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Henry Winter from The Times gives Kevin Keegan glowing reference after appearance at Cheltenham Literature Festival

5 years ago
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Kevin Keegan is getting rave reviews as he tours the country promoting his new autobiography.

Playing to packed audiences hanging on his every word.

Newcastle fans, Liverpool fans, neutrals, all keen to experience the enthusiasm and storytelling of somebody who should still be actively involved in football (at Newcastle United), and it’s a tragedy that he isn’t.

Keegan’s latest appearance was at the Cheltenham Literature Festival on Wednesday, a talk with Henry Winter in front of yet another packed audience, Henry is Chief Football Writer at The Times and is also one of the few national journalists who really gets Newcastle United – who understands the characters involved and much of what has gone, and is going, wrong.

Via his Twitter account, Henry Winter has given a taste of what it was like to appear alongside Kevin Keegan yesterday.

Not surprisingly much of it related to Newcastle United, past and present.

The man from The Times quoting Keegan on Wednesday ‘Rafa’s doing an incredible job. He sees the massive potential of the club. He’s hoping and praying – and he can’t say it, but I can – that someone comes and takes it and puts some investment in.’

Winter admires the Kevin Keegan who stayed for another three hours yesterday signing books etc for and talking to the long queues of people desperate to meet him.

However, he says this is no surprise as when he first interviewed Kevin Keegan over 20 years ago, he had to wait for a couple of hours to do the interview as KK was signing stuff and talking to people before he left the training pitch. This was at that glorious time when the team trained in the 90s at Maiden Castle just outside Durham and fans were allowed to watch the team train on a daily basis.

Henry Winter after the talk with Kevin Keegan at Cheltenham Literary Festival:

‘Packed house at Cheltenham Literature Festival to hear Keegan talking passionately about Newcastle United and Liverpool, the problem with Ashley, disenfranchised fans, Best’s genius and why Grealish could spark England.

‘Easiest event I’ve ever hosted: great questions from audience and Keegan spoke powerfully for an hour.

‘Keegan on Benitez living with limited resources from Ashley at Newcastle United: “Rafa’s doing an incredible job. He sees the massive potential of the club. He’s hoping and praying – and he can’t say it, but I can – that someone comes and takes it and puts some investment in.”

‘Keegan was brilliant, great stories and some serious stuff about fans being disenfranchised and also phone-hacking.

‘Kevin staying for 3 hours signing (for people at the event) doesn’t surprise me, I first interviewed him in 1995/6 at Maiden Castle. Newcastle United said, ‘Come for noon, but he might take a few minutes to leave the (training) pitch’. It took 2 hours as he was doing autographs/pictures for fans. Legend.

“After his talk at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Keegan signed copies of his new book for three hours and talked to everyone in the long queue, including many Newcastle and Liverpool fans who had travelled.’

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