Keegan's turn
Fulham skipper named England interim coach for next four games
Posted: Wednesday February 17, 1999 08:31 PM
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Kevin Keegan (left) also coached at Newcastle, where he led the team to promotion to the Premier League. Alex Livesey/Allsport |
LONDON (AP) -- Kevin Keegan, in a surprise move and probably a disappointing one to many of the county's soccer fans, agreed Wednesday to coach England's national side for the next four games -- and apparently nothing more.
Keegan, the best forward in the country in the 1970s, instead has elected to fulfill the 18 months remaining on his contract with the second-division side Fulham, run by millionaire Mohamed Al Fayed, who also owns Harrods.
David Davies, the English FA's interim executive director, said Keegan would handle the next four matches -- including a crucial European qualifier March 27 against Poland -- but would then step down and be succeeded by a permanent replacement.
Keegan, 48, moves in for Howard Wilkinson, who took over after Glenn Hoddle was fired Feb. 2 following controversial comments about the disabled. Wilkinson coached England to a 2-0 disappointing loss last week against World Cup champion France.
Davies repeated several times that the appointment was temporary. Keegan has 18 months remaining on his contract at Fulham.
"Kevin has made his wishes absolutely clear that he wishes to complete his contract at Fulham," Davies said.
"Kevin will continue as chief operating officer of Fulham FC and, over almost three days of discussion with the FA, he indicated that he didn't wish to be considered for the England job beyond June," Davies added.
"He is committd to complete his contract with Fulham, which runs until the summer of the year 2000. The FA will seek a full-time successor to Glenn Hoddle over the coming weeks. That process starts immediately.
"The FA would like to thank Fulham and especially their chairman Mohamed Al Fayed for their help and support over recent days. Success for the England team is what we all want."
Keegan, who was to hold a new conference on Thursday, offered only a brief statement.
"I'm absolutely delighted," he said. 'I'm committed to Fulham, but I believe I can do a successful job for England as well. It will be a great thrill to work with everybody connected with the national team."
Al Fayed, who has talked openly about wanting to keep Keegan at Fulham as the club seeks promotion to the top of English soccer, promised success for England under Keegan.
"If Kevin Keegan does as good as job for his country as he has done for Fulham so far, he will make everyone proud of the team," he said.
In the 1970s, Keegan was England's top international star and played 63 times for the national team. At Liverpool, he led the side to its first European Champions Cup triumph in 1977 and later, after a transfer to Hamburg led the German side to the
Keegan's only coaching experience previous to Fulham came at Newcastle, where he led the team to promotion to the Premier League, but then saw his side blow a 12-point lead and finish second.
Questions have always remained about Keegan's ability to deal with a high-profile, high-pressure coaching situation, which may have influenced his decision to steer away from the England job, one of the most demanding in international soccer.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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