RIP King Kev

Very sad news yesterday that Kevin Keegan had passed away.

City famously turned him down as a youngster, he scored a few times against City and returned as manager on several occasions.

In the 60's he used to visit family in Nuneaton where he would play for a local team as a teenager. He was offered a trial at City for several weeks but was ultimately turned down for being too small. City went on to regret that as he won the Ballon d'Or two years on the trot in 1978 and 1979.

Keegan scored twice in the famous 5-5 draw at the Dell. There's a good look back here with a cracking photo of him and Paul Dyson in the Talbot kit.

He would come to City as a manager with Newcastle and Man City. In 2001 he was on the wrong end of another cracking match when City beat Man City 4-3 at Highfield Road, David Thompson scoring the winner.

It was during one of his visits as manager, I think it was Newcastle that Keegan really made an impression on me. He walked from the tunnel to the dug out alongside the Main Stand and signed every single kids autograph along the way along. It probably took him 10 minutes to get to the dug out.

If you have any memories of him pop them in the comments below.

RIP King Kev.