Kevin Keegan

youngbob said:
Our team that year was an absolute joke. Packed full of Premier League quality players like Huckerby, Berkovic, Wanchope, Howey, Horlock, Tiatto etc. and eventually Jensen. And that's not mentioning lads like Shauny Wright and Dunney who were almost there. It was always going to gel and get firing.

And then after a few weeks of the season we just nabbed a guy who'd been playing in the top division in France (with, believe it or not, Anelka, Jay Jay Okocha, Distin, Laurent Robert, Mikel Arteta and Pochettino). He just walked straight off the plane and waltzed through Birmingham like he'd already seen the match in his head.

That's how the story goes isn't it? We signed him on the Thursday afternoon on a free transfer, registered him on the Friday night just in time to name him in the squad, we flew him over from Paris to Manchester on the Saturday morning, and just sent him out there in the afternoon to see what he could do.

Ran the game from the word go and the Birmingham lads didn't have a clue what they were watching, hahaha. There's that moment just before the first goal where he has it with his back to goal and there's six Birmingham players like statues because none of them know which way he's gonna go. In three seconds it's in the net, lol.

And before the second goal where he gives the short corner to Tiatto and shapes like he's going to cross, and all the Birmingham lads step out expecting the ball over, and he just backheels it to Tiatto on the left wing who whips it in for Dunne to make it 2-0. Remember watching it as an 8-year-old and laughing my head off.

I don't even think our lads were on Ali's wavelength that day either. The amount of times he was pointing to them, telling them where to go, then passing it to them, then moving to receive it so they had a nice easy pass back to him. Controlled the other 21 players on the pitch on his own - only Aguero's debut comes close.
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Best description of that game I've read. I know I've seen highlights of the match since but can't find then now. The Birmingham manager said something about how he wished Benarbia had waited another week to make his debut. A few days later he was brilliant again in a defeat at Coventry, then came that wonderful performance at Sheffield.
 
I met Kev at Hale pizza gaff after game when Huckers Huckerby scored hatrick v Forest I think. He was quietly having dinner with his Mrs and 2 girls when I went and interrupted it with only thing I could think of saying in my starstruck and wasted stupor was "you would have done Tyrone Mears confidence alot of good when you brought him on in 2nd half"

He nodded kindly in polite agreement whilst his family looked slightly unimpressed. What a legend he came past my table with my 2 bros, mate and Mum as they were leaving and said "your a Blue from up north like all City fans hey - unlike them lot" what a fukin dude.

Sadly my advice must have fallen on deaf ears as he got shot of Tyrone about 3 weeks later I think! Sad how it ended when he turned up at one of his last games with us with specks of paint on his black leather jacket as he'd been doing some DIY and came straight to away game and results started going downhill back in the top shite (flight). Not a good look but the end was nigh.

Some of my favourite times the team he created with Eyal and Ali B etc in that mental promotion season. Mad how you can remember some finer details from ages ago but struggle to remember what day it is sometimes . . .
 
AliBobbyJ said:
Best description of that game I've read. I know I've seen highlights of the match since but can't find then now. The Birmingham manager said something about how he wished Benarbia had waited another week to make his debut. A few days later he was brilliant again in a defeat at Coventry, then came that wonderful performance at Sheffield.
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Here you are mate.

 
The Light Was Yellow Sir said:
Cheers for posting that, brilliant watch, a truly joyful season.

Interesting to see what happens when you get into opponents half and don’t stop and go back to the halfway line!

Also good to remember how goalkeepers weren’t a protected species (and I’d forgotten how ordinary Weaver was).
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Used to think Weaver was nailed on to play for England when I was a kid on the back of games like that Birmingham one.
 
Didsbury Dave said:
That’s exactly what happened. I also remember the derby performance when he ran the game (and we had a winner disallowed). He fell out with keegan and he wouldn’t pick him and we never recovered. The worst moment was losing at Oldham in the freezing cold and keegan didn’t leave the bench.
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I just had a look at Transfer market and that summer, along with Berkovic, Benarbia, Huckerby, Goater, Horlock, Mettomo, Howey, Jensen(who I thought was brilliant) all left. Some understandable but it’s a huge overhaul and all massive contributors to the dressing room. The heart was literally ripped out of it. Also the replacements never went on to prove a major success.

I know hindsight is a wonderful thing but that window is pretty telling why we declined and the bubble burst.
 
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I don't know if he was in Pele's best 100 living players but he should have been . especially seeing as a certain overrated knighthood desperate saddo is in it (somehow)
Twice Ballon D'Or winner lest we forget
A superb footballer
 
Wow, what memories! I became a City supporter back in the 2002-3 season, and immediately fell in love with Ali, Eyal and Marc-Vivien, as well as KK. We've come a very long way from when we were owned by Wardle and Makin (principally). Still gutted at what happened to MVF in Confed Cup, but the memories linger on...
 
On paper that was a Keegan team in Turin (a few defenders for a token gesture) only difference is he’d have subbed Walker for Foden at halftime and we’d have won 4-2
 
youngbob said:
Our team that year was an absolute joke. Packed full of Premier League quality players like Huckerby, Berkovic, Wanchope, Howey, Horlock, Tiatto etc. and eventually Jensen. And that's not mentioning lads like Shauny Wright and Dunney who were almost there. It was always going to gel and get firing.

And then after a few weeks of the season we just nabbed a guy who'd been playing in the top division in France (with, believe it or not, Anelka, Jay Jay Okocha, Distin, Laurent Robert, Mikel Arteta and Pochettino). He just walked straight off the plane and waltzed through Birmingham like he'd already seen the match in his head.

That's how the story goes isn't it? We signed him on the Thursday afternoon on a free transfer, registered him on the Friday night just in time to name him in the squad, we flew him over from Paris to Manchester on the Saturday morning, and just sent him out there in the afternoon to see what he could do.

Ran the game from the word go and the Birmingham lads didn't have a clue what they were watching, hahaha. There's that moment just before the first goal where he has it with his back to goal and there's six Birmingham players like statues because none of them know which way he's gonna go. In three seconds it's in the net, lol.

And before the second goal where he gives the short corner to Tiatto and shapes like he's going to cross, and all the Birmingham lads step out expecting the ball over, and he just backheels it to Tiatto on the left wing who whips it in for Dunne to make it 2-0. Remember watching it as an 8-year-old and laughing my head off.

I don't even think our lads were on Ali's wavelength that day either. The amount of times he was pointing to them, telling them where to go, then passing it to them, then moving to receive it so they had a nice easy pass back to him. Controlled the other 21 players on the pitch on his own - only Aguero's debut comes close.
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"Ali Benarbia can see you when you can't even see yourself." - Paulo Wanchope, apparently.

Don't know if that's a real quote but I mentioned it in my wedding speech. (It made sense in context).
 
KPXBLN said:
"Ali Benarbia can see you when you can't even see yourself." - Paulo Wanchope, apparently.

Don't know if that's a real quote but I mentioned it in my wedding speech. (It made sense in context).
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I thought it was Goater after the 2-6 win at SWFC but my memorys probably done me.

Loved Keegans team.
 
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