Newcastle United were in a 'perilous' state but big transfer helped turn us around

Kevin Keegan has revealed that Newcastle United were in such a "perilous" state when he took over as manager the players had to wash their own kit!

The much-loved ex-Newcastle manager, speaking in a new book being released for Christmas, has spoken about how he had to persuade the board to bring in Brian Kilcline in a transfer that saved the club from relegation to Division Three. But speaking about the shocking state that players were left to deal with amid a relegation battle in 1992, Keegan said: "We were in such a perilous state at the time. Players were washing their own shirts and we had to travel to away games on the day of the match.

"We weren’t able to stop in a hotel the night before. That’s how bad it was at the time. The board were of the attitude at the time, ‘Why should we put them in a hotel if they’re that bad?’ The players needed leadership and someone they could respect and that was Brian Kilcline."

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Kicline was a £250,000 for Newcastle from Oldham Athletic with his best years coming at Coventry City when he lifted the FA Cup in 1987. And Keegan believes without "Killer" the Magpies may have sunk into the third flight in 1992.

Keegan said: "He was a fantastic player for us on and off the pitch in that short period of time. He helped us escape relegation and set the foundations for us to kick on and get promotion.

"A lot of the fans understood where we were at the time, Killer’s role and what he did for us. Had we not stopped up then I would have gone, as would a lot of the staff and players. Killer played a massive part in us all coming back after we survived."

The Entertainers 1992-1997 Kevin Keegan's Legacy by Will Scott is available in all BACK PAGE Shops in the North East and online at Amazon or www.newcastlelegends.com