128 Facts About Kevin Keegan

Joseph Kevin Keegan was born on 14 February 1951 and is an English former footballer and manager.

Kevin Keegan began his playing career at Scunthorpe United in 1968, before Bill Shankly signed him for Liverpool.

Kevin Keegan moved to Hamburger SV in the summer of 1977 and was named European Footballer of the Year in both 1978 and 1979.

Kevin Keegan left Hamburg and played at Southampton for two seasons, before transferring to Newcastle United in the Second Division in 1982.

Kevin Keegan helped Newcastle secure promotion in his second season, and retired from playing in 1984.

Kevin Keegan scored 204 goals in 592 appearances in his club career, adding 21 goals in 63 caps for the England national team.

Kevin Keegan moved into management at Newcastle in 1992, and the team won promotion to the Premier League as First Division champions in his first full season, the following year.

Kevin Keegan had been out of football for almost three years when he returned to Newcastle for a second spell as manager in January 2008.

Kevin Keegan has the unique distinction of being promoted as champions in his first full season with the three clubs he managed.

Kevin Keegan's 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.

Kevin Keegan was born in February 1951 at his aunt Nellie's house in Elm Place in Armthorpe, as she had electricity that made it safer for childbirth.

Kevin Keegan was given his first football by his uncle Frank and his first pair of football boots by his father after he won betting on horses.

Kevin Keegan played football at Hyde Park using his baby brother Michael's pushchair as a goal post.

Kevin Keegan participated in various sports, such as cross country running, rugby, and football, and served his school's cricket team as captain.

Kevin Keegan boxed at his local club, run by the former British Heavyweight champion Bruce Woodcock.

Kevin Keegan left school with O Levels in History and Art.

At the age of 15, Kevin Keegan started working at Pegler Brass Works as an office clerk, though he has said he was more of a tea boy and messenger than a clerk.

Whilst working at Pegler, Kevin Keegan played Saturday afternoon football for his local youth club, Enfield House, and Sunday morning football for the Lonsdale Hotel.

Kevin Keegan took training very seriously, twice a week training with teammate Derek Hemstead by doing weighted farmers walks up and down the cantilever stand at the Old Show Ground.

In running drills at Scunthorpe, Kevin Keegan liked trying to finish first and was told by coach Jack Brownsword that one thing he had going for him was that he was a "one-hundred percenter" and he should never lose that.

On Kevin Keegan's turn, the tractor crashed and the tractor's axle went through the engine.

In 1968, Kevin Keegan made his debut against Peterborough United at the age of 17, and went on to make 29 league starts in his first season.

Kevin Keegan played regularly in a creative right midfield role for the Scunthorpe first team, scoring 18 goals in 124 games for the club.

In 1971, Kevin Keegan attracted the attention of Liverpool's head scout Geoff Twentyman, whose opinion was held in high regard by manager Bill Shankly.

Kevin Keegan's attacking ability prompted Shankly to keep Keegan up front, and he was immediately deployed as the new strike partner for Toshack.

Kevin Keegan claimed that the only other player who reached that level of football understanding with him was England international Trevor Brooking.

On 14 August 1971, Kevin Keegan made his Liverpool debut against Nottingham Forest at Anfield, scoring after 12 minutes.

Kevin Keegan was a frequent scorer the following season, but Liverpool lost the league title to a Leeds team that went unbeaten for a then-record 29 games at the start of the season.

Kevin Keegan scored twice more on the way to the cup finals at Wembley Stadium, including a lob-volley over the head Peter Shilton in the semi-final against Leicester City at Villa Park.

Kevin Keegan explained Liverpool players were motivated by trash-talk from Newcastle's Malcolm Macdonald and John Tudor.

Kevin Keegan claimed that with 100,000 people in attendance, the non-stop chanting of both sets of supporters, and the millions watching on television, this game was as close to a non drug-induced psychedelic experience as he could ever get.

Kevin Keegan's next visit to Wembley was three months later in the Charity Shield, the traditional curtain-raiser to a new season.

Leeds midfielder Johnny Giles punched an unsuspecting Kevin Keegan, but was spared sending off after Kevin Keegan asked the referee to be lenient.

Kevin Keegan scored 20 goals in his final season with the club.

Kevin Keegan did not score, but he did make a late run which led to a foul inside the penalty area by Berti Vogts.

Kevin Keegan arrived in Germany, joining a club that had not finished higher than sixth in two decades.

Later, when Kevin Keegan was at Newcastle United as a manager, he and McDermott would joke about the perm in an advertisement.

Kevin Keegan became Hamburg's best-paid player and was billed by the club's business manager, Dr Peter Krohn, as the superstar signing from England who would transform an average German team.

Kevin Keegan did not feel immediately accepted by his new teammates, and perceived slights from teammates that supported this idea, like making an open run in training but not receiving a pass.

In one early interview, Kevin Keegan mentioned how he was settling in, he explained how he missed British cereals that he could not find in the supermarkets in Germany.

In one instance in the summer, Kevin Keegan went into a hardware shop intending to buy a fuse and he eventually left the shop after buying Christmas lights.

Kevin Keegan scored in pre-season friendlies against Barcelona and his former club Liverpool, but Hamburg would later suffer defeat in the European Super Cup final against the latter opposition.

Kevin Keegan, who knew he was going to be sent off, walked off the pitch prior to any decision by the referee.

Kevin Keegan was suspended for eight weeks and in that time he and the squad made efforts to integrate.

Kevin Keegan knew the dressing room was turning in his favour when he got invited to the squad nights out.

Zebec's squad did a lot of running and Kevin Keegan claimed he had never been worked as hard in his life.

The club's success translated into individual recognition for Kevin Keegan, who picked up the European Footballer of the Year award for a second consecutive season.

In February 1980, Kevin Keegan announced he was leaving after his contract was up.

Kevin Keegan had a lot of respect for Zebec, but thought that Zebec's extreme fitness regime was flawed for the modern-day footballer.

Kevin Keegan told Zebec that his training regime was going to burn him out as a footballer, and that he believed he would be finished from playing by 30 if he continued.

Kevin Keegan then implied to Zebec that players have different roles and not all players run the same distances on match days; he pointed out to Zebec that because of his role and his effort, on match days not many players in the squad ran as much as himself.

On 11 February 1980, Southampton boss Lawrie McMenemy called a press conference at the Potters Heron Hotel in Ampfield to announce that Kevin Keegan would join the Saints in the summer.

Supporters' excitement only grew when Kevin Keegan captained England at UEFA Euro 1980 in Italy.

Kevin Keegan had a clause in his contract with Hamburg that gave Liverpool the option to buy him back.

Kevin Keegan had scored 26 of the team's 72 league goals and was voted the club's Player of the Season by the Southern Daily Echo.

Kevin Keegan fell out with McMenemy over the manager's failure to strengthen Southampton's defence while the team was at the top of the table.

Kevin Keegan joined Newcastle United and spent two seasons there, during which time he was extremely popular with the supporters.

Kevin Keegan always felt at one stage in his career he would play for Newcastle.

Kevin Keegan claimed that his father would have loved to have seen him playing football in black and white stripes, and to Kevin Keegan, playing for Newcastle felt like coming home.

Kevin Keegan explained, no one could have made him more welcome.

Kevin Keegan made his debut and scored his first goal against Queens Park Rangers.

Newcastle manager, Arthur Cox, who would later join many of Kevin Keegan's coaching staffs, had a different relationship to Kevin Keegan than with other players.

Kevin Keegan finished the season with 21 goals in 37 appearances and won North East Player of the Year.

In September 1983, Kevin Keegan answered a phone call at 1:00 am from Cox.

Kevin Keegan felt his career was finished after a cup game, a month prior, away at Liverpool.

At this precise moment, it occurred to Kevin Keegan he had now lost his pace.

Kevin Keegan felt if he were to extend his career at Newcastle in the first division, he would have to adjust his game and move from the attacking role on which he built his footballing identity.

Kevin Keegan did not want to move back into midfield, and instead decided to retire on a high note.

Kevin Keegan played 78 times in his Newcastle career, scoring 48 goals and helping promote them from the Second Division in 1984.

Alan Shearer, a then-unknown 13-year-old who Kevin Keegan would later sign while manager of Newcastle, was a ball boy in Kevin Keegan's testimonial.

Kevin Keegan claimed he would never enter football management, but did carry out occasional work as a football pundit for British television.

That same match saw Kevin Keegan receive his first and only red card at international level.

Kevin Keegan managed only two appearances during this campaign, both against Wales, as England failed to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

Kevin Keegan scored his first international goal in his third appearance, against Wales, on 11 May 1974.

Kevin Keegan was given the captaincy by manager Don Revie in 1976 after Gerry Francis fell victim to a long-term injury.

Kevin Keegan went on to captain England 31 times, retaining the captain's armband until his international retirement after the 1982 World Cup.

Kevin Keegan managed only one World Cup appearance, as England failed to qualify for both the 1974 and 1978 tournaments.

Kevin Keegan finally reached the World Cup in 1982, held in Spain.

Kevin Keegan recovered sufficiently to appear as a substitute for the last 26 minutes of England's second-round game against Spain.

Kevin Keegan publicly expressed his displeasure at not being given the courtesy of a phone call from Robson, and never played for his country again.

Kevin Keegan finished his international career with 63 caps and 21 goals.

On 5 February 1992, almost eight years after his final game as a player, Kevin Keegan returned to Newcastle United as manager.

Hall told board members one hour before Keegan's first press conference that Kevin Keegan would be the manager.

Kevin Keegan had watched only two live matches in seven years.

One was the European Cup final in 1991, the other being a goalless draw between Newcastle and Blackburn Rovers; as such, it was suggested that Kevin Keegan was unprepared and inexperienced.

When Kevin Keegan turned up to Benwell for his first training session as manager, he noted the training ground was in a mess.

Kevin Keegan was surprised at the neglect of the facilities.

The training ground was in the process of being sold; despite this, Kevin Keegan paid for the clean-up of the grounds with his own money, with the cleaning work being done in one weekend.

Kevin Keegan felt this clean-up work was an important move and an indirect message to the players that their professionalism had to be high.

Kevin Keegan noted the club had an impressive crop of youth players.

Kevin Keegan noted Watson would take throw-ins via a somersault throw and this amused and shocked him.

Kevin Keegan regarded it as a gimmick and could not believe the club's supporters would take joy in it.

The throw-in, to Kevin Keegan, was a sign of how far Newcastle had fallen.

Kevin Keegan wanted the club to be known for scoring goals and thrilling football.

Kevin Keegan was not upset and he did not punish either player.

Kevin Keegan had been not given the transfer funds he was promised.

Top scorer David Kelly and influential midfielder Gavin Peacock were both sold after the season, and Kevin Keegan brought striker Peter Beardsley back to Newcastle from Everton, six years after he had been sold by Newcastle to Liverpool.

Kevin Keegan then strengthened his side by signing Swiss defender Marc Hottiger, Belgian defensive midfielder Philippe Albert, and Norwich City's quick winger, Ruel Fox.

Kevin Keegan made several important additions to the Newcastle side in the summer of 1995: Reading goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, Paris Saint-Germain's French winger David Ginola, Queens Park Rangers striker Les Ferdinand, and Wimbledon defender Warren Barton.

Kevin Keegan stated in 2018 that if Newcastle had won the title in that season, the squad, which included players such as Ferdinand, Ginola, Beardsley, Lee, Darren Peacock, and Faustino Asprilla would have stayed together, built up momentum, and won more trophies.

Kevin Keegan then broke the world transfer fee record by signing striker Alan Shearer from Blackburn in July 1996.

Kevin Keegan made an instant impact on his native Tyneside.

On 8 January 1997, Kevin Keegan announced his resignation as manager.

Kevin Keegan informed the board of his wish to resign at the end of the season, having decided he no longer wishes to continue in football management at this stage in his life.

Kevin Keegan was succeeded by Kenny Dalglish, the same man who had replaced him as a player at Liverpool 20 years earlier.

Kevin Keegan returned to football on 25 September 1997 as chief operating officer at Second Division Fulham, with Ray Wilkins as head coach.

Fulham finished sixth in the final table, but Wilkins was sacked just before the first leg of the playoff semi-final and Kevin Keegan took over as manager.

Kevin Keegan left at the end of the season to concentrate on his duties as England manager, having succeeded Glenn Hoddle in February 1999.

Kevin Keegan succeeded Glenn Hoddle, who had been sacked two weeks earlier for a newspaper interview in which he suggested that disabled people were being punished for their sins in a previous life.

On 24 May 2001, Kevin Keegan returned to football as successor to Joe Royle at Manchester City, who had just been relegated from the Premier League.

Kevin Keegan signed experienced international players such as Stuart Pearce, Eyal Berkovic and Ali Benarbia.

Kevin Keegan was the first manager in the Premier League era to win the First Division title with two different clubs.

Kevin Keegan guided City into the UEFA Cup, qualifying via the UEFA Fair Play ranking.

Kevin Keegan managed his first game at the club since 1997 against Bolton Wanderers on 19 January.

The club released statements denying that Kevin Keegan had left, but stated that talks were ongoing between the manager and members of the board.

Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers Association, stated the following month that Kevin Keegan would consider a return to the club but only if those who held the ownership were willing to develop a structure which he was happy with.

The tribunal ruled in favour of Kevin Keegan, agreeing that Newcastle had constructively dismissed him by insisting on the signing of midfielder Nacho Gonzalez on loan, against his wishes.

The panel declared that Kevin Keegan had been led to believe he had the final decision on player transfers, and was never explicitly told in writing, his contract, nor by word of mouth that he did not, nor that his role would see him report to others.

Kevin Keegan stated afterwards that the purpose of his claim had been to restore his reputation, and was delighted with the outcome, allowing him to move forward.

Several key senior staff, including Dennis Wise and Derek Llambias, had publicly claimed that Kevin Keegan had "the final word"; they claimed to the tribunal that this was not in fact the case and that their claims were just "PR".

In June 2013, Kevin Keegan stated he would only consider a return should Ashley leave the club.

Kevin Keegan narrated the 90-minute documentary Keegan on Keegan, released via Castle Vision on VHS cassette in 1992.

Kevin Keegan was part of ESPN's live coverage of the 2011,2012 and 2013 FA Cup finals, with pitch-side build-up and post-match commentary.

Kevin Keegan released a single in 1972 titled "It Ain't Easy".

Kevin Keegan released another single, "England", on his return to England from Germany, but it failed to chart.

In September 1970, Kevin Keegan met his future wife, Jean Woodhouse, on the Waltzers at Doncaster fair.

Kevin Keegan became renowned for his "poodle perm" hair in the 1970s, and has regularly appeared at the top of "worst hairstyles" surveys.

Kevin Keegan is known for aiding charities, including appearances at cricket matches for Lord's Taverners and Sussex Cricket Club.