Kevin Keegan was an extraordinary talent as a player – huge skill combined with an outstanding commitment. And a great coach. But most of all, on and off the pitch, he had a fantastic spirit.
Kevin inspired everyone he met, including me. He was just a thoroughly decent man with a strong sense of values and a belief, not only in the game of football, but also in Britain as a nation. From the first time I met him in the Newcastle changing room before a match in the 1990s, to the time he took me in hand as the leader of the opposition to teach me how to head the ball, to the social occasions later in life he was the same: an effervescent, never give up, irrepressible proud patriot of Britain. My deepest condolences to Jean and all his family.