Keegan quits Newcastle

2008-09-04 20:20

London - Kevin Keegan on Thursday resigned as Newcastle United manager bringing to an end his second spell in charge of the English Premier League side.

"I've been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible," the 57-year-old Keegan said in a statement.

"It's my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want."

Keegan's future at the club had been in doubt all week and his departure was widely expected after the former England boss missed training for the third successive day on Thursday.

The club are believed to have gone against Keegan's wishes by trying to offload both England striker Michael Owen and Joey Barton, the midfielder who served a prison sentence this year for assault and is facing a long suspension from the Football Association for another incident.

The northeast club had insisted on Wednesday that Keegan was still their manager but revealed he was discussing the situation with owner Mike Ashley.

Some reports said Keegan - whose position was brought into question when Dennis Wise was surprisingly appointed director of football in January without him knowing - was disgruntled at Newcastle's failure to make any major signings during the transfer window, which closed Monday.

The club's only business on deadline day was the 5.7-million-pound signing of Spanish striker Xisco and the loan signing of Ignacio Gonzalez, although Keegan had reportedly not expressed an interest in either player.

Many British newspapers said Keegan was on borrowed time, and that he was merely negotiating his compensation package before walking away from St James' Park.

The Magpies currently lie 11th in the table after a mixed start to the new season. They held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw, beat Bolton 1-0 but lost 3-0 to Arsenal.

- AFP