KEVIN KEEGAN has effectively challenged Mike Ashley either to dismiss him or redefine Dennis Wise's role at Newcastle United. As the impasse over the manager's uncertain future continued yesterday a source close to him indicated that he wanted full control of all transfer activity: "Kevin still wants the job, make no mistake about that - but he would like to be able to buy his own players."
It was thought Keegan had been sacked by Ashley, Newcastle's billionaire owner, after bitter rows with Wise, the club's director of football and recruitment supremo, and with Derek Llambias, the managing director, on Tuesday. But after hours of silence the club eventually released a statement insisting this was not the case.
With Keegan seemingly refusing to resign and the club declining to dismiss him, he retreated to the north-west where he has a house in Hale, Cheshire. The former England coach spent Tuesday evening consulting his lawyers in a Manchester hotel and discussing his position with the League Managers' Association (LMA), then failed to supervise training for the second consecutive day yesterday.
A St James' Park spokesman released a mid-morning statement saying: "Newcastle United football club can confirm that discussions are ongoing between the board and Kevin Keegan. Both the club and Kevin would like to reiterate that Kevin remains as manager. He has not resigned nor has he been sacked."
Yesterday's Newcastle Evening Chronicle contained an interview with the aforementioned source "close to" Keegan. After insisting that the manager wanted autonomy over transfers - something precluded by the continental managerial structure introduced by Ashley at St James' - the source argued the case for a policy change, explaining: "If Kevin was allowed to bring in his own players and failed he would be the first to hold his hands up. But he has always bought flair players who get people off their seats. You just have to look at what he did at Manchester City. Kevin brought in both Sylvain Distin and Nicolas Anelka. They were two masterstrokes."
Wise's control of transfers has long been a bone of contention and this week's upset was sparked by the board's failed attempts to sell Michael Owen and Joey Barton before the transfer deadline. However, handing control to Keegan would necessitate the removal or demotion of Wise, who earns €1.83 million a year and is close to Ashley.
Matters are futher complicated by the fact that Keegan is believed to have demanded €9.8 million in compensation for the remaining three years of his Newcastle contract. He remains adamant he will not resign and it has been reported that, under the terms of his contract, walking away would leave him liable to pay back more than €1.22 million to Ashley. Yet if Ashley continues to refuse to sack Keegan while preserving Wise's position and powers, the manager could launch a legal claim for constructive dismissal.
Richard Bevan, the LMA's chief executive, said: "Kevin will be working hard to communicate with the Newcastle board and we will have to wait to see what the outcome is over the next few days."
But he hinted that that the manager was in feisty form. "He's in a difficult position but he's very focused, passionate, proud - all the things we'd expect from Kevin." With similarly spiky Newcastle fans waving banners demanding that Keegan stays and calling for the departures of both Wise and the club's owner, the suddenly deeply unpopular, and reportedly shocked, Ashley has some major decisions to make.
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