I'm already sick of Kevin Keegan's return to Newcastle United. No, that's not right, what I meant to say is Kevin Keegan's return to Newcastle United coincided with me picking up a rather nasty stomach bung shortly after the 0-0 draw with Bolton Wanderers last weekend.
Perhaps it was down to too much excitement, although I think it probably had more to do with the fact my girlfriend is a primary school teacher and is exposed to those disease ridden, germ infested things they call school children!
Then again, it's not like there was anything to celebrate on Saturday night was there? Two teams largely constructed by Sam Allardyce play out a largely dull goalless draw, hardly the cause for a night swinging from the lamp shades in some swanky down town drinking establishment was it.
However, after the thrills and spills of the preceding days, the tidal wave of media interest in Keegan's return and the sudden enormous leap in optimism and expectation on Tyneside, a result like this will at least calm everything down a little bit.
I'm not knocking Keegan mania, but he isn't really the messiah and it's going to take a lot more than a hands above the heads, palms facing outwards salute to the stands for him to transform things at St James's Park. It's fantastic that he's back, it's great to see what it has done for the city - and the region as a whole - but the real work starts here.
Personally, I can't see much of a revolution happening until the summer. There are less than two weeks left in the transfer window, it is notoriously difficult to sign quality players midway through the season and Keegan has still not really had the chance to assess what he has inherited from Allardyce.
It has been interesting for me over the last few weeks to listen to my friends from other parts of the country telling me Newcastle United are not a big club. In terms of winning trophies they are not, I reply, but surely the sheer amount of coverage the club has attracted over the last fortnight or so proves it is bigger than most.
I have also heard people laugh about Keegan's comments claiming Newcastle were, if he got things right, the biggest threat to the Big Four's monopoly. Well, who were the last team to qualify for the Champions League other than Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United? Oh yes, that's right, it was Newcastle, two seasons running, under Sir Bobby Robson.
Now, you all know I don't see the world in black and white (For newcomers I'm a Leyton Orient fan and very proud of it.) I have an avid interest in Newcastle and Sunderland, as well as Durham CCC, Newcastle Falcons, Newcastle Eagles etc because it is my job to cover their ups and downs and to analyse the quality of their performances and the standard of their decision making.
But I still get pissed off when I have to read and hear patronising comments from pundits/fans/asylum seekers telling everyone how ridiculous it is for people in the North-East to think Newcastle, or Sunderland for that matter, are big clubs who have the potential to be much more than mid-table also-rans.
Most of these so-called experts only watch games involving in the Big Four and they are the same people who seem to think England are a powerful football nation because of our history, the quality of players we have, the number of fans, the financial backing. Hmmm, do you see what I see? Hypocrisy. If they can expect more from England than we get, surely Newcastle fans can expect more from their football club for the same reasons?
Keegan's return has reawakened something in Newcastle and it has made people believe in their football club again. There is momentum and a feel good factor. The last time that happened, Robson was in charge and look what happened then.
Champions League football and a consistent threat to the biggest clubs in English football, there is no reason at all why Newcastle and their supporters should not be allowed to think like that again. Dreams and aspirations are everything in sport so why try and squash other people's out of jealousy or contempt?
- Post to:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
Nowpublic
Reddit
« Previous | Home | Next »