Kevin Keegan has done much good for Newcastle. But with this one act of folly he has shown that money is his god

By Brian McNally

Published 14:49 02/10/09

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Kevin Keegan may have been declared the winner in his battle with former employers Newcastle United.

But in many respects he has come out of this grubby affair as a loser.

He claims that his case for constructive dismissal was brought to restore his reputation, but the staggering claim for £25million compensation has left even his most fervent admirers on Tyneside struggling to defend his actions.

There is absolutely no doubt that Keegan was treated despicably by owner Mike Ashley and his cohorts, but the outrageous extravagance of his claim has left him looking as much a user as the despised Ashley.

The Toon Army looked on Keegan as a man of the people- as one of them. They know differently now.

Their illusion has been shattered into a thousand pieces by a man whose greedy demands are proof that he cared more about cash than the club he publicly professed to love.

No one would deny him the right to clear his name or prove that he was the wronged party. But the sheer scale of his attempt to profit from his treatment is breathtakingly extravagant.

Down the years Keegan has done much good for the Magpies. But with this one act of folly he has shown that like many in football, money is his god.

The details of this sordid affair make sorry reading for the Geordie faithful who were already well aware of the squalid regime that Ashley and his right-hand man Derek Llambias operate and the lies that they have peddled.

But until today they believed that King Kev had their best interests at heart.

Now they have 25 million reasons to doubt him as the credibility of Newcastle United once again lies in tatters.

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