Kevin Keegan has reiterated his determination to “amaze” Newcastle United supporters and named his dream signing as Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal captain. Questioned by the club’s supporters on Thursday night, the manager conceded that the club are facing a relegation battle for the remainder of this season, but he remains characteristically positive about the future.
Keegan broke the world transfer record when he signed Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers in 1996 and, while Newcastle are now a vastly different institution, the Geordie “Messiah” is defined by his optimism. Returning the club to the upper echelons of the Barclays Premier League is not be a straightforward prospect, but he sees no reason why silverware cannot be won.
“It would be nice to beat a world record,” Keegan told BBC Radio Newcastle. “It would be nice to amaze people with the people we’re bringing in. We certainly have an owner who could help find the money. If I could sign one player, you’d want to bring Thierry Henry back to England. When you’re at pitch level and see what he can do to players ...”
Some fans were disappointed that Newcastle were unable to strengthen their squad during last month’s transfer window, but Keegan was adamant that he would not sign players for the sake of it. “I sat down with the owners and discussed the players available,” he said. “It was a wish-list, not a hit list, and by the time we crossed off the people who wouldn’t be available, there weren’t many left.”
Initially, however, Newcastle, who are twelfth in the table, have a more prosaic and pressing task. “The last time we came into this division, I thought ‘consolidation’ was a word we shouldn’t use, but now the first priority is to make sure we get enough points to secure safety,” Keegan admitted. “I know we’ve got a tough fixture list. I was fully aware of the task. I’m absolutely aware of that.
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“We’re just on the edge of it (the relegation battle) and we’ve got to be good enough not to get sucked right into it. All our away games are against teams in the top half, but we know what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to stabilise the club. If we can do that and give fans hope that things will get better next year, I think that’ll be enough for them.”
Keegan, who last left the club in 1997, resigned from the England job and left Manchester City prior to the end of his contract, refuted his reputation as a “quitter”. “When I left here – and I was here for five years – I’d worked with people to try and turn this club around and I was made promises and those promises weren’t kept quite frankly,” he said. “There were loads of them.
“The England thing, I stood up and said exactly what I felt. No one can say I wasn’t honest. I didn’t apply for it, I was head-hunted, I took the job on but it didn’t do enough for me. A lot of the odds are stacked against you. At Manchester City, to be honest, I had a five-year contract and I said after three and a half years, I wouldn’t sign another one ... But I waited a year and three months for them to pay (his contract) up, to help the club out. People don’t realise that.”
Keegan said again that he is satisfied with the appointment of Dennis Wise as Newcastle’s executive director. “They didn’t go behind my back,” he said. “I knew they were going to get a director of football and we desperately need that. Chris Mort is a great chairman, but he’s a lawyer by trade. Mike Ashley [the owner] is the main man and he wanted some people on the board he could relate to.
“It was in place before I came. Harry Redknapp would have taken the same deal. Of the three names mentioned to me, I’m pleased Dennis the one they plumped for. I know him, I picked him for England and I think he was going to finish with Leeds anyway. I’m meeting him again [on Friday]. Fans shouldn’t see it as a negative. It’s a plus for the club because he’s going to be putting in parts to the club that have been overlooked.
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“We’ve already got one guy from Italy and there are two more from other parts of the world that we can look at. Whilst local kids coming through are important, if they’re not here at the present moment, the club is right to look further afield. Manchester City are competing for them and paying money in compensation and Liverpool are doing it. If you can’t beat them, you have to join them.”