Kevin Keegan walked out on Mike Ashley in September 2008, when then Director of Football Dennis Wise had been allowed to bring in two new players that Kevin knew nothing about it.
It was really the start of managers at Newcastle under owner Mike Ashley not being in charge of which players would come in and in that season we ended up relegated with 34 points..
Kevin sued the Newcastle club and was later awarded damages of £2M plus interest in October of 2009, after an independent arbitration panel found that he had been constructively dismissed by Newcastle.
Kevin Keegan today
Newcastle are close to relegation again and by coincidence we have 34 points with one game remaining.
We could be relegated today if Sunderland beat Everton at home.
This is what Kevin has told BBC Sport today:
“The owner has had quite a lot of years of making a lot of mistakes.” “They are going to have to go down and regroup.” “That’s not going to be easy.”
“You have to look at Mike Ashley and say he hasn’t handled the decision-making very well or he’s given the responsibility to people and they haven’t handled it very well.”
“You make mistakes in football and you get punished, especially the Premier League now.” “They are where they are and I think they will go down but they’ll bounce back.”
“It is mismanagement from the very top.” “They bought players for the future but sometimes maybe you have to buy players for the present.”
“It’s all right having a few good young players from France, but can they play in the Premier League now?”
“If they can’t – don’t buy them or certainly don’t play them. A few of them have found it very tough and the confidence goes – and then even good players start to look pretty poor.”
Relegation is out of our hands now and we are simply hoping Sunderland mess up in their final two games.
Maybe the best chance we would have is if Sunderland somehow lose to Everton tonight – and then if Newcastle can win on Sunday against Spurs at home then Sunderland would have to win at Watford to stay up.
In that situation a Sunderland draw would see them relegated.
It’s a very small chance now for Newcastle to survive – but we only have ourselves to blame – so we cannot complain too much.
As Kevin says there have been far too many mistakes made and they keep making them – that’s why history is repeating itself.
7 comments so far
danuneek
May 11, 2016 at 5:37 PM
Comment #1I think he’s spot on here, that has clearly been the problem!
Munster Mag
May 11, 2016 at 5:38 PM
Comment #2Hard to imagine the massivelt overrated martinez ( well done catchy and rotunda…good manager analysis, not) getting a tune out his bunch of sideways passers tonite but you never know in the prem. Is a point enough for them?
Lee Charnley Bunga Party
May 11, 2016 at 5:46 PM
Comment #3The worst bit about getting relegated is having to watch Allardyce’s smug face give it the whole “I have never been relegated blah blah” and then watching Sunderland struggle at the bottom of table again next season when if we stayed up under Benitez we would be nowhere near the relegation places next season !
Come on Everton do us a favour for once!!
Jib
May 11, 2016 at 5:52 PM
Comment #4KK
Just a pundit now.
It must be in all their job descriptions.
“Has to be master of stating the bleedin’ obvious”
nufc 11
May 11, 2016 at 6:01 PM
Comment #5The selling of Ba and Cabaye and the banking of the money was the beginning of the end keeping a captain not capable of leading or maintaining form was another and choosing mcclaren over pulis or veria was the end note.
posada
May 11, 2016 at 6:29 PM
Comment #6If Rafa decides to stay would Ashley trust him.
He’s got a problem with managers ever since KK.
But, the cheap option, WB cost him a hundred and odd million.
Rafe is a workaholic and a person of integrity.
He should use his knowledge to overhaul the club from top to bottom.
The fools won’t like it as turkeys never vote for christmas. Their days would be numbered.
kimbo
May 11, 2016 at 9:45 PM
Comment #7For 75 minutes sing the Rafa song then empty the ground for the last 15minutes. Show Ashley what will happen if Rafa isnot there next season.