Keegan steps down

Press, 24 February 1984, Page 8

Keegan steps down

The soccer world is a little poorer for the loss of Kevin Keegan who has announced his retirement. The former Liverpool, Hamburg and Southampton player is to quit the game at the end of the season at the age of 33 — a bitter blow to the thousands of ardent fans at Newcastle, his present club. But with his departure, the game as a whole loses one of its finest ambassadors and most polished professionals. From his humble beginnings in the low reaches of the English football league at Scunthorpe to the pinnacle of success with Liverpool and Hamburg, Keegan has always given 100 per cent. His iron determination helped Liverpool to seven major trophies, including the Europen Cup; and it played a large part in Hamburg winning their first championship in 20 years and reaching a European Cup final. During his 16-year career, he was capped 64 times and captained the England squad during the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain. But an old back injury — a legacy from his days in Hamburg — kept him out of the first three games and when he came on as substitute in the vital match against Spain he could make no impact. England were out and with them went Keegan’s last chance of World Cup glory to crown his career.

His playing career with England ended three months later when he said he did not want to be considered for the national side under the new manager, Bobby Robson, because he had not been told personally he was being dropped for a match against Denmark.

His move a month earlier tq the success-starved fans of Newcastle in the second division brought new hope to the area. It also meant a handsome

£3OOO (SNZ647O) a week salary, which he could hardly have expected in his thirties. But Keegan proved a sound investment, although his new club failed to win promotion. Apart from putting thousands on the gate overnight and revitalising a club which yearned for a return to the 1950 s that brought three Wembley Cup

wins in five seasons, Keegan was good value off the field.

Unheralded, he put in much of his spare time talking to youngsters and sports organisations, boosting the game's image.

When he talked he talked sense. As one expert put it “there was no over-the-moon stuff from Keegan.” He ran for charity in distance races, trained hard and generally confounded the critics who said he was over the top.

Some said he was overpaid but not the fans - many of them without a job of their own — who turned up week after week to watch their new idol play. Finally, when Keegan felt he could no longer reconcile family life and his football career he called it a day. All that remains is to reward those long suffering fans on Tyneside with their dream — promotion to the first division. NZPA-Reuter