Kevin Keegan Has Left Newcastle

[___DaviD___]

Manager Kevin Keegan has left Newcastle United after only eight months in charge, BBC Radio 5 Live understands.

Keegan held talks with the club's board on Tuesday amid reports he was unhappy with a lack of control over transfer activity, notably James Milner's sale.

Newcastle's only business on transfer deadline day was a ?5.7m swoop for Spanish striker Xisco and the loan signing of midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez.

The ex-England boss, 57, only rejoined the club in January for a second spell.

Angry supporters gathered at St James' Park to protest at the reports of Keegan's impending departure.

The manager's relationship with owner Mike Ashley was reported to have soured in May this year, after Keegan claimed that Newcastle were unlikely to break into the top four during his time in charge.

FOOTBALL BLOG

Newcastle are almost terminally unstable, shifting from manager to manager with monotonous regularity, and shipping players in and out in a ludicrous revolving door policy

BBC Sport's Phil McNulty

One appointment two weeks into Keegan's tenure that caused controversy was that of executive director of football Dennis Wise, taken on board to oversee transfer activity.

BBC Radio 5 Live's Juliette Ferrington reported that the sale of players and the failure to replace them had brought the meeting to a head.

The transfer window saw the arrival of six players at Newcastle, with five players leaving the club.

Milner was one of those who left last week, transferred to Aston Villa for a fee of ?12m, with Keegan admitting it had been difficult to see the 22-year-old leave.

Keegan had also supported Joey Barton, after the controversial midfielder spent 74 days in jail for an assault conviction.

Barton will also be attending a personal hearing on Friday after admitting a Football Association violent conduct charge.

Newcastle are 11th in the Premier League having picked up just four points from their opening three games.

Need a new manager agai:(:(

[Martyn]

It is a shame really :(

Keegan, Allardyce, Roeder, Sourness, Sir Bobby Robson...all in the space of just over two years? A joke of a club.

[monkey13]

Once again we're a joke. I've been saying for years that it is all the stuff behind the scenes that is wrong with us. I liken all this manager changing to the re-arranging of the deckchairs on the titanic. The manager is not the problem.

Also why are we the only club with a billionaire owner who has no money to spend!

[FaRSightxc2]

The barcodes are a joke of a club at the moment.

Mike Ashley seriously needs to sort it out. Newcastle actually have a reasonable squad, and at the beginning of the season I was beginning to think they had the players and the potential to push on and challenge for the UEFA cup place(s) along with Spurs, Villa, Pompy and Citeh. Owen and Martins are good strikers, they have a hard-working midfield and a very good keeper. The defence does leave a little to be desired, but all round they were looking stronger than they had done for years. Keegan is hardly a tactical genius, but he seems to get his players to work hard, and that is a very positive quality. The club seemed in good stead.

But now because of what can only be described as back-room incompetence, Newcastle find themselves manageress, have lost one of their best young players and are scraping around trying to find a new manager, whilst having done little to bolster their squad in the transfer window. The BBC report that it was the sale of players and the inability to replace them that brought that were central to Keegan's discontent. Six players were in fact brought in, but it is up for debate whether they were approved by Keegan or are up to the pace of the Premiership. Keegan's departure suggests that they weren't.

Keegan came in as the Messiah, but he leaves having achieved nothing during his short tenure in an environment with much expectation but little direction. The problems started from the beginning of Keegan's tenure, and Ashley and the boards first mistake was bringing in Wise and Tony Jimenez shortly after King Kev was appointed. His role was to oversee transfers. This not only undermined Keegan's ability to mould a competitive squad in the way he saw best, but also came as a shock to him and destabilised the workings of the club from the start. It is not so much the role that Wise played that destabilised things, as the manner in which he arrived, the position it put Keegan in and the relative inexperience he had in the role. Newcastle have been liked to a lot of names, but the top ones were unrealistic and they have ended up with few new faces capable of taking the team up a step in terms of quality. Many clubs have directors of football or others that perform this role, and it seems to work well, especially when using a more international model like that employed in many Spanish clubs . However, it was unwise (if you excuse the expression) to bring in the ex-Millwall manager right under Keegan's nose, as it undermined his position in the club considerably, and for me it is an indicator of Ashleys incompetence to organise his own management team.

The summer has then been followed up by a lot of hype, links with players who were incredibly unrealistic and equates to a situation that must be incredibly disappointing for fans and the (ex) manager alike. This cumulated in the board going behind Kev's back and selling Millner, without getting a suitable replacement. Kev, understandably, has had enough and wanted out - his hands tied and disillusionment growing. He has not had the experience or treatment he was hoping for. Today's meeting seems to be the cumulation of the last 8 months of promises from the club and the board, but a complete failure to deliver on the pitch, but more importantly off it.

I don't agree with a lot of what Keegan said over the last 3 months. I don't think he is a skilled tactician. I'm certain that I wouldn't let him anywhere near my club. I particularly don't like his faith in that thug Barton. I do, however, respect that he always gave his all and he certainly didn't deserve to be undermined the way he was. He was simply not given a chance or a free reign to make the club what it could have been. He could have done well at Newcastle if he faith was put in him by the board. But, alas, it was not to be.

The barcodes find themselves manageress once again and with what looks like another 6 months of transition, with yet another manager not given a chance or a free enough reign to take the club onwards. Deja vous?

- FaRSightxc2

(Well that post ended up longer than I intended it to!!!)

[Rappy Veteran]

The future of Kevin Keegan and the manager's role at Newcastle United is unclear after the club insisted it had not sacked him.

BBC Sport understands Keegan had left the club following a series of meetings with the board.

But in a statement, the club said: "Kevin has raised a number of issues.

"We'd like to stress Kevin is extremely important both now and in the future and want him to continue to play an instrumental role as manager."

[FaRSightxc2]

Newcastle have announced that they have not sacked Kevin Keegan and they want him to remain as manager.

Source

Well that was a waste of a lot of typing on my part half an hour ago :angry: :laugh:

[Rappy Veteran]

Worth a read tho ;)

[___DaviD___]

lol sigh wish these things wouldn't get announced before its been confirmed

[FaRSightxc2]

lol sigh wish these things wouldn't get announced before its been confirmed

Typical by-product of a Sky Sports-fuelled, sensationalist, spin-driven, 'lets be first to report it even if its bull', media reporting rubbish with no accountability.

Sigh.

[Martyn]

The barcodes are a joke of a club at the moment.

Mike Ashley seriously needs to sort it out. Newcastle actually have a reasonable squad, and at the beginning of the season I was beginning to think they had the players and the potential to push on and challenge for the UEFA cup place(s) along with Spurs, Villa, Pompy and Citeh. Owen and Martins are good strikers, they have a hard-working midfield and a very good keeper. The defence does leave a little to be desired, but all round they were looking stronger than they had done for years. Keegan is hardly a tactical genius, but he seems to get his players to work hard, and that is a very positive quality. The club seemed in good stead.

But now because of what can only be described as back-room incompetence, Newcastle find themselves manageress, have lost one of their best young players and are scraping around trying to find a new manager, whilst having done little to bolster their squad in the transfer window. The BBC report that it was the sale of players and the inability to replace them that brought that were central to Keegan's discontent. Six players were in fact brought in, but it is up for debate whether they were approved by Keegan or are up to the pace of the Premiership. Keegan's departure suggests that they weren't.

Keegan came in as the Messiah, but he leaves having achieved nothing during his short tenure in an environment with much expectation but little direction. The problems started from the beginning of Keegan's tenure, and Ashley and the boards first mistake was bringing in Wise and Tony Jimenez shortly after King Kev was appointed. His role was to oversee transfers. This not only undermined Keegan's ability to mould a competitive squad in the way he saw best, but also came as a shock to him and destabilised the workings of the club from the start. It is not so much the role that Wise played that destabilised things, as the manner in which he arrived, the position it put Keegan in and the relative inexperience he had in the role. Newcastle have been liked to a lot of names, but the top ones were unrealistic and they have ended up with few new faces capable of taking the team up a step in terms of quality. Many clubs have directors of football or others that perform this role, and it seems to work well, especially when using a more international model like that employed in many Spanish clubs . However, it was unwise (if you excuse the expression) to bring in the ex-Millwall manager right under Keegan's nose, as it undermined his position in the club considerably, and for me it is an indicator of Ashleys incompetence to organise his own management team.

The summer has then been followed up by a lot of hype, links with players who were incredibly unrealistic and equates to a situation that must be incredibly disappointing for fans and the (ex) manager alike. This cumulated in the board going behind Kev's back and selling Millner, without getting a suitable replacement. Kev, understandably, has had enough and wanted out - his hands tied and disillusionment growing. He has not had the experience or treatment he was hoping for. Today's meeting seems to be the cumulation of the last 8 months of promises from the club and the board, but a complete failure to deliver on the pitch, but more importantly off it.

I don't agree with a lot of what Keegan said over the last 3 months. I don't think he is a skilled tactician. I'm certain that I wouldn't let him anywhere near my club. I particularly don't like his faith in that thug Barton. I do, however, respect that he always gave his all and he certainly didn't deserve to be undermined the way he was. He was simply not given a chance or a free reign to make the club what it could have been. He could have done well at Newcastle if he faith was put in him by the board. But, alas, it was not to be.

The barcodes find themselves manageress once again and with what looks like another 6 months of transition, with yet another manager not given a chance or a free enough reign to take the club onwards. Deja vous?

- FaRSightxc2

(Well that post ended up longer than I intended it to!!!)

The bringer of wisdom, excellent post :)

[monkey13]

Typical by-product of a Sky Sports-fuelled, sensationalist, spin-driven, 'lets be first to report it even if its bull', media reporting rubbish with no accountability.

Sigh.

Yep bloody Rupert Murdock owned news outlet. So they just made up the report that Keegan had been sacked and put it down to "Sky Sports News sources". Then when Newcastle announced that they hadn't sacked him they changed it to "We received reports from Keegan's friends that he had been sacked".

[Shibby]

I thought it was the BBC who first got wind of this?

[Dev Null Zen]

It's all such a crock. Ashley gelded Keegan went he brought in that little troll Wise. Much as I love Newcastle, they will not receive a penny from me again until Ashley and his douchebag cronies have left. Maybe I'll start watching Serie A

[evo_spook]

Not really too bothered about Newcastle, nice enough club and manager and as I'm living in Hull and bit of chaos is nice for the weekend, but my question is:

Dennis Wise, director of Football? WTF!!! who's bright idea was that? I havn't a idea if he's good a that job, can't see it myself but from all I've read of him down the years is he's a nasty piece of scum who struck it looking being okay at football and making the most of it, and they say he's there to look after transfer dealings, is it really that big of a job that keegan couldn't do it and how is he suppose to manage then team when he doesn't even get to choose his own players?

Crazy.

[rajputwarrior]

the only way newcastle is going to learn (the board anyways) is going down to the coca cola division. Then maybe they will learn...

[Mike]

he's gone again:

Keegan resigns as Newcastle boss

Kevin Keegan has resigned as manager of Newcastle United after just eight months in charge.

The announcement follows lengthy talks between the 57-year-old and the board.

"I've been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible," Keegan said in a statement.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/t...ted/7593683.stm

[evo_spook]

Dennis Wise vs Kevin Keegan, wonder how the board actually found that a hard choice to make :blink:

[FaRSightxc2]

the only way newcastle is going to learn (the board anyways) is going down to the coca cola division. Then maybe they will learn...

Surely that could never happen tothe 'best fans in the world'.

You just watch how many empty seats there are if this were to happen.

Unfortunately, though it pains me to say it, there are three worse clubs than Newcastle in the league - but, you are right, it might be the only way they will learn.

[Martyn]

Kevin doesn't deserve this. This job was his last in football management, and it was only his passion for Newcastle that persuaded him to take the reigns in the first place.

He was one hell of a player as well.

[Guest]

Kevin doesn't deserve this. This job was his last in football management, and it was only his passion for Newcastle that persuaded him to take the reigns in the first place.

He was one hell of a player as well.

Neither does the club. Ashley and his cockney regime are a shambles.

Worst club owner EVER.

[Martyn]

Neither does the club. Ashley and his cockney regime are a shambles.

Worst club owner EVER.

Hicks and Gillett are not exactly the best owners either :laugh:

[Rappy Veteran]

Vintage Keegan :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW8p8xppxwA.swf

[Dev Null Zen]

One of the most protracted, and painful, farewells in football was confirmed last night when Kevin Keegan finally resigned as the manager of Newcastle United. An increasingly acrimonious three-day stand-off between Keegan and Mike Ashley concluded with the club's billionaire owner refusing to be backed into a corner by the former England coach's demands before forcing him to walk out.A source yesterday revealed that a clause in Keegan's contract made him liable to pay Ashley ?2m in compensation if he quit. The club is considering taking legal action to recover that money but Keegan may counter-claim for constructive dismissal.

Gus Poyet, Tottenham Hotspur's assistant manager and a close ally of Dennis Wise, Newcastle's powerful director of football, was immediately installed as the favourite to succeed "King Kev" but Marcelino Garc?a Toral, the Real Zaragoza coach, is much admired by the club's hierarchy and also looks a strong candidate. Deportivo La Coru?a's Miguel Angel Lotina and Real Sociedad's Juanma Lillo are other possibilities.

Last night protesting Newcastle fans, dismayed by the loss of their beloved "Messiah", were seen throwing season tickets into the Tyne, calling for Ashley's head and talking of boycotting the home game against Hull a week tomorrow.

Keegan's tenure ended, just eight months after he returned to St James' Park for his second stint as manager to a hero's welcome, with a statement issued by the League Managers' Association.

"I've been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors but sadly that has not proved possible," he said in that bulletin. "It's my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want. It remains my fervent wish to see Newcastle United do well in the future and I feel incredibly sorry for the players, staff and, most importantly, the supporters. I have been left with no choice other than to leave."

That was disputed by Newcastle in a frosty riposte in which they said they were "sad and disappointed" by Keegan's action. They added that the former manager had rejected proposals designed to restore harmony. "The club made it clear to Kevin that if he had any outstanding concerns on its proposals, he should raise them with the club," they said. "The club regrets that Kevin has, instead of taking up that offer, chosen to resign."

Trouble festered almost from the day, in late January, when Wise and his cohort Tony Jimenez were installed at St James' as Ashley implemented a two-tier continental-style managerial system. Wise's brief was transfers and Keegan's coaching but the latter was distressed to find he had virtually no influence on who was bought and sold, with the final straw coming on transfer deadline day when Newcastle tried to sell Michael Owen and Joey Barton behind his back.

Furious rows with Wise and Derek Llambias, the club's managing director, followed on Tuesday. It was the beginning of an impasse between a manager resolutely refusing to resign and an owner, who has been in the United States this week, declining to pay Keegan at least ?2m in compensation for dismissing him.

With the latter decamping to the north-west, Manchester became the scene of a prolonged final act in which Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the LMA, mediated with Newcastle's board and Keegan's lawyers were briefed for battle. Those lawyers made it clear to Llambias that Keegan wanted to stay as manager but only if he was given full control of transfers and Wise and Jimenez were removed.

When this proposal was rejected in a formal letter from Llambias, it became clear that a compromise was impossible. As negotiations shifted to the financial details of Keegan's departure, the manager yesterday spoke to a senior player and told him he would almost certainly not be returning. Newcastle's squad, who almost all liked and enjoyed working with Keegan, were angry that no director explained the situation to them. An agent representing a member of Keegan's squad said: "The players' morale is at rock bottom."

Source

And this is how a club starts the downward spiral to death...

[tom01]

It's not the squads or managers fault Newcastle are "under performing"...It's that fat ###### Ashley. He think's trophy's come in tins.

[Mike]

It's not the squads or managers fault Newcastle are "under performing"...It's that fat ###### Ashley. He think's trophy's come in tins.

so when ashley wasn't there, newcastle weren't under performing? lol