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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Louise Taylor

Joy, tears and tension: Kevin Keegan’s three-part Newcastle stay was gripping

Kevin Keegan thanks the Newcastle crowd for their support in 1996.
Kevin Keegan took over a Newcastle team in danger of relegation to the third tier and made them Premier League title contenders in his first stint as manager. Photograph: Paul Popper/Popperfoto/Getty Images

The story of Kevin Keegan and Newcastle United is perhaps best described as a three‑act play. It involves an enduring and mutual love affair that brings joyous seasons in the sun punctuated by boardroom tensions and tear-stained exits.

Newcastle fans swiftly identified Keegan as a player and then, twice, a manager capable of switching the lights on at St James’ Park. “Special K” made everything about the club seem more vivid and exciting. To watch his 1990s “Entertainers” was to feel truly alive.

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