NEWCASTLE UNITED are never far away from the headlines. Despite having won nothing of note in over 35 years, the club continues to hog the back pages, and often the front pages, of not only local but national newspapers. It may be difficult to pinpoint the reasons why the club is in constant focus, but it is even more difficult to decipher the effect that this media spotlight has on the players on the pitch, and on the reputation of the loyal fan base who follow those players home and away.

As a fan myself since the days of Ossie Ardiles, I’ve seen many a manager come and go, and with it their own style of media handling. But in my opinion, the man who shaped the club’s current attitude towards the media is none other than Kevin Keegan. His openness with regards to the media and journalists was a keystone in the club’s meteoric rise from sleeping giant to Sky’s darlings, the Entertainers, and “everyone’s favourite second club”.

When Keegan stood on the steps of the Milburn Stand in 1995 when the transfer of Andy Cole to Manchester United had been confirmed, it stood as a hallmark of Keegan’s willingness to involve the fans in the club, and was seen as a bold but honest move from a man who obviously wanted to let the fans know that he was acting in the best interests of the club. But from that day on, United’s dealings with the media have been praised and scorned by fans, some of whom applaud the openness of the club’s hierarchy, others who pour scorn on the club’s perceived inability to keep private details private.

As Keegan’s entertainers stumbled towards the finish line in 1996, Alex Ferguson’s mindgames sent Keegan over the edge, and resulted in one of the most infamous moments in Premiership history. Keegan lost it live on TV, and Sky were rubbing their hands together, as Newcastle had handed them on a plate one of the single most valuable pieces of television footage since they snapped up the rights to top flight football in 1992. An unbelievable loss of control to such a wide audience once more brought Newcastle United to the front page of the rags, to the glee of Alex Ferguson.

The rest, of course, is history, but for many fans, Keegan’s rant on TV was the turning point for him as Newcastle manager, and the exact point where the title was handed to Manchester United.

As the dust settled on Alan Shearer’s world-record transfer to United from Blackburn in the Summer of 1996 (another media frenzy, as 20,000 Geordies turned up to greet their new hero), 1997 brought new scandal and new reason for our beloved club to be dragged through the mud. Our esteemed board members Freddy Shepherd and Douglas Hall were recorded by an undercover journalist criticising the supporters, city and players of the club whilst enjoying the a visit to a Spanish brothel.

Again, the rags rubbed their hands together, delighted with another scoop, and another reason to bring United to the front pages. Fans squirmed with embarrassment and steamed with anger as board members had contrived to take the focus away from the players and once more spotlight off-field actions of people related to the club, and the club’s stock dropped rapidly, as poor on and off-field performances affected the reputation of a side who had gone so close to being the cream of the crop only two years earlier.

Mr Shepherd himself is part of the reason why the club is never far from headlines - good or bad. Always ready to become Mr Rent-A-Quote for Sky, it is entirely possible that his will to see himself on TV cost the club their biggest transfer since Shearer - Wayne Rooney. It could well be that Shepherd’s inability to keep schtum about the club’s bid for the England star alerted Manchester United, and the rest, as we know, is history. Despite the massive press hype that the bid created, and the fact that many fans appreciate his openness, it could well be that in the end, Shepherd cost himself his big name which would have left us all “pleasantly surprised” ©Mr Shepherd 2004.

For the club themselves, it seems that they are sometimes desperate to be seen as a big boy, and go all out to fulfil this reputation without any improvements on the pitch. For the past two years, the club has lent out its training ground and stadium to Sky for the docu-gameshow “The Match”, and has also, of course, played a major part in the filming of the Hollywood film “Goal!”.

According to many sources close to the club, then-manager Sir Bobby Robson was becoming increasingly frustrated by the delays being caused by webcam man and crew from the film that he ordered the players to be able to fly to away games away from the films production. Although the club should be congratulated for pushing the name of our beloved across the world, for many fans, it’s a cringeworthy exercise that would never be carried out by the real English heavyweights such as Man Utd, Chelsea or Liverpool, where performance on the pitch is enough to promote the club’s good name, without any need for feature films or celebrity shows.

There was even talk in 2003 that Big Brother producer and serial documentary company Endemol were hoping to make a behind the scenes series on the club, in a similar vein to Sunderland’s “Premier Passions” in 1996. Gladly that never happened, but if it had, we would have had a similar level of excruciating embarrassment to look forward to on national TV.

Even under Sir Bobby Robson, a massively respected coach and manager who has had decades of experience working with the media, the club continued to carry out it’s business in the media spotlight, with Robson becoming exasperated by the so-called “leak” in the club, who would regularly inform the media of private club details.

But the club also have a record of using the media for their own goals. After a difficult transfer window in 2005 and a terrible start to the season, Freddy Shepherd went out and splashed out £16m on Real Madrid’s Michael Owen. A huge press conference and public unveiling followed, working wonders in papering over the gaping cracks in the squad and in placating fans who were angry at a perceived lack of spending.

Again this year with the signing of Duff, many fans who were annoyed at a lack of progress in the transfer market are suddenly praising Shepherd and placing their trust in him to bring us the quality we so desperately need - Shepherd’s ploy worked a treat and he is once more in the good books of the fans.

Whether you see the club’s relationship with the media as a good or bad one, it’s fair to say that the club is never out of the papers and never far from the lips of fans around the country. It’s uncertain to what extent the role of the media plays in the fortunes of the club itself, but what is certain is that, with Newcastle United, it’s never dull.