Kevin Keegan backlash will come sooner or later

Jan 27 2008 by Ian Robson, Sunday Sun

THE fickle finger of the Toon Army will one day point to Kevin Keegan and demand his sacking.

It won’t be long before the shouts of “Kee-gan, Kee-gan” dry up.

And then the cycle of adulation, disappointment and hatred will begin again with another sucker, sorry I meant manager, willing to take on football’s poisoned chalice.

It’s time we stopped listening to the fat guys in black and white shirts that don’t reach down to their belly buttons. The second coming of the so-called Messiah will not catapult Newcastle United into the top four any time soon.

And the section of supporters who were the noisiest at welcoming Keegan back to St James’s Park will eventually crucify him when the results go wrong.

It’s already started. Keegan’s first game in charge was a desultory draw and the fans had the gutted look of kids after their party balloons were burst.

There’s nothing more unforgiving than a big kid who doesn’t get what he wants.

And a section of the Toon Army are big kids who will sulk when they don’t get all their own way. Then they will stomp their feet and throw a paddy.

They have the patience of a hyper-active kid at the sweet counter after overdosing on E numbers.

Managing Newcastle must be one of the toughest jobs in football because the expectations of fans are so high.

And it is those very fans wanting too much, too soon, who will be responsible for the backlash when it comes. “When” . . . not “if”.