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Gifted, charismatic and passionate amid highs and lows – Keegan obituaryImage source, BBC SportImage caption, Kevin Keegan is arguably the most beloved figure in Newcastle United’s history for his deeds as player and managerByPhil McNulty
Kevin Keegan, who has died aged 75, was one of football’s most charismatic and influential figures in a career of many chapters that took him from superstar player to elite manager.
While some may remember him best for his ill-fated reign as England manager, he will rightly be much more celebrated as a world-class player at Liverpool and Hamburg, captaining England, and shining latterly at Southampton and Newcastle United, before becoming arguably the most beloved figure in the Tyneside club’s history.
Keegan revived Newcastle’s fortunes as a player before carrying the Geordie nation with him on a thrilling ride as manager, first by taking the club back into the top flight, then delivering a magnificently entertaining team that challenged for the highest honours – even if they ultimately fell short.
His time at Newcastle will also be recalled for his infamous “I will love it if we beat them” TV outburst aimed at Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson as Newcastle’s 12-point lead in the 1995-96 title race evaporated – but the unconditional love the Geordies felt for Keegan was never diluted.
Keegan’s career was a reflection of himself.
He was hugely gifted, honest, decent, hard-working and emotional. There were highs and lows, but the positivity and vibrancy he brought made him a cherished figure.
Keegan scores double to inspire Liverpool to 1974 FA Cup final win
Born in Armthorpe near Doncaster, Keegan came to Liverpool manager Bill Shankly’s attention when playing more than 100 games for Scunthorpe United, sitting on a bin outside Anfield while the Iron’s legendary Scottish boss Ron Ashman finalised one of the all-time great bargains as the 20-year-old was transferred for £35,000 in 1971.
Keegan was regarded by some observers as simply a hard-working player who made himself great through sheer grit and determination. The initial assertion was correct, but he was much more than that.
Shankly, not one to knowingly undersell his players, told Keegan within a fortnight of arriving at Liverpool that he would play for England.
The new signing scored on his Liverpool debut on the opening day of the 1971-72 season against Nottingham Forest at Anfield, a scruffy finish set up by John Toshack. It was the start of a beautiful football relationship with Liverpool as well as with the Welshman.
Image source, Getty ImagesKeegan scored twice in Liverpool’s 1974 FA Cup final win against Newcastle at Wembley, but was sent off there three months later in the Charity Shield
Their almost telepathic partnership – a classic “big man, little man” combination – was even put to the test on television.
They gelled to such an extent that Granada TV’s groundbreaking Friday magazine show Kick Off had Keegan and Toshack sitting back to back, trying to guess the colour and shape of a card the other was holding.
Such was their success rate some thought telepathy actually was at work – but the pair later revealed there was a mirror in the studio and they could see the other’s cards.
Keegan was the spearhead of Shankly’s second great side, in total winning three league titles, the European Cup, FA Cup and the Uefa Cup twice under his Scottish mentor and then his successor Bob Paisley.
He was instrumental in all of those triumphs, scoring twice in the 3-0 victory against Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup final. His first prompted the famous line from BBC commentator David Coleman: “Goals pay the rent – and Keegan does his share.”
In the subsequent Charity Shield against league champions Leeds United, Keegan was sent off after a flare-up with Billy Bremner, who was also dismissed, with both leaving the Wembley pitch shirtless. Johnny Giles had been the instigator, landing a blatant right hook on the Liverpool player, but was not sent off.
Image source, Getty ImagesKeegan was outstanding as Liverpool won the European Cup in his final game for the club by beating Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome
In the 1972-73 Uefa Cup final against Borussia Monchengladbach, Keegan scored twice in the first leg at Anfield, a game played at the second attempt after a thunderstorm 24 hours earlier caused the match to be abandoned after 27 minutes.
The rearrangement allowed Shankly to recall Toshack, who had been left out of the initial match, and he and Keegan tormented the Germans in a 3-0 victory, Liverpool subsequently winning 3-2 on aggregate.
When the trophy was won once more against Club Brugge three years later, this time under Paisley, Keegan scored a vital goal in Belgium, the second leg finishing 1-1 to ensure a 4-3 aggregate victory.
Even off the field, Keegan’s competitive spirit burned, taking part in BBC TV’s Superstars series in 1976, which allowed athletes from different sports to compete against each other.
Keegan, however, suffered elbow and shoulder injuries when he fell off his bicycle. It was a rare fall from grace.
He also tried his hand – or voice – in the music business, releasing a single in 1972 titled It Ain’t Easy.
1980 – Keegan leads Hamburg to European Cup semi-final win over Real Madrid
Ever ambitious and eager to test new horizons, Keegan declared midway through the 1976-77 season that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the campaign.
It brought some criticism from supporters, but was another example of deception never being part of Keegan’s character, allowing Liverpool time to line up Kenny Dalglish as his replacement.
He went out on the highest high in his final game, running the great German defender Berti Vogts ragged as Liverpool won the European Cup for the first time, beating Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 in Rome.
Keegan left having scored 100 goals in 323 appearances.
There was talk of a move to Real Madrid, but in the end his destination was Hamburg, where he was a major success as they won the Bundesliga in 1978-79, though disappointment followed when they lost the European Cup final to Nottingham Forest the following season.
Keegan verified his world-class credentials at Hamburg, winning the Ballon d’Or in 1978 and 1979.
Hamburg was a surprise choice when Keegan left Liverpool, but after early struggles to win over team-mates, he became hugely popular, not just with his club but in the country, where they appreciated the Englishman’s down to earth approach and his willingness to integrate.
It all added to Keegan’s status as a global superstar, one of the most marketable sportsmen around, not just seen on the pitch but in adverts and advertising hoardings worldwide.
He famously did an advert for Brut aftershave with British boxer Henry Cooper, as well as the “Green Cross Code” road safety campaign.
While in West Germany, Keegan had another crack at music with the track Head Over Heels In Love. It peaked at number 31 in the UK, but climbed to number 10 in the German charts.
Keegan returned to England in 1980 with a shock move to Southampton, showing his enduring quality by winning the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year award in 1982.
He did not win trophies at The Dell, but was still a player of the highest class in Lawrie McMenemy’s team, built around experienced stars such as Keegan, Alan Ball and Saints’ great Mike Channon.
Image source, Getty ImagesKeegan, seen here with his former Liverpool team-mates Ray Clemence and Phil Thompson, was captain of England’s 1982 World Cup squad but was only fit enough to feature as a substitute in their final game, so full-back Mick Mills took the armband
Keegan won 63 England caps over a period lasting almost a decade, scoring 21 goals and captaining the side 31 times.
It was a slow burner after making his debut in a World Cup qualifier in Wales, even including a physical assault by security men at Belgrade airport in summer 1974 when England arrived for a friendly against Yugoslavia under caretaker boss Joe Mercer.
There was horseplay at the luggage carousel, resulting in the perfectly innocent Keegan, one of the highest-profile players in the squad, being taken away to a side room, where he was punched and kicked. He was released, going on to score a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
Keegan briefly walked out of the England squad after being dropped for a home international against Wales in 1975, but returned after talks with manager Don Revie.
It summed up an England career that never fulfilled its potential.
England failed to qualify for the 1974 and 1978 World Cups, then when Keegan captained England at the 1980 European Championship in Italy, they did not progress from the group stage.
He was captain again at the World Cup in Spain two years later, but a chronic back injury – for which he left the camp to seek treatment from a specialist in Germany – meant he did not play until the last 26 minutes of England’s second-round game against Spain.
Keegan uncharacteristically missed a simple headed chance, the game ending goalless to send manager Ron Greenwood’s side home.
He was left out of Greenwood’s successor Bobby Robson’s next squad, and never played for England again.
Image source, Getty ImagesKeegan was instantly worshipped by Newcastle’s fans after arriving as a player from Southampton
Keegan felt Southampton, even under the shrewd management of Lawrie McMenemy, did not match his ambition so he signed for Newcastle – then in the old Division Two – for £100,000 just before the start of the 1982-83 season.
It was the start of a love affair when Keegan scored on his debut against Queens Park Rangers.
Newcastle were promoted to the top flight in 1983-84, but Keegan declared he would retire at the end of that season, a decision prompted by getting caught by Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson when clean through in an FA Cup third-round tie at Anfield which his old club won 4-0.
In typical Keegan fashion, he felt he had lost a vital yard of pace so it was time to go, leaving St James’ Park after a final game, his testimonial against Liverpool, still dressed in his Newcastle kit while he was whisked away by helicopter.
Keegan moved to Spain with his family vowing never to enter management, but on 5 February 1992, almost eight years after his final game as a player, Keegan returned to Tyneside.
Keegan’s management trademark was all-out, thrilling attack, with his former Liverpool and Newcastle team-mate Terry McDermott at his side and charismatic chairman Sir John Hall shaping the off-field strategy.
He had initial differences with Hall over transfer cash, prompting another classic Keegan quote when he reported: “It’s not like the brochure.”
Matters were quickly resolved and soon Newcastle were on their way.
Having saved Newcastle from relegation to the third tier, Keegan inspired them to promotion to the Premier League, finishing only behind champions Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers in 1993-94 with goals and creativity provided by strikers Andy Cole and the returning Peter Beardsley.
Cole was sold to Manchester United in a surprise move in January 1995, Keegan famously standing on the steps outside St James’ Park to explain the decision to unhappy fans.
The peak of Keegan’s reign, along with the biggest disappointment, came in 1995-96 when Newcastle, strengthened by the addition of high-class stars such as Les Ferdinand and David Ginola, moved 12 points clear in the title race, only to squander the advantage to Manchester United.
Image source, Getty ImagesKeegan will remain an iconic figure with the “Toon Army”, Newcastle United’s fanatical fanbase
There were two enduring images of Keegan as glory escaped his grasp, head bowed as Liverpool scored in stoppage time to win 4-3 in an all-time Premier League classic in April – before that tirade aimed at Ferguson.
Ferguson questioned whether Leeds and Nottingham Forest would try as hard against Newcastle as they would against Manchester United – and after a win at Elland Road, Keegan exploded.
His broadside ended with the never-to-be-forgotten quote: “I will love it if we beat them. Love it.”
Sadly for Keegan, Newcastle did not.
Some felt Keegan’s time at Newcastle never recovered from that crushing blow, but his charisma and the call of home helped England’s top marksman Alan Shearer reject Manchester United to make a world record £15m move from Blackburn that summer.
Shearer’s debut ended in a 4-0 loss in the Charity Shield to the club he turned down, revenge exacted spectacularly with a 5-0 win at home in the Premier League two months later.
Keegan then stunned Tyneside on 8 January 1997 by resigning, saying in a short statement: “I feel I have taken the club as far as I can.”
He returned to the game the following September as Fulham’s chief operating officer, eventually taking over as manager and leading the Cottagers’ journey back to the First Division.
And then came England.
Keegan was appointed England’s caretaker manager for a four-game period after Glenn Hoddle was sacked in February 1999.
He initially insisted he did not want the job and would return to Fulham, but the warm reception he received when England beat Poland 3-1 at Wembley in his first game pulled on his emotions.
However, by his own admission, Keegan proved an ill fit for the greater tactical nuances of international management, publicly admitting: “If it’s a 0-0 draw in the Ukraine you want, then I’m probably not your man.”
England qualified for Euro 2000 with a two-legged play-off victory against Scotland, but the campaign was a dismal failure.
Keegan’s side were beaten 3-2 by Portugal in their first game after leading 2-0 inside 17 minutes. Germany were beaten by a single Shearer goal, but a calamitous 3-2 loss to Romania, having led 2-1, sent England out.
Keegan carried on, but criticism was mounting against this passionate, yet sensitive man.
Image source, Getty ImagesKeegan resigned as England manager after defeat in a World Cup qualifier against Germany in the final game at the old Wembley Stadium
He resigned in dramatic fashion in October after England lost their opening World Cup qualifier to Germany in the final game played at the old Wembley Stadium before it was demolished and rebuilt.
The conversation, in which he told then Football Association executive director David Davies he was going, took place in a Wembley toilet, with a rain-soaked Keegan then going on television to admit: “I just don’t feel I can find that little bit extra you need at this level to find a winning formula.”
It was the most brutal recognition of his own shortcomings.
Keegan could not resist the lure of the game, however, succeeding Joe Royle as Manchester City manager after relegation from the Premier League in May 2001.
His commitment to exciting attacking football remained, signing entertainers such as Eyal Berkovic and Ali Benarbia. City were promoted as First Division champions after scoring 108 league goals.
Adding quality like France striker Nicolas Anelka, City finished ninth in the Premier League, Keegan also inspiring more remarkable memories.
In an FA Cup fourth-round replay at Tottenham in February 2004, City came from 3-0 down at the interval, with midfielder Joey Barton sent off at the end of the first half, to win 4-3 through Jon Macken’s late winner. A month later they handed out a 4-1 beating to Manchester United.
While Keegan had indicated his intention to retire at the end of the 2004-05 season, he instead left by mutual consent in March 2005.
Image source, Getty ImagesKeegan’s return as Newcastle United manager in 2008 swiftly turned sour and he never returned to the game.
Tyneside was overcome with joy and excitement when Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley declared Keegan’s return as manager in January 2008.
It was an ill-starred pairing, Keegan resigning after only eight months following differences with Ashley and Newcastle’s hierarchy, including his former England player Dennis Wise, who was executive director.
Keegan was unhappy at his lack of control, saying: “I’ve been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible.
“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.”
He added: “I have been left with no other choice than to leave”, and later won damages from the club for constructive dismissal.
It was his final farewell to football, but he remained beloved by the ‘Toon Army’, as well as at Anfield, his standing as a person and respect for his work in football illustrated by the outpouring of affection and goodwill when he released news of his illness.
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