (Don’t get me wrong) but he is getting older and we need another striker to push Cisse and Gouffran.
Oblong(Quote)
For what it’s worth, my opinion about what cost us the lead when KK was in charge of us was totally down to Ferdinand screwing up! Time and again he managed to miss an open goal when it was far easier to score than to miss! I was always a big fan of Ferdinand, thought he was a great player and a fantastic looking bloke but I had to start to wonder if he had a bet on that we would not finish first that season!
In Keegan’s last stint as manager he was totally screwed and put into an untenable position when Milner had just played the best game of his life and Keegan said he wasn’t for sale and Milner was sold the next day! Then horrible Dennis Wise bought Xisco for a ridiculous amount after Keegan had said he didn’t want him! That was a shady deal if ever there was one. Dennis Wise must have had a big monetary gain for himself to do the deal. He was a despicable little **** who conned Ashley into hiring him!
Jill(Quote)
Jill@142 that’s pretty much the way I also recall things transpiring. The one thing I question is whether Ferdinand’s finishing was so bad.
The trauma of us “blowing” the league and KK freaking out against SAF on Sky still sits deep even all those years later.
Couldn’t agree more regarding Wise and the Xisco deal. Ashley probably also thinks he could turn back the clock and strike that debacle from the history books.
Munich Mag(Quote)
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/391504/Grudge-match-Ellis-Short-blasts-Alan-Pardew?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-football-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+Football+Feed%29
Wehey….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s the local Old Bill banning makkems travelling to SJP because of the risk of trouble, warning toon fans against protesting against a self confesses facist, whilst all trying to keep a straight face. Laugh, I nearly got the beers in…
Light the blue touch paper and stand back 🙂
TTBAWA
He’s grey, he’s proud, he’s jumping in the crowd, Pardew, Pardew…
Munich Mag(Quote)