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Keegan resigns as Newcastle manager

(CNN) — Kevin Keegan has resigned as manager of Premier League Newcastle United, the English League Managers Association (LMA) announced on Thursday.

Keegan has resigned as Newcastle manager, the English League Managers Association announced.

Keegan, in a statement released by the LMA, said: “I’ve been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible.

“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.

“It remains my fervent wish to see Newcastle United do well in the future and I feel incredibly sorry for the players, staff and most importantly the supporters. I have been left with no choice other than to leave.”

Keegan, who returned to the club for a second spell in charge in January, had not taken training since the transfer window closed on midnight Monday.

The chief of the LMA, Richard Bevan, had warned on Wednesday that the Newcastle boss was in a “difficult position.”

Original reports on Tuesday suggested that Keegan had been sacked by the club. Newcastle later issued a statement saying that was not the case.

Bevan had refused to comment directly on media speculation that Keegan had disagreed with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and the club’s board over the futures of England star Michael Owen and midfielder Joey Barton.

It was reported that the club tried to offload star striker Owen and Barton, who was recently released from prison after serving a short sentence for attacking a man in his native Liverpool late last year.

Speculation about Keegan’s future reached a fever pitch on Tuesday as rumors of his “sacking” spread across the city.

Hundreds of fans gathered at St James’ Park to voice their disapproval and the club were forced to issue a statement on the Web site denying he had been fired.

Keegan returned to Newcastle for a second spell as manager in January of this year, hailed as a returning hero by fanatical supporters of the success-starved club.

It was a major coup for the club’s new owner Ashley, who had quickly lost patience with previous manager Sam Allardyce.

Under Keegan, the team lost six of his first eight matches, but a late revival saw them finish a respectable 12th in the Premier League.

But the issue of finances to strengthen the squad appeared to put him at odds with Ashley while Keegan was also reportedly unhappy with the appointment of former Leeds manager Dennis Wise as executive director of football.

Last week Newcastle were forced to sell James Milner to Aston Villa in a reported $22 million deal, Keegan having earlier claimed that the England under-21 international would not be leaving St James’ Park.

He was also frustrated in his attempts to add to the signings of Argentine pair Fabricio Coloccini and Jonas Gutierrez, with the club’s only business on transfer deadline day the signing of Spanish striker Xisco and the loan of midfielder Ignacio Gonzalez.

Following a glittering playing career with Liverpool, Newcastle and England, Keegan retired from playing in 1984. He returned to the game as Newcastle boss in 1992, lifting them back to the top flight and a string of high finishes in the Premier League before leaving in 1997 to manage Fulham.

Keegan left Craven Cottage for an unhappy spell as England manager from May 1999 to October 2000 before returning to club management with Manchester City the following year.

After his departure from City in 2005, Keegan stepped out of the public limelight until his sensational return to the north-east at the start of the year.

Newcastle started this season with a creditable 1-1 draw at Manchester United and a home win over Bolton, but then followed a 3-0 thrashing at Arsenal.

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