In Focus Kevin KeeganDaniel Taylor examines the rebirth of the former England manager's career which signifies a similar turnaround in Manchester City 's fortunes
Visit the Griffin Inn in Bowden and, among the Cheshire-set blondes, the rich college kids and the Louis Vuitton handbags, a couple of years ago there might have been a drinking school of Manchester City footballers, usually recognisable by the number of empty glasses on their table or the plumes of cigarette smoke in the air.
One player was notable not because, in his words, he was "gagging for a pint of Stella" but because of the yellow nicotine stains between his fingers.
That was the Manchester City that Kevin Keegan joined in May 2001, a club where standards had dropped, the team were preparing for another stint in the first division and, City being City, an air of resignation stank out the place.
Back then, amid all the allegations about the players' "refuelling habits" and with Keegan's reputation having taken a brutal pummelling during his time as England manager, his master plan seemed faintly ludicrous.
"We've got to look at winning the Premiership," he said. There was talk of qualifying for the Champions League and a warning to Manchester United to look over their shoulders.
Inspirational tub-thumping or misguided nonsense? Maybe a bit of both. The Champions League is still a distant dream and United will not be fretting just yet, but Keegan has rid City of the stench of disenchantment.
His chairman John Wardle says he wants to give the 52-year-old a "job for life" and, going into tomorrow's home game against Tottenham, there are few clubs in the country on such an upward curve.
Certainly it is difficult to know whose renaissance has been greater, the club who in recent years had swapped United for Stockport and then Macclesfield as their local derby, or the manager whose time in charge of England transformed him from people's choice to a laughing stock?
Keegan remains so embittered by his England experiences that the subject is still taboo: it is clear the scars run deep.
At times he can be pensive, suspicious, someone to tiptoe around. Other times, however, he can be gregarious, never short of an anecdote and has a self-deprecating humour.
Even when he sells on players, they seldom have a bad word to say about him. "He's got this wonderful knack, I don't know how he does it, of going into a room and it doesn't matter how down you are feeling by the time he has left that room you're feeling happy again," says Steve Howey, the former City defender.
According to Wardle, Keegan is "meticulous in everything he does", whether it be reading websites to gauge fans' opinions or ordering a new lick of paint for the training ground. "We need more blue," Keegan told the directors. "We should be prouder of who we are."
Alcohol has been banned from the team coach and injured players are not allowed to drink at all during their rehabilitation. When Richard Dunne turned up for training one day late and reeking of ale, the manager was said to be "white with anger".
There is still the occasional fit of pique. A few months ago Keegan inspired some hostile headlines on Merseyside with a tongue-in-cheek remark about risking his "hubcaps being nicked" driving to Liverpool.
The Sun sent its own stereotypical Scouser - complete with bubble perm, moustache and shellsuit - to "doorstep" him. It was a typical Sun stunt but Keegan's reaction surprised everyone: he tore up his £100,000-a-year contract with the newspaper.
Keegan then banned the Sun from his press conferences sine die after it splashed with a picture of Marc-Vivien Foe's face, his eyes rolled back, the day after he died playing for Cameroon.
That side of Keegan will not matter to City's fans, however, if the team continues to flourish. Scoring 108 goals to win promotion in his first year was a club record and, after the respectability of ninth place last season, they have lost only once since moving to the City of Manchester Stadium.
"When he came here most people thought he was over-confident - he just wasn't on the same wavelength," says David White, one of the club's old favourites.
"Most people were talking about getting back in the Premiership and just surviving but his attitude was: 'look where this club was 30 years ago, let's get back to that.' It's exactly what this club needed, someone with that aggressive confidence."
There are still flaws. Keegan's teams still lack defensive know-how, and David Seaman's goalkeeping has been embarrassing at times. But it is a far cry from when Keegan's predecessors talked about a disease called "Cityitis" and a letter in the Manchester Evening News described managing City as "like trying to nail a jelly to the floor".
"There's an incredible buzz right now," says White. "Before, you would get players hiding, scared to make a mistake. Now everyone wants the ball and everyone shares Keegan's attitude."
The Griffin has certainly lost some good customers. "There are no bad apples in this barrel," says Keegan. And Tottenham's directors might feel a pang of regret when, manager-less, they face City tomorrow. Keegan, after all, was available when Spurs appointed Glenn Hoddle.
