The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Unashamedly old school but Joe was warm, funny and a knowledgeable boss
JOE Kinnear was handed the nearimpossible task of coming in to replace Kevin Keegan in 2008 after a managerial appointment that shocked the football world.
Kinnear has passed away at 77 after a battle with dementia, with the football world paying tribute to the former Newcastle, Wimbledon, Luton and Nottingham Forest boss.
Kinnear was old school and never afraid to admit that, but he was actually doing a steady job when he was forced to stop work in 2009 after a collapsing with heart problems before a win over West Brom.
Kinnear was always remembered for turning the air blue at a press conference as he tried to stamp his authority with journalists at the start of his tenure.
But that fiery meeting with journalists does not tell the full story of his time in charge.
Players thought his appointment was a wind-up back in 2008 but the likes of Shay Given, Michael Owen, Andy Carroll and Nicky Butt all discovered Kinnear was a decent bloke and a knowledgeable manager, if not an eccentric one!
Admittedly his second appointment at Newcastle, as director of football, was a disaster as he left the post within months and left after flogging Yohan Cabaye to Paris Stgermain.
But after coming in as a shock replacement for Keegan, he was slowly starting to get things right and had actually led Newcastle to 13th place with 13 games to go.
Having helped Wimbledon punch above their weight in the 90s in the early Premier League era and leading them to a top six finish, picking up manager of the year along the way, Kinnear always allowed his players to dream – and dream big.
He took over a Newcastle squad in disarray but used his humour and experience to start picking up results.
Despite getting off on the wrong foot with journalists he never carried through his threat to not speak to them again, and was overly accommodating with the local press, especially The Chronicle.
Remarkably, Kinnear rang me directly from his office when he’d signed Ryan Taylor and sent Charles N’zogbia to Wigan Athletic.
It’s difficult to imagine a modernday manager doing anything similar but Kinnear, who’d had to charm the