Keegan Return To The Toon?

Crocker

skysports.com

Tyler Durden

Lol, maybe Ashley thinks he's got to do something outrageous now to get the home fans onside again. Talk of putting Shearer with Keegan seems a little bizarre. Keegan, as with Dalglish, is no "coach". And men like Dalglish and Keegan always worked with serious coaches like Arthur Cox, Derek Fazakerly or Ray Harford to help them to success as both of them work best as some kind of inspirational "guru" at a club. So to put Shearer and Keegan together would be strange since both of them would be seen as the head "guru" type and neither man is a coach of any real quality. These arrangements also whereby somebody is meant to be "mentoring" a more senior manager never seem to work in English football.

If it was Keegan alone without Shearer it still seems a strange move. Keegan seemed spent in his last days at Manchester (and pretty much ever he took the England job). I can understand how he was an inspiration to players in the 1990's and how that worked in his first job at Newcastle, but we're over 10 years from all that now, and I think players now would not be "inspired" by him as they were then. People now seem to seem him more as a comedy figure "I'd love it etc" and for blowing titles and failing with England. I can't really see anyone being inspired by him anymore.

He may prove me wrong and be totally re-charged from having the last few years off, but I can't see him being a great choice for them. It's a retrogressive move for everyone.

I find it amazing that a guy like Ashley, who clearly must be an astute businessman, can be so emotively dumb to sack his manager with no immediate replacement at hand and with a visit to the league leaders and an FA Cup tie that will decide their season in the forthcoming week. Businessman largely have their heads turned to mush when they take over football clubs.

Lastly, anyone who takes the job now is going to be tarnished with the "2nd choice" brush that Steve MacLaren had with England. Their first choice, despite their denials, was clearly Harry Redknapp. (who they were willing to pay an almost Mourinho like salary of £5m a year too). So (a) anyone else that goes there is going to be tarred with being a "2nd choice" if they lose a couple of games and (b) if they do approach a genuinely top classs manager.....won't he see that they offered £5m to Harry (a manager who has never won anything) and say "well if that's the ball park figure for someone who's not won anything....then I'll want £10m"!