Tributes continue to be paid after Newcastle United, Liverpool and England icon Kevin Keegan passed away on Monday.
Sir Alex Ferguson has paid an emotional tribute to Kevin Keegan after the Newcastle United and England legend passed away on Monday.
The former Manchester United manager went head-to-head with Keegan throughout the mid-1990s as their sides produced some of the most iconic moments in the Premier League history and fought one of the most memorable title battles in recent history. Keegan’s legendary status on Tyneside was already secured by the time he returned as Magpies manager nine years after ending his playing career in black and white and resurrected Newcastle’s fortunes, transforming them from second tier relegation candidates to Premier League challengers.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United overhauled Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle to win the 1995-96 Premier League title (Rui Vieira/PA)placeholder image
Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United overhauled Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle to win the 1995-96 Premier League title (Rui Vieira/PA)
The job he oversaw at St James Park has drawn great praise from former foe Ferguson as he paid tribute to Keegan for ‘carrying the love of the game on his sleeve’.
The former Red Devils manager told Track Radio: "I had the utmost respect for him. We had many duels when he was manager of Newcastle, but I have to say the job he did at Newcastle was fantastic. He re-energised that club and he brought that enthusiasm and fanaticism that great supporters can give. That's the job he did. And he also brought three great players to the club – [David] Ginola, [Faustino] Asprilla, Philippe Albert - and added a bit of class to the team, and I must say the challenges we had with Newcastle at that time at United were huge.
"Kevin carried the love of the game on his sleeve, there's no question about that, and that carried right on to the fans, to the players. That period at Newcastle was of emotion, it was excitement. They brought these great players to the club too and they added to it, and it gave Newcastle - I think - their best ever team."
Respected
Former Newcastle United manager Kevin Keeganplaceholder image
Former Newcastle United manager Kevin Keegan | AFP via Getty Images
One of the most memorable moments in the legendary title race between Keegan and Ferguson’s sides came when the Magpies legend produced his iconic ‘love it’ rant after he was left frustrated by comments from the Scot suggesting other Premier League clubs were putting in more effort against his side than they were against Newcastle. The Red Devils legend revealed he and Keegan shared a memorable night just weeks later and believes that summed up the former England captain.
Of the iconic post-match interview, Ferguson said: "That was Kevin, he was all emotion and he brought that to the team as well. They played for Kevin Keegan, there's no question about that. The interesting thing about the outburst from Kevin, two weeks after the season had finished, I was playing golf with some friends and went to a great bar up the road, nice food. We went up there, and who walks in? Kevin Keegan and he spent the rest of the night on the piano. The best thing about him is he held no grudges, that was a fantastic quality he had. We had a great night, he would always say - whatever happened in previous weeks, that was soon forgotten. I really respected him for that."