Newcastle insanity with mystery surrounding Keegan departure

Newcastle United were supposed to have parted company with Kevin Keegan if press reports confirming his departure yesterday were to be believed. They suggested that after showdown talks with owner Mike Ashley the manager was shown the door. Needless to say this occasioned a Geordie backlash with fans protesting at St James Park earlier today.

The club later issued a statement denying that Keegan had been sacked and that they considered him part of their future.

Keegan is known to have been very unhappy with the club’s transfer policy and the decision to sell James Milner came as a big surprise to the fans.

This mornings papers are suggesting that all that is left to do is for the lawyers to agree the pay off and the matter will be at an end.

This would be the end of Keegan’s second stint in charge (if his departure is confirmed) both of which resulted in the club being far better off than they were at the time he joined them. A club with limited resources, which describes Newcastle, can still sustain itself under a good manager which Keegan has repeatedly demonstrated himself to be.

Their opening day performance against Manchester United providing a triumph for what can be done with limited resources.

Ashley might find out just how big a dent in the north-east club’s future a Keegan departure would leave, particularly if he elects to put Alan Shearer or Gus Poyet in the driving seat.

Unfortunately it seems that this club will never learn.

In other news, just in case you haven’t heard, Manchester City have signed Robinho from Real Madrid for UKP34.2m. They pipped Chelsea at the post. They were less successful with a late bid for Dimitar Berbatov with the striker joining Manchester United as predicted.

City owner Dr Sulaiman Al-Fahim says they are weighing up a UKP134m bid for Cristiano Ronaldo during the next transfer window in January.