It’s competition time at Newcastle-Online and thanks to our good friends at Mooart.com

we are able to offer you this great St James’ Park and Strawberry mounted print which is signed by the artist.

To win all you need to do is answer this very simple question.

What is the name of the bar built into the side of St James Park?

Competition Closed - Due to problems getting a reply from our previous winner and after the date passing in which to claim the prize we have drawn a new winner. That winner is Alan Johnson who’s prize will hopefully be winging it’s way towards him soon.

Newcastle crashed out of the FA Cup on Saturday afternoon 3-0 to London highflyers Arsenal, and travel straight back to the Emirates on Tuesday evening, looking for their first Premier League win under Kevin Keegan, and their first in seven games since their 1-0 victory over Fulham late last year. We got the views of our panel on the two Gunners ties…

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Newcastle travel to Arsenal on Saturday afternoon in the fourth round of the FA Cup. The Magpies are looking to win at the Emirates for the first time since it was built while Arsenal are looking to bounce back from mid-week defeat at Spurs. We got the views of a slightly depleted Panel on the tie…

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KK’s return to Tyneside ended in an uninspiring 0-0 draw, at home to Bolton Wanderers. With only 10 senior players available, Newcastle had no real options other than the team they put out and Bolton matched that by camping in their own half and frustrating the Toon and Geordie crowd. We got the Panel’s reaction on a frustrating Saturday evening…

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The King is back! Long live the King! Walking along, singing a song, walking in a Keegan wonderland!

Well I didn’t see that one coming! I feel like a man who’s stepped in the road and been run over by a car - without the hospitalisation and months of rehab obviously (OK, so it was a crap metaphor). I’m numb, shocked, gobsmacked. I’m still trying to work out whether I’m elated or just plain s*** scared for what could happen! It’s been a fairytale few days without a doubt, even if in this instance the wicked stepmother got a multi-million pay off for half a season’s graft (the Board would like to thank Sam for all his hard work, yeah righto). More importantly I wonder if anybody made money from the bookies’ this time? You’d hope the charvas who regularly turn up on Sky Sports News interviews had a few quid on him (Interviewer: “Who would you like to see as manager then?” Street urchin in toon top: “Kevin Keegan, man! Aye and that Josy Moo-reen-yo! As joint managers! We’ll win the league, man!”)

The unceremonious departure of Sam Allardyce – or Sam Araldite as my mam-in-law insists on calling him (and I don’t think she realises that’s not his real name) – left most of us fearing for the future of our great club. It seemed that the mistakes of the past were being repeated when Not-So-Big-After-All-Sam was hoyed out on his capacious arse mid-season, and it became obvious that no definite replacement had been lined up. In that light, I was scared to death we would get another Freddy Shepherd-like appointment like the last three – a mediocre manager, out of his depth, brought in to steady the ship as another season or two of underachievement grinds by before the inevitable sacking.

In retrospect, I’ve probably been through a few emotions over the last few days. I howled in fear when ‘Arry Redknapp’s name was strongly linked, like an abused dog shown its master’s walking stick, and was in outright denial right up to the point he said no. I was bewildered with some of the names thrown out by the press and the rumour mongers which seemed to me beyond our pulling power – Mourinho, Lippi, Van Gaal, Deschamps etc. I was distinctly underwhelmed by most of the others mentioned (with all due respect to the likes of Hughes, Curbishley and the other managers we actually had a chance of recruiting). Most of all I was enraged by the one dimensional, ill-informed and bigoted reportage of most of the Press, including some of the so-called respectable papers.

I was also left scratching my head wondering whether Chris Mort was clueless, a bullshitter or just plain barking mad. As the Redknapp debacle unfolded, I was losing faith in the new Board. Until they appointed Keegan, that is. I’m sorry I ever doubted you Chris, and I promise not to believe the lies of the Press ever again, because they obviously didn’t have a clue what was going on and made most of their stories up (surprise surprise). I should add that most of them also obviously hate us, but let’s not worry about their wind and piss at this joyous time.

And what an appointment by Mort and Ashley! Initially, amongst the excitement, shock and numbness at the Geordie Messiah’s return – despite him being ‘1,000 per cent’ sure he’d never manage again – was a little small voice of calm that said this was a backward step when we should be looking forward with a ‘progressive’ international coach. I was sure when the new Board sat down and carefully considered their options, we would flash the cash in a desperate attempt to attract a top rank European coach. I convinced myself that maybe the likes of Deschamps might give it a go if nice Mr Ashley offered him enough money. If we were lucky.

However the more I think about it, the more this appointment makes perfect sense at a time of huge importance for us. In reality, our club has been in a steep unrelenting spiral of apathy, boredom and decline since the days of Sir Bobby, and I reckon there would have been a flood of supporters calling it a day at the end of the season. In addition, the quality of player and manager we can attract has declined markedly since Sir Bobby and we can’t even offer UEFA cup football to our players. And worst of all, we’ve got used to being a shambles on the pitch and off it, to the extent that there’s no end of toonhaters queuing up to point the finger and hoot with glee, like some kind of redneck rubberneckers at the scene of a car crash. We couldn’t be sure Mike Ashley would spend our way out of trouble either, with no prospect of a return on his money.

Against this backdrop, with confidence on and off the pitch paper thin and any matchday enjoyment and anticipation evaporating for the faithful, who better than to take this piece of road kill, apply the electro-paddles to its chest and jolt it back into life? Who better to get this club back on its feet, to breathe new hope and new life into the supporters and to bring some spark and romance back into the toon experience? Who better to get the players playing football with a smile on their face after Sam Allardyce’s miserable bastard fare? Who better to prise open Mr Ashley’s cheque book and get the major investment this club needs to get back in the hunt for honours? And best of all, King Kev is loved and respected by the supporters and will get the time he needs to build the playing squad back up again and get us challenging the top sides.

Of course, it may all turn to custard in the finest NUFC tradition but now is not the time for gloom mongering and nay-saying. Let’s breathe in the oxygen of a new beginning, put a smile on our faces and raise our glasses to a new dawn, and enjoy some craic for a change! Let’s look forward to the match again instead of dreading it! And let’s get down on our knees and pray this club has bloody well turned the corner at last.

There’s only one Kevin Keegan, one Kevin Keegan…..

So what are his chances?

Well there’s been plenty of scepticism in the national media. The usual observations have been made – tactically naïve, a tendency to make decisions with his emotions, an over-reliance on attacking football, a brittle confidence when things go against him, and an outdated approach that will not suit the way that the game has developed over the last 10 years.

All of this has a great deal of justification, but it’s been interesting to note that the voices of doubt have nearly always laced their comments with some get-out clauses, as though people are afraid to completely write off his chances. He’s almost done it before, so there’s naturally a reluctance to say that he can’t go one step further this time.
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Kevin Keegan’s first game in charge of Newcastle United sees them entertain Bolton at St James Park on Saturday evening. The Magpies are looking for their first Premiership win in 4 games; Can KK inspire it, live on Setanta Sports. We asked the panel…

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Newcastle are through to the fourth round of the FA Cup thanks to a convincing 4-1 victory over Stoke City, thanks to Michael Owen, Claudio Cacapa, James Milner, Damien Duff and from an old friend and new manager Kevin Keegan.

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Newcastle entertain Stoke in the FA Cup, in a 3rd Round Replay at St James Park. The winners will face a trip to Arsenal at the Emirates at the end of the month. We got the panel’s views on what will happen on Wednesday night…

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A new poll for a new manager, I’d vote “yes” one million times if I could.

Howay the lads! Walking in a Keegan Wonderland!

Newcastle United have confirmed that Kevin Keegan has been appointed our new manager. He replaces Sam Allardyce, who was sacked last Wednesday.

The 56-year-old formerly managed Fulham, England and Manchester City, but is best remembered for the five years he spent at St. James’ Park between 1992 and 1997, during which Newcastle United were known as the Entertainers, and challenged Manchester United for the Premier League title.

Is this the return of the old Newcastle, or should you never go back? Have your say.

Manchester United 6-0 Newcastle United. The battle of the Uniteds ended in a Manchester onslaught which completely hit the Mapgies as they crashed and burned at Old Trafford. We got the panel’s reaction…

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It was a widely held view that, despite his massive contributions on the pitch, Alan Shearer was too influential in off-the-field matters during his playing days at St. James’s Park. It should come as no surprise then that his name continues to be linked with the manager’s job at the club, especially given the poor form the team has recently shown under the guidance of Sam Allardyce. To add fuel to the speculation, Shearer has been somewhat reticent in ruling himself out of the job.

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Whilst Big Al suns himself in the Carribean, and Big Mike chows down with the Chow Mein in Hong Kong, Big Sam kicks off his boots and puts on his slippers to watch (like the rest of us) with a degree of vicarious pleasure, the unfolding farce of Newcastle searching for a new manager. But it’s all a Big Balls-Up, as per usual.

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Now that Harry Redknapp has said “no” to the job, he has been removed from the poll, so if you were one of the 48 who voted for him (out of over 1,100) then feel free to change your vote. Jurgen Klinsmann has also been removed, having agreed to take over at Bayen Munich from the beginning of next season, so again, if you were one of the 92 that voted for the German, feel free to change as well!