REGULAR readers will know I take a dim view of hero-worship and hype. But, like a sizeable section of the region's residents, I'm throwing caution to the wind this week. Because you would surely have to be a full-time curmudgeon not to wish Kevin Keegan well at Newcastle.

I'll go further. His appointment is probably the best news the region has had this year. All right, I know there's not a lot of competition.

Keegan's that increasingly rare commodity in the sporting world - an honest and honourable person. He speaks from the heart, not a press agent's handout.

That is something that got him into trouble as England manager and in his previous five years in charge on Tyneside. I've no doubt that it will lead to further turbulence once the honeymoon with the fans and the media is over. But it is refreshing to see someone who will not compromise his values for cash or complimentary headlines.

He remains one of the few people who have actually walked away from a top management job, rather than have his fingers prised from the doorpost, giving with characteristic frankness his reason for doing so - he could no longer give it his best shot. It is difficult to imagine any contemporary football manager - their eyes on severance pay-offs and their next lucrative post - doing or saying the same. It's almost as unlikely as a politician resigning on a point of principle - but let's not get started on that one.

Two newspaper items I saw this week confirmed my views on Keegan. The first was an interview he gave before taking the Newcastle job.

It showed him as a man who can think constructively about a lot of things, such as how to interest young people more attuned to computer screens than street kickabouts, in physical activity.

But it was what he said about the game's spiralling wage bill that struck a chord with me. "I find it incredible that a doctor can train for eight years and earn in a year half of what a footballer earns in a week," he said. I doubt if that comment will have earned him any plaudits from today's well-heeled players. But I am sure it is one that most people in the street will agree with.

The second, strangely enough, was a photo - Keegan's wedding photo. It was a simple wedding snap and that was its significance for me. The happy couple hadn't commandeered Alton Towers for the afternoon, they weren't dressed as kings and queens, there wasn't another celebrity in sight. The photo hadn't been sold to the highest bidder either. Apparently, Keegan had taken a few minutes out from his private - mark the word - celebration. He had done one free - mark the word again - photo for the media and then returned to his guests. Again the contrast with the venal, vulgar world of the modern game could not be more pointed.

I'm sure that somewhere as I write this someone will be doing some mathematical calculations on the "Keegan effect" and measuring the current euphoria in economic terms.

I'm always a little dubious about exercises like this - I don't think even his biggest fans would claim Keegan can stave off recession or depression.

But his appointment has confirmed - if we ever doubted it - that football plays an important role in defining this region's identity, re-enforcing local pride and boosting people's self-esteem. It's not the only thing, maybe not even the most important thing, but it is an irreplaceable ingredient in the recipe for what makes the North-East so special.

So whatever colour your eyeballs are, join with me and wish Kevin Keegan success and forgive me if, for once, this column has sounded a little partial to our friends in the north of the region.

Because, honestly I think that Gareth and Roy are really good guys too.