Newcastle United—and English football as a whole—were rocked by perhaps the biggest shock in their recent history: Kevin Keegan resigned as manager.
During his five years at St James' Park, Keegan had overseen a dramatic transformation of the club's fortunes. When he was appointed in February 1992, Newcastle were second from bottom in the old Second Division and looked destined for relegation. But Keegan kept them up, and in the 1992–93 season, they became one of the founding members of the new Division One.
A remarkable run of form saw them top the division for most of the season, and they earned promotion to the Premier League as champions.
What followed were third- and sixth-place finishes, before Newcastle famously led the Premiership for most of the 1995–96 season—only to be overtaken by Manchester United in the final weeks.
"I feel I have taken this club as far as I can," was the only statement he offered to the press upon his resignation.
