The untold story of how Kevin Keegan almost quit Newcastle United in 1992
Newcastle United hero Liam O’Brien’s new book, Pass Master, details several highs and lows from his 20-year career in football - six of those that were spent donning the famous black-and-white stripes at St James’ Park.
Kevin Keegan, a man whose appointment in February 1992 is viewed as the watershed moment in modern Newcastle United history. One phone call between Sir John Hall and the legendary former player is all it took to catapult the Magpies - then staring the Third Division in the face - out of the mire.
Keegan is beloved on Tyneside as the man who laid the foundations for the club you see today. Backed by Sir John’s wealth, he proved the charismatic figurehead that dragged Newcastle from the nadir of the second tier to within a whisker of Premier League glory.
However, in a parallel universe, the fairytale came crashing down just one month into the job and, with it, the Magpies’ fate plunged into uncertainty. Liam O’Brien - whose name continues to ring around St James’ Park 33 years after his iconic free-kick against Sunderland - has opened up about Keegan threatening to quit before a 3-1 home win over Swindon Town in March 1992.
“We all heard that he's (Keegan) going after the game,” O’Brien told NewcastleWorld. “It's like any manager, you're given promises and promises, and then when you get your foot in the door, the promises aren't forthcoming. So he was probably saying, ‘Hold on, you told me I was allowed this, this, and that, and you aren't forthcoming with it.
“He said, ‘I don't need this, I'll go’ and he knew he'd have the back end of the fans if that happened. But obviously somebody changed his mind, and lucky enough for the club that they did do that.”
O’Brien was at Newcastle when Keegan joined and at Manchester United following Sir Alex Ferguson’s appointment - a unique vantage point. These two titans of English football duked it out for the title in 1995-96, with a more accomplished Ferguson cruelly overcoming a 12-point deficit.
The Irishman details both having an “aura” despite scepticism surrounding their initial arrival. He added: “Alex Ferguson came in, he had a great reputation as doing great in Scotland because he won an awful lot of trophies up at Aberdeen. So he had a good reputation as a manager, but only Gordon Strachan knew much about him.
“Now, it did take time. He didn't win his first trophy for about three or four years, so it did take time. You could see he had an aura about him and he was very driven. You could see that he wanted to do well for the club. It was a massive job for him and he turned it around. He became one of the best managers around.
“We were just a little bit worried at the time because we heard that Kevin Keegan was coming in. Obviously, it was great for the fans. The whole city kind of needed a lift, but you're thinking, we're in a relegation battle here… he has never managed!
“With Kevin Keegan, it was a gamble for the club to bring him in. His reputation was on the line because of who he was, and if it didn't work out, that probably would have been the end of his management. He was living in Spain for the last eight years. So it was a big, big gamble for him, but I must say he was brilliant.
“The first time he came through the door, he just had a personality about him and the aura about him, and he was full of enthusiasm. He's really, really good, and the players got to like him. You could see he loved Newcastle.
“He loved the club, he loved the fans, and there was no way under his watch this club was going to go down. Luckily enough, we did stay up that first season, and then we just kicked on. It was just brilliant to be a part of it.”
So was O’Brien - by this point a Tranmere Rovers player - surprised when Ferguson ultimately trumped Keegan to the Premier League title? Blowing the 12-point advantage, with 29 years of hindsight in the bank, proved to be a sliding doors moment for Newcastle’s trajectory.
“Yeah, I probably did (expect Ferguson to come out on top) because he's more experienced as a manager than Kevin and he's been through the mill himself. He probably would have always gone to win the mind games, but it was just unfortunate because they were 12 points clear and couldn't hold on.
“Unfortunately it didn't happen, and Manchester United went on to win the league, but to be a top manager you have to have something about you. You have to have the players on your side, and your man management skills have to be very, very good. I think both of them were quite good, and I think that's where they were very similar in a way.
“They were very, very good at man-managing, looking after players, getting the best out of players and wanting players to play for you. That's what it's all about.”
It still baffles O’Brien how adored he remains by Newcastle fans, many of whom were not born when he netted that famous winner at Roker Park in October 1992. The Geordie warmth and adulation gave him a little taste of the Emerald Isle throughout his six years on Tyneside.
“It's the people there,” O’Brien finished when asked about Newcastle fans. “They've got the same sense of humour as we have here (in Ireland). We all take the p---- out of each other, have a bit of craic, and I find that great. I just fit in with them as well because I came from a working-class background myself.
“I know what it's like. I wouldn't have a bad word to say about anyone from Newcastle. They're absolutely fantastic, each and every one of them.”