sport

NEWCASTLE FANS PLAN BOYCOTT

Newcastle United fans are preparing to boycott the club's next Premiership match with owner Mike Ashley facing an unprecedented backlash following Kevin Keegan's resignation after three torturous days at St James' Park.

In the immediate aftermath of confirmation that Keegan had resigned, thousands of supporters descended on the club's grounds to voice their fury. Season-tickets were ripped up and plans hatched for either a stay-away boycott next Saturday or a delayed entry that would result in the match against Hull City starting in a near empty stadium.

Ashley himself is likely to face the brunt of the backlash having apparently refused to accede to Keegan's demand that he, rather than Dennis Wise, should be given autonomy over the club's transfer affairs. In his farewell statement, Keegan specifically made reference to the lack of influence he had over transfers when he complained, "It's my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and that clubs should not impose upon any manager any player that he does not want."

That grievance is likely to form the basis of Keegan's claim for constructive dismissal if the club attempts to pursue him for the £2m compensation his contract stipulated he would have to pay in the event of his resignation. Those remarks have also served to further enrage the Newcastle support who were already incredulous that Keegan had little influence in the process of player recruitment. The appointment of the Dennis Wise to take charge of transfers was Ashley's decision last January and, having returned to England yesterday after forty-eight hours out of the country, it was his refusal to side with Keegan that culminated in the 57-year-old's second resignation as Newcastle manager.

Only if Alan Shearer agreed to succeed Keegan could Ashley hope to win back the support of the fans he has stood with at away games. However, the BBC pundit has already indicated that he is unwilling to consider the job at the present time. In the poisonous climate that has engulfed St James', finding a new manager - and one willing to work alongside Wise in the complicated managerial set-up that Newcastle have constructed - may prove problematic.

Concern at this week's events is not confined to the fans either. According to reports, Newcastle's 'senior players' are planning to raise their objections to Keegan's resignation. They, like the supporters, have been aggrieved that the club's hierarchy has been so reticent in informing them about developments.