The Premier League Just Got Exciting Again

By: Daryl | January 16th, 2008

Keegan back at Newcastle You’ve probably heard today’s gigantic news story already. Newcastle have officially run out of fresh managers to appoint and have started recycling old ones, starting with Kevin Keegan. The same Kevin Keegan who retired from football management after leaving Manchester City in 2005.

Newcastle chairman Mike Ashley is going to get criticized for this appointment. Keegan undoubtedly has flaws, and those flaws have caused Keegan to either fail or implode or both at every managerial job he’s ever taken. The man does not handle pressure well, and many will argue that what Newcastle needs right now is an experienced, world class coach to finally put the team in order. But anyone who says that obviously didn’t watch the 1995/96 Premiership season.

Newcastle didn’t win the league that season. They let a 12 point lead slip and Manchester United won the title. But Newcastle played some genuine gung-ho all out attacking football to make 1995/6 arguably the most exciting season in Premiership history. The kind of season that made the Premiership so popular around the world. And most of that was down to Keegan.

You could argue that with the current Newcastle team’s defensive problems Keegan is the last man to set them straight. But the big difference is that the current Newcastle team can’t defend, whereas Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle just didn’t defend. They were too bust attacking. This past weekend Newcastle went with one up front and two defensive midfielders and lost 6-0. Great to watch if you’re a Manchester United fan, not so much if you’re a member of the Toon Army.

Keegan’s great team produced games like this:

Twelve years later that’s still my best memory of watching the Premiership as a neutral.

So the appointment of Keegan may not bring titles to Newcastle. He may not have the tactical sophistication to achieve that. But he will revitalise a demoralised team with long-suffering fans, and will instantly make the Premier League a lot more exciting to watch. From 1992 to 1997 Keegan’s Newcastle set the template for the attacking football the Toon Army have come to demand from their team. His shock departure - he basically felt he couldn’t take the team any further in 1997 - left fans and neutrals alike with a sense of what might have been. Eleven years later we’re about to find out.