Kevin Keegan

Joseph Kevin Keegan (born 14 February 1951) is an English former footballer and manager. A forward, he played for several professional clubs from 1968 to 1984. Having begun his career at Scunthorpe United, he moved to Liverpool in 1971 and then to Hamburger SV in 1977, enjoying great success at both clubs. During this period, he was a regular member of the England national team. He was twice the winner of the Ballon d'Or. After leaving Hamburg in 1980, he played for Southampton and Newcastle United. Keegan returned to football in 1992 as manager at Newcastle. He later managed Fulham and Manchester City. At all three clubs, the team won promotion as champions in his first full season there. He managed England from 1999 to 2000.

Keegan began his playing career at Scunthorpe in 1968, before Bill Shankly signed him for Liverpool where he won three First Division titles, the UEFA Cup twice, the FA Cup and, in his final season, the European Cup. Keegan gained his first England cap in 1972. He moved to Hamburg in the summer of 1977 and was named European Footballer of the Year in 1978 and 1979. Hamburg won the Bundesliga title in 1978–79 and reached the 1980 European Cup Final. Keegan moved to Southampton for two seasons at the club before a transfer to Newcastle United who were then in the Second Division in 1982. He helped Newcastle to promotion in his second season, and retired from playing in 1984, having been capped 63 times for England, scoring 21 goals.

Keegan moved into management at Newcastle in 1992, the team winning promotion as First Division champions. Newcastle finished second in the Premier League in 1995–96, after leading for most of the season. After managing Fulham for two seasons, he took charge of the England team in February 1999, but resigned in October 2000 following a 1–0 loss against Germany in qualification for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In 2001, he became manager of Manchester City for four years until he resigned in 2005. Keegan had been out of football for almost three years when he returned to Newcastle United for a second spell as manager in January 2008, but this lasted only eight months, as he resigned on 4 September 2008 following speculation about a dispute with the club's directors.

Early years

Keegan's paternal ancestors arrived in Newcastle from Ireland. In 1909, his grandfather Frank, an inspector, heroically saved lives in the West Stanley Pit disaster. His father Joe and uncle Frank were Newcastle United fans, describing their favourite players as Hughie Gallacher and Jackie Milburn. His father moved to Armthorpe in Doncaster to work in a colliery, where he married Doris and they had three children: Mary, who was two years Keegan's senior, Kevin, and Michael. His father never saw Keegan play for Newcastle.

Keegan was born at his aunt Nellie's house in Elm Place in Armthorpe. His aunt's house was chosen as she had electricity that made it safer for childbirth. Keegan attended St. Peter's High School in nearby Cantley.

Keegan was given his first football by his uncle Frank and his first pair of football boots by his father after he had a win on the horses. They were a second-hand pair of Winit boots bought from the former Doncaster Rovers centre forward, Ray Harrison's sports shop. Keegan played football at Hyde Park using his baby brother Michael's pushchair as a goal post. As a boy he supported Doncaster Rovers. His favourite player was Alick Jeffrey, a player, once described by Matt Busby's assistant Jimmy Murphy as the ''English Pelé'', and once described by Jackie Milburn as "the best young player he had ever seen". As a schoolboy, Keegan had a trial for Coventry City, under manager Jimmy Hill. Despite being one of two players kept on for an extra six-week period, the club did not offer Keegan a contract, though they did offer apprenticeship terms to the right-back Brian Joy who also went on to have a 15-year career in football. Keegan also had a trial with Doncaster Rovers, arranged by his father, but when Keegan arrived, he found out he had been given the wrong information and the trial was earlier in the day and at a different place.

Keegan participated in various sports, such as cross country running, rugby, football, and even captaining his school's cricket team. He also boxed at his local club, run by the former British Heavyweight champion Bruce Woodcock. At age 15, Keegan, with two friends, completed a 50-mile run from Nottingham to Doncaster. Afterwards he claimed he would never hit a psychological brick wall again with regards to running. In his autobiography, Keegan claimed this run prepared him physically and psychologically for any running he had to do in any future pre-season training or football matches. Keegan left school with O Levels in History and Art.

At the age of 15 Keegan started work at Pegler Brass Works as an office clerk; though he has stated that he was more of a tea boy and messenger than an office clerk. Whilst working at Pegler, Keegan continued playing Saturday afternoon football for his local youth club, Enfield House, and playing Sunday morning football for the Lonsdale Hotel. It was during this time that a colleague, named Harry Holland, invited him to play for the Peglers Works reserves on a Saturday morning. His chance at professional football came when he was playing Sunday morning league football for the Lonsdale Hotel in a match against Woodfield Social in 1966. Keegan was marked by a player in his mid 30s, called Bob Nellis. After playing against Keegan, Nellis became impressed by the ability of Keegan and offered him a trial at Fourth Division side Scunthorpe United – one of just two professional sides in the division. This trial would lead to the Scunthorpe manager Ron Ashman giving Keegan his first contract in professional football.

Playing career

Scunthorpe United (1966–1971)

Scunthorpe United could not afford a set of football nets and trained on a rugby pitch at Quibell Park. They also, risking injury, had five-a-side training sessions on the Old Showground concrete car park. Still though, at Scunthorpe Keegan would take his training very seriously. Twice a week, after training, Keegan would train with a teammate named Derek Hemstead and they would train by doing weighted farmers walks up and down the cantilever stand at the Old Showground. A trait Keegan had was his running ability. In running drills at Scunthorpe Keegan liked trying to finish first and Keegan was told by Jack Brownsword that one thing he has going for him is that he is a one hundred percenter and he should never lose that. Though this will to be first in his running drills would later irritate senior pros such as Liverpool's Tommy Smith and Shankly would later advise Keegan that he did not have to win all his runs.

Scunthorpe, a club with little money, did not have a full-time driver to drive them to away games and Keegan, with other the other younger players, such as Nigel Jackson, would take turns in driving the minibus to and from away games. Young Keegan, fellow driver Nigel Jackson and fellow young professionals Jimmy Coyne, Alan Olbison and Steve Hibbotson, once borrowed coach Jack Brownsword's stop watch and had timed rallies around the Old Showground with the club's vintage tractor. On Keegan's turn the tractor crashed and the tractor's axle went through the engine. The crash was very expensive to fix and the five were given a rollicking by manager Ron Ashman. This experience gave Keegan awareness of his responsibility as a representative of Scunthorpe United. Keegan made his debut against Peterborough United at the age of 17, making 29 league starts in his first season. He became a regular in the first team by the 1969–70 season, playing all 46 league games for the club. This season saw the team reach the fifth-round of the FA Cup, beating Football League First Division side Sheffield Wednesday along the way. Keegan then missed only one game in his last season. Earning a pittance, meant Keegan each summer had to find summer jobs; and each summer he would do jobs such as plate-laying at the Appleby Frodingham Steelworks.

Keegan played regularly in a creative right midfield role for the Scunthorpe United first team despite his age – he scored 18 goals in 124 games for the club. After his first season he started attracting interest from higher division clubs. In one rare television interview of Keegan at Scunthorpe in 1969–70, Keegan tried to play down the interest, stating: "I'm getting first-team football here. Should think if I went First Division, I'd struggle a bit." Not long after this interview, Keegan, noting other players had moved on to a higher level, began to feel impatient about moving on and Keegan even considered packing the game in and getting a full-time job if he did not get a move to a higher level. Higher division clubs such as Preston, Birmingham City, Notts County, Millwall and Arsenal all showed interest but nothing came of it.

Liverpool (1971–1977)

In 1971, he attracted the attention of Liverpool's head scout Geoff Twentyman, whose opinion was held in high regard by manager Bill Shankly. After Twentyman's recommendation, Liverpool made an offer for Keegan and this offer was accepted by Scunthorpe United. After Scunthorpe had agreed to the fee Keegan was driven the four hours to Bill Shankly's office by manager Ron Ashman who was determined to get a cash influx for Scunthorpe United. Prior to the journey Keegan's father prompted Keegan to not sell himself cheap. Keegan then haggled a contract worth £50 a week from Shankly, after Shankly had originally offered him £45. Ashman, sensing a cash windfall may fall through, was at one stage aghast at Keegan's negotiation game. On the drive back to Scunthorpe Ashman was critical of Keegan's bluff that he was almost earning £45 a week at a fourth division football club.

After the negotiation Keegan was transferred to Liverpool for £33,000 in 1971, at the age of 20.

Liverpool bought Keegan as a midfielder, but Shankly soon decided to move Keegan upfront alongside John Toshack. In a reserve match against Tranmere Rovers Keegan, playing right midfield, and after playing a game with an attacking philosophy he was strongly warned by Ronnie Moran that he was ''"playing too free and easy,"'' and ''"nearly playing up front."'' At one stage Keegan took Moran's criticism on board, took the criticism as a slight, and for a period perceived that Moran strongly had it in for him. As a result of young Keegan's lack of positional discipline, Keegan was then tested upfront in a preseason reserve match against Southport. Keegan scored both goals in a 2–1 victory. This match was watched by Shankly. Liverpool then tried Keegan in attack at Melwood in a game between the first team and the reserves. Keegan played for the first team and scored 4 in a 7–0 victory. His attacking play and ability prompted manager Bill Shankly to stop playing Keegan at right midfield and instead Shankly decided Keegan would be more effective upfront. After his first preseason at Liverpool Keegan was immediately deployed as the new strike partner for Toshack.

Though Keegan did like Toshack as a teammate, Keegan never socialised with him off the pitch and Keegan maintained it was almost spooky how much they instantaneously could read each other's little and large game. In his career Keegan explained that the only player who reached that level of footballing understanding with him was England international Trevor Brooking.

On 14 August 1971, Keegan made his Liverpool debut against Nottingham Forest at Anfield, scoring after 12 minutes. Keegan made his England debut at under-23 level later in 1971. His full debut came in a World Cup qualifier against Wales at Ninian Park. Keegan's first goal for his country also came in a game against Wales in Cardiff. This time it was a British Home Championship match that England won 2–0 on 11 May 1974, his third full cap. Shankly had told Keegan he would play for England 18 month before it happened.

Early on at Liverpool, Keegan stopped acknowledging his first name Joseph on his autograph and just signed it ''Kevin Keegan'', instead of the ''JK Keegan'' that he scribbled at Scunthorpe.

In 1972–73, Keegan won his first major honours. Don Revie's Leeds United visited Anfield on Easter Monday for a showdown involving two of the three League challengers. The game turned on a few minutes either side of half time. First Leeds' Peter Lorimer missed an open goal. Two minutes after the break Peter Cormack took his chance to put Liverpool ahead. Keegan added a late second to seal the win. With Arsenal dropping a point at Southampton, Liverpool duly closed out the title with a final game 0–0 draw against Leicester City. This was their first major trophy since 1966.

Liverpool also won the UEFA Cup. The 1973 UEFA Cup Final first leg at Anfield was abandoned due to a downpour after 27 minutes and rescheduled to be played again the next day. The 27 minutes that had been played had given Liverpool manager Bill Shankly an insight into Borussia Mönchengladbach's defensive vulnerability in the air. To exploit this he brought tall forward Toshack into the starting team demoting the smaller Brian Hall, who appeared only as a late substitute. Keegan scored two goals set up by Toshack headers in a 3–0 win. Liverpool lost 2–0 away to win 3–2 on aggregate.

The following season, Keegan was again a frequent scorer but Liverpool lost the League title to a Leeds United team that went unbeaten for a then-record 29 games at the start of the season. Liverpool, however, progressed to the FA Cup final. Their campaign in the competition had started with a tie against the club which had rejected Keegan, Doncaster Rovers, and it was Keegan who scored both Liverpool goals in a 2–2 draw. Liverpool won the replay and Keegan scored twice more on the way to Wembley Stadium, including a lob-volley over the head of England colleague Peter Shilton in the semi-final against Leicester City at Villa Park.

In the 1974 final, Liverpool played Newcastle United. Keegan explained that Shankly's motivation was made easy after the pre-game talking by Supermac (Malcolm Macdonald) and to a lesser extent John Tudor. Tudor and Keegan's friend, Macdonald, gave interviews confidently proclaiming they had more ability whilst also being critical of older Liverpool pros such as Tommy Smith. Keegan also believed Shankly may have got into the heads of the Newcastle players when on the night before the game Shankly and Joe Harvey were being interviewed and Shankly was heard on the microphone, but off-camera, stating, ''"Joe looks a bag of nerves..."'' Keegan explained, knowing Shankly it would not surprise him if this was not an accident and Shankly knew what he was doing and that this statement was meant to neutralise any of Newcastle's confidence and that this did indeed rub off into the heads of some of the Newcastle players who became anxious. In the final, Keegan scored two as Liverpool beat Newcastle United 3–0. It was the first brace in an FA Cup final since Mike Trebilcock scored twice for Everton in 1966. The game against Newcastle was Keegan's first FA Cup Final. To Keegan, with the 100,000 inside the ground, the non-stop chanting of both sets of fans, and then the millions watching on TV, this game was as close to a non drug-induced psychedelic experience as he could ever get. He noted how after this final Shankly, he and the other Liverpool players were sympathetic to the devastated Newcastle players and tried to not rub it in with their victory.

Keegan's next visit to Wembley was three months later in the Charity Shield game, the traditional curtain-raiser to a new season, between the League champions and the FA Cup winners. Leeds had decided to niggle at Liverpool, and in particular Keegan, in the match. In one instance Johnny Giles punched the unsuspecting Keegan and was reprieved after Keegan asked the referee to be lenient. Giles, after escaping a red card, then later lunged two-footed at Keegan. Upon Keegan's outraged reaction Billy Bremner challenged Keegan. Keegan then exploded and punched Bremner. Bremner punched back. They were sent off, the first time anyone had been sent off in a Charity Shield match. Both players removed their shirts in protest, with Keegan visibly shaken by the decision. Inside the Liverpool dressing room, Bremner approached Keegan to apologise and was met by the fury of Keegan's father who had come down to check on his son. They both received lengthy bans. The fight was shown that night on BBC
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