Fit for a king - Harvey Barnes evokes Kevin Keegan spirit to showcase Newcastle United at its brilliant best
Newcastle United evoked the spirit of Kevin Keegan’s swashbuckling side on a night when St James’ Park rallied behind one of its favourite sons.
A bear-pit atmosphere, tackles flying in, penalties, end-to-end action and, most importantly, goals. If ever the spirit of Kevin Keegan were to shake up the footballing gods and decide a Premier League fixture, this was it.
Tyneside was rocked before kick-off when tragic news emerged that Keegan has been diagnosed with cancer. While the 74-year-old holds legendary status at Liverpool and Hamburg, it is at Newcastle United where he will always be the King.
The charismatic Keegan - backed by Sir John Hall’s ambition and cash - spearheaded Newcastle into the club you see today. Modern times might see United as a £1billion entity, backed by Saudi investment and with bold plans to build a new super stadium, but that was a mere pipe dream when Keegan ended an eight-year exile to save the club drilled into him via his dad and grandad.
And with one swivel of his hips and right-footed dash in the 102nd minute, Harvey Barnes evoked the Entertainers spirit to put the cherry on top of a breathtaking night at St James' Park.
Not once, not twice, but three times did Newcastle trail. For context, they had not won a single point from a losing position this season.
But the Magpies picked themselves up off the canvas each time and told the visitors, “We’re going to score more than you” - the same philosophy that almost delivered a Premier League title in 1995-96. Led by Bruno Guimaraes and bulldozing Joelinton - a player who would have thrived in Keegan’s swashbuckling side - Newcastle weaponised the togetherness inside the ground to propel themselves up to fifth.
His modern-day incarnation, Eddie Howe, paid tribute to Keegan, a helpful advisor to him throughout his four years in the dugout, at the full-time whistle.
"The team Keegan created was truly special and it is still talked about,” a statesman-like Howe told reporters. “We are always trying to be that team and entertain. That was us at our thrilling best. The news before the game shook us all.
“He is such an inspirational figure. One of the first things I did when I took the job was to ring him and speak to him to try and get an understanding of what the job was going to look like and what I needed to do. He was unbelievable with his time and insight. I’ve been lucky enough to meet him a couple of times in different scenarios. He’s always been so king, gracious, giving and humorous.
His stories, I could listen to for a long time. I think he’s brilliant and, when the news comes today that someone like Kevin who has this zest for life that will never go (is ill), it brings back that everyone is human. We really feel for him and hope he is going to be ok."
Newcastle will now rally behind one of its most beloved sons as he prepares to face his biggest challenge yet. The Geordies will be there for Keegan, just as he was for them when the phone call came in 1982, 1992 and 2008.