Optimistic Nut

Do you think Blackburn would have stayed up had they not sacked him?

Fair enough, so how do we know that when Wise & Ashley were saying, "Keegan has final say on transfers", etc. they weren't doing it to say the diplomatic thing and with the good intentions of the club in mind?

I actually think he'll go on a free. And if he does, I'm guessing he'll be the most expensive player ever to move on for nowt. I think Mendieta has that honour. £22m from Valencia to Lazio, then to Barca on a Free iirc.

Weren't we linked with him under Allardyce?

Alan Irvine. Now manager of Preston.

How much did you put on Pud?

How about a nice topical one... "Rob, rob, wherever we may be, We love train and bank robbery. We're the Hole-In-The-Wall, Watching the Toon play football, Now we're related to Butch Cassidy."

It's like on FM when you get the sack and you keep declaring your interest in every job going, to the point where the in-game media tell you that you're just sounding desperate.

Totally agree and as SLP says, there is already a statue at Portman Road. The FA should recognise him in some way for what he has done for football and the English game in general. What he achieved at NUFC was only a small proportion of what he achieved elsewhere perhaps but then the same can be said of Keegan, Shearer, Beardsley and others over the years. Of the people this football club should recognise in some way, he has to be up there amongst them. IMO the list should be: Stan Seymour Snr Jackie Milburn Joe Harvey Sir John Hall Kevin Keegan Sir Bobby Robson Both Beardsley and Shearer are possibly worthy of some recognition too. Of the 6 names mentioned up there, only 3 have had anything done to date - Milburn (stand), Harvey (restaurant within ground) and Hall (stand). The fact that Stan Seymour Snr has never been recognised is an absolute disgrace IMO. Statue as well for Jackie... True - forgot to mention that one... Shearer's Bar?

I think a lot of the relegated clubs normally just freeze season-ticket prices on account of the extra 4 homes games a season.

And when he walked changes were made by that structure to correct the reason(s) for him walking. Thats why he came back, the board then had good enough sense to see that he was more important to the club than them. I was talking about when we became a PLC in '97 and Dalglish came in.

And you also forget that Keegan walked out last time because he didn't feel he could work under particular conditions...a setup which you hail and eventually got us back into the top-five and the Champions League.

thats exactly my take on it too. I'm not sure how it would have damaged his reputation mind, not that that should have been a factor anyway. Had he stayed and it did turn out he was working under unworkable conditions as everyone seems to be making out, he'd have been lauded by the fans for putting the club first and continuing through it.

Whether he was right or wrong to walk, whether the "regime" was right or wrong, even with a clash between the two I still think had Keegan not walked, we'd be at least 7th in the table now imo.

Souness & Tugay lined-up to replace him according to the Mirror.

Not in the slightest and I think anyone that gives a manager grief for wanting the best is mental. I cant see how a tribunal could rule in favour of the club because the manager was proven to want to buy top players, that still doesnt make it right to buy over his head. Yes, but if Keegan's walked because we couldn't get them, then a) how pathetic is that? and b.) could you blame Ashley for letting Wise, Jimenez, etc. go for more realistic signings?

Unlike Allardyce, who walked away with a fortune. That's what this tribunal's all about though isn't it? If KK's in the right, then by all means I think he's more than entitled to the £8m or whatever it is that makes up his salary from now until it expires. If however, the tribunal rules in the club's favour in that he walked away in breach of contract, he deserves naff all.

Poor bloke flew all the way out to Colorado this week to meet the legendary Dr Richard Steadman...only to discover when he got there that Steadman had injured his arm in a skiing accident that weekend so wouldn't be able to operate.

Only Man City, Inter, Villa, Fiorentina & Zenit outspent them.

SSN said about 10 minutes ago that Sunderland were the 6th biggest spenders in world football under Keane.

Would love to know the facts but I'd imagine we were in the top division more than Sunderland in those years. NUFC...SAFC .2nd .....1st...........1980-1 .2nd .....1st...........1981-2 .2nd .....1st...........1982-3 .2nd .....1st...........1983-4 .1st.......1st...........1984-5 .1st.......2nd..........1985-6 .1st.......2nd..........1986-7 .1st.......3rd...........1987-8 .1st.......2nd..........1988-9 .2nd.......2nd..........1989-90 .2nd .....1st...........1990-1 .2nd.......2nd..........1991-2 .2nd.......2nd..........1992-3 .1st.......2nd..........1993-4 .1st.......2nd..........1994-5 .1st.......2nd..........1995-6 .1st.......1st...........1996-7 .1st.......2nd..........1997-8 .1st.......2nd..........1998-9 .1st.......1st...........1999-2000 .1st.......1st...........2000-1 .1st.......1st...........2001-2 .1st.......1st...........2002-3 .1st.......2nd..........2003-4 .1st.......2nd..........2004-5 .1st.......1st...........2005-6 .1st.......2nd..........2006-7 .1st.......1st...........2007-8 .1st.......1st...........2008-9 So since they last beat us, they were in a higher division 5 times, we were in the better division 12 times. What a sh*te argument that was.

Would love to know the facts but I'd imagine we were in the top division more than Sunderland in those years.

Strachan to Sunderland, Keane to Celtic?