Four days ago Newcastle fans were reeling from a 6-0 hammering at Manchester United, but this afternoon they will be rejoicing at the news of Kevin Keegan's appointment to succeed Sam Allardyce as manager. Newcastle were sitting fourth when Keegan resigned in January 1997, and though they went on finish second that season, the club have rarely touched such heights since he departed.
There is no doubting that Keegan was the popular choice among Newcastle fans, but is their optimism justified? Although he helped Fulham and Manchester City to promotion from divisions two and one respectively, his record with City in the top flight was patchy, despite significant spending. He's also been out of management for three years.
So can Keegan really restore Newcastle to their former heights? How many other Premier League clubs would even have given him serious consideration if they were looking for a manager? Most importantly, do you think Newcastle would have been better served looking elsewhere - in other words, forwards, not back?
