With headlines such as 'The return of the Geordie Messiah' and 'God on the Tyne', one might perhaps think that Kevin Keegan's comeback as manager of Newcastle United represented a second coming of a different sort.

Keegan's record in his first spell makes pleasant reading for fans of the Toon Army. He led the club into the Premier League as First Division champions in 1993, then finished third and sixth in the 1993/94 and the 1994/95 seasons respectively. However, arguably his most famous season of his five-year reign came in 1995/96, when the Magpies let a 12-point lead at the top of the table slip to finish runners-up to Manchester United.

It was the beginning of the end for Keegan and he resigned in January 1997 with the club fourth in the table. In the 143 league matches under his tenure, Keegan had won 78, drawn 30 and lost 35 - a winning average of 54.5 per cent - and significantly higher than the following six managers to follow in his footsteps at St. James' Park.

"I think it's probably the best idea Newcastle have had for many, many years," said David Ginola, the French winger signed by Keegan during his first spell. "Certain people are made for certain clubs and Kevin knows the Newcastle fans, he knows the club and he knows what the expectations are.

"The fans are passionate about the club again because they see Kevin as a legend and a saviour. All of a sudden, the fans are back in love with Newcastle. Football is about dreams, it's about passion and it's about ambition and Kevin has brought all of that back to Newcastle."

Yet, despite the obvious clamour for Newcastle to win their first piece of silverware for 39 years, the question is: Can Keegan break the dominance enjoyed by Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in the English top-flight?

Aston Villa, Everton and Manchester City have shown signs this season that they might be on the verge of catching Liverpool up, but the Magpies have been finding it hard to break into the top half of the table, let alone the top four.

Forrmer Newcastle legend Chris Waddle has his doubts. "Let's be honest, people don't think of his teams as tactically solid," he said in a recent interview - and there are some statistics to back this up. Just seven wins in 18 matches as England manager saw people ask questions about his coaching qualities, with Keegan himself admitting: "I have not been quite good enough."

Generally, though, the fans are please with the return of 'King Kev'. Mark Jensen, editor of Newcastle United fanzine 'The Mag' said: "Having Keegan back is very much the first building block in what could be a very successful Newcastle United. The fans have been dragged down and it did need somebody, not just for the short term but for the long term, to get everybody excited again."

With the media clamour surrounding his appointment and the loudest cheer of Newcastle's 4-1 win over Stoke City on Wednesday night being reserved for the moment when he took his seat, there does seem to be a real buzz about his appointment. But how long will the honeymoon period last? And do you think that Keegan has what it takes to make Newcastle United one of England's top four clubs once more?

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