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SAFC fans delighted Keegan's back at Newcastle
Sunderland fans today had their say on the return of Kevin Keegan to St James's Park – and they could not be happier.
Wearsiders said they are over the moon today after Newcastle reappointed their former boss, but not for the same reasons as their Tyneside rivals.
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Martyn McFadden, editor of Sunderland fanzine A Love Supreme, said: "From a Sunderland fan's perspective, I'm delighted with the appointment.
"Newcastle have not won anything for 52 years. They wanted a manager who could win them trophies. I don't think Keegan has won anything in his managerial history.
"At the end, he did not achieve anything except to spend a lot of money."
Martyn reckons the appointment is a bid by owner Mike Ashley to appease the fans after the billionaire failed in his bid to persuade Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp to move north.
"I think it will keep the fans of Newcastle happy for a week," he said.
"In the past they have gone for people who are good managers, but they still have not done very well at Newcastle.
"I thought they would go for somebody who had achieved something, maybe a foreign manager."
Superfan Gary "Sunderland AFC" Lamb, from Seaham, described the Magpies' hotseat as "a poison chalice" and predicted Keegan would not be around for long.
"I think they have just gone for what the fans want," he said. "I'm not sure he is going to bring them success."
Black Cats legend Jimmy Montgomery was surprised by the appointment, but willing to give Keegan the benefit of the doubt.
Keegan, a former England boss, has been out of football for several years, but Jimmy reckoned comparisons with Sunderland's disastrous appointment of Howard Wilkinson are wide of the mark.
"I think the charisma of Keegan is a little bit more effective than Howard's, to say the least," he said.
"It will be interesting to see who Keegan gets in and whether he still has all that enthusiasm he had when he first came.
"The fans will love it, that is what they wanted, but we will just have to wait and see.
"They always say 'Never go back,' but I think time will tell."
Keegan's return is expected to boost NUFC's finances.
Vinay Bedi, of stockbrokers Brewin Dolphin, said: "There are not many managers, except possibly Jose Mourinho, who would have the same effect as the return of Keegan.
"I would imagine Newcastle will become a far more attractive proposition for the TV cameras, especially if they play the kind of football the last time he was here."
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Weather for Sunderland
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South
