Kevin Keegan

Keegan was probably the only candidate for the Newcastle hot seat. He knows the territory and has had the experience of success as well as failure. His arrival comes at a time when some important decisions have to be made, not just about players in the first team squad, but in developing potential.

For every football club, developing the skills of young players needs to be a priority. But there is, of course, building for now as well as the future and some players will have to come in and some will undoubtedly have to leave.

Keegan will need time to mould a team and squad that are his players.

As we know time is not always on a manager's side. Sam Allardyce is testimony to that.

But Keegan is a different man, with stature, a legend with the Toon Army as a player and having had some success as a manager. He's been here before - let's hope this time his tenure will not be cut short.

Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe, Durham.

JUST hearing Kevin Keegan speak sent shivers down my spine and I confess to shedding a tear of joy for what's to come at Newcastle and the wonderful memories of his last reign.

I do, however, take exception to his statement about the people of Newcastle going to matches like Southerners go to the theatre.

As someone born and bred in the North-East who, with my co-writer Trevor Wood, has worked hard to attract tens of thousands of ordinary people to the theatre, I would stress that theatre and football are two different worlds.

Our comedy plays, Dirty Dusting, and Waiting for Gateaux, have both played to full houses at the Customs House, South Shields, and the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, and the 30,000 people who have seen them there know we write like Kevin Keegan manages his football teams - for entertainment.

The North-East has a vibrant theatre scene, thanks to the likes of Ray Spencer at the Customs House and Simon Stallworthy at the Gala in Durham, who encourage new North-East writers and voices, and Philip Bernay at the Theatre Royal, who is not afraid to feature local work.

Come on, Kevin, encourage the Toon Army to go to the theatre as well as St James' Park.

Ed Waugh, South Shields, Tyne and Wear.

I WISH to publicly apologise to my wife. I bought her, as part of her Christmas gifts, tickets to see the ballet Swan Lake in March of this year.

Of course, as a born and bred North-Easterner I ought to have bought her a ticket to see a football match (or so it would seem if Kevin Keegan's comments about theatre and football are to believed).

So if any reader would wish to swap any tickets for a football match for an evening at the ballet please get in touch.

I would, however, require advice on how to dress and behave. For the recipient of my tickets, I would like to say that racist chanting, fighting, turning up drunk and throwing articles at the performers on stage would be most unwelcome whether you are from the North or the South.

Colin T Mortimer, Pity Me, Durham.