UK Football

photo: scartinho

Newcastle United’s chairman Derek Llambias and owner Mike Ashley have basically finally admitted that parting ways with Keegan was a tremendous mistake, especially because of the fallout suffered from Newcastle supporters.  Kevin Keegan was the Magpies messiah to supporters, and why Llambias and Ashley would ever let someone with that sort of overwhelming support be pushed out of the club, cannot be understood.  Especially over something so stupid as not giving the club manager a say in transfers in and out of the club.

Derek Llambias in an obvious attempt to cool the rage Newcastle supporters have been showing through pre-match protests at St. James’ Park said this of Keegan’s departure, “The reaction was so big it was naïve on our part we didn’t realise how big it would be.

“Kevin is the messiah. He is a great guy, I promise you, Kevin was where we wanted to go.”

I don’t think that’s going to quiet any Newcastle supporter, and from Derek Llambias, that’s just not enough of a message of intent to fix the many problems at the club.  Saying you made a mistake by letting one of your club’s biggest heroes be thrown out with so much bad blood left over, is a little more than a ‘naïve’ action.

Fernando Torres is out with injury again, and I still blame Rafa Benitez for having played him too early from his initial hamstring injury early on this season.  Although the current injury is a previously uninjured ankle, I can’t imagine forcing him to play a full match, running at full burst on the pitch before he was fit, was in any way good for the Spanish striker’s health.

Maybe now Rafa will learn his lesson?  Especially with talk of Gerrard returning this weekend, you can’t tell me it’s not too early for him to return from a hamstring injury.  With decisions like these, and with the contract negotiations having dragged on for years, maybe it would be best for all parties if Rafael Benitez parted ways with Liverpool.

I think it’s time.

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