MX23RW : Tuesday, January 28 23:47:12| >> :120:13309:13309:

On This Day: Kevin Keegan returns to the dugout with Man City

On This Day: Kevin Keegan returns to the dugout with Man City
© Reuters
Kevin Keegan had quit as England boss seven months earlier.

Former England boss Kevin Keegan made his big return to management with Manchester City on this day in 2001.

The ex-Liverpool forward and Newcastle manager had appeared shattered when quitting as England chief following a 1-0 loss to Germany in October 2000.

But Keegan threw his hat back into the managerial ring when City came calling, with the Citizens having just been relegated from the Premier League.

Kevin Keegan Manchester City
Kevin Keegan, left, with new Manchester City signing David Seaman, right, (Martin Rickett/PA)

Keegan replaced Joe Royle and immediately branded City "truly a sleeping giant", insisting he had been refreshed by his seven-month break.

Stuart Pearce topped the billing of Keegan's City signings, and an immediate top-flight return was secured in his first campaign at the helm.

Keegan convinced Nicolas Anelka to make the City switch for £13million from Paris St Germain for the Premier League return.

And the former Arsenal hitman bagged 14 goals as Keegan steered the Maine Road men to a ninth-place finish in a fruitful 2002/03 campaign that included a 3-1 home win over bitter rivals Manchester United.

Kevin Keegan won promotion in his first season at Maine Road
Kevin Keegan won promotion in his first season at Maine Road (Jason Cairnduff/PA)

City were unable to build on that first year back in the division under Keegan, however, with the club finishing 16th in the next term.

Keegan left the club by mutual consent in March 2005, announcing his retirement from football.

An emotional return to Newcastle saw Keegan reverse that decision in 2008, but he only lasted eight months at St James' Park owing to disputes with club chiefs.

ID:448828: cacheID:448828:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5332:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Derby County's manager Wayne Rooney before the match on March 6, 2021
Read Next:
Wayne Rooney promises to repay Derby's faith in him
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!