KEEGAN FLIES IN LIKE A COMET

During the 1991–92 season, Newcastle United participated in the Football League Second Division.

The season started with much promise but quickly deteriorated into a relegation battle. Manager, Ossie Ardiles struggled to add to his squad of talented youngsters due to lack of funds, the truth being that the club was severely in debt. At one point it had looked like Newcastle would be relegated and could go out of business. Sir John Hall had all but taken control of the club, and replaced Ardiles with Kevin Keegan on this day in February 1992. 

Like Halley's Comet, Kevin Keegan was making a trade mark sensational "return" to Newcastle Utd. Kev was appointed as Newcastle manager and asked to get his team to avoid relegation to the "Third Tier". Newcastle United was in a spot of bother and the Club hierarchy decided to take a huge risk by flying Keegan into St Jame's Park after he had spent the previous few years on Spanish golf courses, An improvement in form helped Newcastle to avoid,  narrowly, relegation from the Second Division, with their survival only confirmed on the last day of the season. They finished 20th, just above the relegation zone – the lowest League finish in the club's history. 

Just as in the 1980s, Keegan's mere presence captivated the North-east. St James' Park was regularly packed to capacity again and United confirmed their Second Division survival with a 2–1 win at Leicester City on the last day of the season, after a last-minute own goal. Even though the club had to scrap to narrowly avoided relegation, the club's supporters were overjoyed with the choice of manager and the prospect of a bright new start!!

 

Here is the "end" of the 1991-2 Second Division League Table.

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
18	Sunderland	46	14	11	21	61	65	−4	53
19	Grimsby Town	46	14	11	21	47	62	−15	53
20	Newcastle United	46	13	13	20	66	84	−18	52
21	Oxford United	46	13	11	22	66	73	−7	50
22	Plymouth Argyle (R)	46	13	9	24	42	64	−22	48

AND a bit of a coincidence in 1940, on this day, a record was made for football match postponements in Britain. The Wartime League was hit by bad weather with only one out of 56 matches beating the "freeze"!! Bristol City would have prefered that their fixture against "local rivals", Plymouth Argyle, did not avoid the freeze, as the fixture went ahead and they were thumped 10-3 by the Argyle!!