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As a player, Kevin Keegan was exciting and successful, but as a manager he only seems to be able to maintain the excitement factor and success seems to be a long way off until he learns some basic football management rules.

When Newcastle United were looking for a replacement for Sam Allardyce, Kevin Keegan was tempted to return from the wilderness to try his hand at club management again. The board were happy, the fans were happy and everyone predicted a bright future under their new leadership, as it brought back memories of the glory days for reminiscent Geordies.

But in his short time as Newcastle United manager, Kevin Keegan has struggled and picked up less than a handful of points. The Magpies are now slipping dangerously towards relegation and leaking goals at the back. Why?

Keegan inherited a team which was lacking confidence. His arrival boosted the squad for a short time, but there's still no real confidence on the pitch. They may put up a battle at the start, but once they concede a goal, their heads drop and it's then a matter of how many they're going to let in.

Some of his team aren't good enough to play in the Premier League either. They lack the quality and skill for regular top flight matches and Keegan will need to have a summer clear-out and make some major new signings. But with the previous manager having spent a fortune with no return, it's unlikely the chairman will give the new manager a big spending budget.

When Keegan was at Manchester City and previously as England's national manager he built sides that may have been exciting to watch for the neutral fan, but not necessarily good for his own team. With an emphasis on attacking, stylish football, the defensive qualities of his side were neglected, so games would often end up with goalmouth action and high scores but not always in Keegan's favour.

Unfortunately, until Kevin Keegan sorts out the basics of football, he won't be as successful as he should be. This means that style will have to take a back seat until he builds a team which is solid, can play for each other and stop conceding goals. At the moment, he may have a half-decent group of individual players but he hasn't got them working together as a team.

I hope he is successful but only time will tell.

Learn more about this author, Ben Hughes.
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