NEWCASTLE, England // Kevin Keegan resigned yesterday as Newcastle United manager after only seven months in charge, quitting the Premier League club for the second time. After a week of talks with the club's board, Keegan released a statement saying he had "been left with no choice but to leave". Keegan had been retired from coaching at the professional level until the Magpies persuaded him to return last January. But he grew frustrated at his lack of influence over transfers, losing James Milner to Aston Villa last week and failing to secure several other targets.
The appointment of Dennis Wise as director of football was seen as undermining Keegan's power over the squad. "I've been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible," Keegan said. "It's my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want." The club's managing director Derek Llambias sent Keegan a letter on Thursday to resolve their differences and urge him to stay, but the League Managers Association (LMA) said Keegan still felt undermined and had "no alternative other than to resign".
The departure echoes his 1997 exit, when his five-year tenure ended after a dispute with the board. "It remains my fervent wish to see Newcastle United do well in the future," Keegan said. "I feel incredibly sorry for the players, staff and most importantly the supporters. I have been left with no choice other than to leave." Newcastle issued a statement later yesterday claiming that it had tried to find a solution to retain Keegan.
"Newcastle United Football Club is sad and disappointed that Kevin Keegan has resigned," the statement read. "Over the last few days, the club has devoted itself to the discussions it has held with Kevin and, as a result of those discussions, had put together a set of practical suggestions for how to move forward. "Today, the club made it clear to Kevin that if he had any outstanding concerns on its proposals, he should raise them with the club. The club regrets that Kevin has, instead of taking up that offer, chosen to resign."
The LMA, which represents the managers of England's 92 professional clubs, said it had been a "very difficult period" for Keegan. "We share his great disappointment and frustration that the situation could not be resolved," the club's chief executive Richard Bevan said. In Newcastle's first three Premier League matches of the season, the team had a win, draw and a defeat. Keegan is the second manager to leave a Premier League club in as many days.
Alan Curbishley's turbulent spell at West Ham ended after also clashing with the board over player transfers. *AP
