Football As Metaphor Pt 5,312: Keegan Returns

I watched the last 20 minutes of Newcastle versus Bolton on Saturday evening, mostly out of the corner my eye. The Magpies pressed ineffectually, their opponents blocked obdurately. At intervals Setanta's cameras picked out placards in the crowd heralding the return of "King Kev". The consensus is that Keegan's reappointment is a triumph of romance over realism. I think that's right, and it makes me smile and despair at the same time. Keegan's football philosophy has always exemplified a school of English patriotism that pre-dates even his playing days. It's all about good mates together having more heart and more flair than the other lot. It served him wonderfully as a player, but has worked less for him as a manager. When he was England boss he sometimes implied that our best bet was to stick some cold steel up Johnny Foreigner. Cheery, honest and doomed, he'd have been a good man in the trenches. He'd have been a disaster too. Football is a metaphor for hopeless optimism.