My Newcastle United – Why I loved Kevin Keegan | OneFootball

Here at The Mag we have introduced a new feature, asking a number of our regular / irregular contributors to write about a past Newcastle United player that they liked / loved for whatever reason(s), not necessarily the best player they have ever seen.

More the fact that, this player became a big favourite of theirs, no matter what level of ability they had.

Today it is ‘My Newcastle United – Why I loved Kevin Keegan.

Our thanks to Matt Busby said to Joe Harvey for providing this overview:

Three words you could use to describe this player?

Messiah, Talisman, Leader

Can you pinpoint what was the exact moment when this player first felt a bit special for you?

When he signed.

I was only 13 at the time and despite the fact that we’d won a European trophy, had recently competed in the UEFA cup and had also appeared in two Wembley finals during my short lifetime, we were definitely in the doldrums in the summer of 1982 and looking for some kind of pick me up.

How on earth we’d pulled off such a transfer coup, goodness only knows… and I recall a sense of bewilderment as well as genuine excitement at the prospect of this pocket dynamo arriving. Signing from Southampton via SV Hamburg, Liverpool and England with two Ballon d’or titles and coming to NUFC to turn our fortunes round.

Those who made it inside SJP on the afternoon of 28 August 1982 witnessed a home debut like never before.

The atmosphere was electric and had been building from early morning. With thousands locked outside, including the author, the man we were to christen King Kev scored the winner at a packed Gallowgate End in the second half, throwing himself into the throng after the crowd had, in his words, “…sucked the ball into the net. I just wanted to stay there forever” exclaimed King Kev to the press corp afterwards.

What is often overlooked is that we’d been hammered 4-0 at home against that same QPR team just three months earlier, attracting a crowd of just over 10,000. However, on that sultry August afternoon, the 36,000 capacity was reached by 1pm. The gates were locked and with thousands still outside, that was a measure of the impact our mercurial talisman had brought to Tyneside.

What were this player’s strengths when at Newcastle United?

His leadership and experience, his aerial ability (which was tremendous for such a small fella) and his infectious enthusiasm were there for all to see. However, perhaps above all else, his sheer will and all round presence made us believe that anything was possible with him in the team.

Any weaknesses?

I don’t recall many, if any. Maybe he had an impulsive petulance? The haste at which he made his decision to hang up his boots after our 4-0 drubbing in the thirrd round of the cup at Anfield in January 1984 being one such example. I was gutted and felt he could have stayed on and helped us achieve more.

Your favourite memories of this player?

Goals, goals, goals. Where to start?

That debut goal, even though I didn’t see it live. You couldn’t script stuff like that. Or how about his four goals at Millmoor in front of the MOTD cameras with thousands of mental Geordies in attendance? Or a diving header at home to Charlton at the Leazes End in the rain. Another that came in front of the MOTD cameras.

In February 1984, I attended my first away game at a packed Maine Road and King Kev scored one of our goals in a huge 2-1 win. Keegan also scored a crucial goal in our 5-1 demolition of Carlisle on Easter Monday 1984, his header from a Chris Waddle centre coming literally seconds after Kevin Carr had saved a penalty at the Leazes End.

Finally, who could forget his very own edition of ‘Auf Wiedersehen Kev’ when that helicopter whisked him away from an emotional SJP after his testimonial against Liverpool. “We’ll meet again” sang the Gallowgate End, and although we didn’t know it at the time, we were of course right!

Hand on heart, on ability (not just your favouritism) would your player get in this current Newcastle United team that will play in the new season?

Definitely. Absolutely no doubt.

Including your choice of much loved player of the past, please give us a whole team of your much loved Newcastle United players of the past, once again, they don’t have to be the eleven best NUFC players you have ever seen play, just 11 who you really liked down the years (you can include current Newcastle players in this much loved all-time eleven).

I’ve tried to pick a workable eleven (of sorts).

Probably in the mould of King Kev and his adage, “we’ll outscore you.”

I’ve also managed to shoehorn four of the current first team in there!