The Newcastle fans had their say. Owner Mike Ashley brought in the man and his inspirational leadership. But has it paid off?
Keegan’s first four matches: 2 losses, 2 draws.
Allardyce’s first four matches: 2 wins, 2 draws.
Under Keegan, the Magpies have given up 8 goals and scored two. Under Allardyce, they scored 6 goals and gave up three. Since taking over from Allardyce, Newcastle has trended downwards slipping from 11th to the 13th spot and are just six points from relegation. Out of the remaining 12 matches left, only four are to lower placed teams. Less than a month ago, Keegan was aspiring for a UEFA spot. Unreal, no?
On the other hand, Roy Keane realized that it was not just inspirational leadership that was going to get Sunderland out of the woods, it was going to be his players. Kieran Richardson’s January return has kickstarted their climb up from relegation and they are trending up from 18th to the 14th position, just below Newcastle. They too have some tough matches ahead and it will be interesting to see where these clubs end up at the end of the season.