Shekaru talatin sun wuce tun lokacin ɗayan manyan abubuwan da ba za a manta da su ba a tarihin ƙwallon ƙafa na Ingila — fashin Kevin Keegan da cike da motsin rai a talabijin a watan Afrilu 1996. Duk da haka, rauni ya, alama ba ta warke gaba ɗaya ba.

Newcastle United sun shiga kakar Premier League ta 1995/96 a matsayin ainihin masu hamayya. A ƙarƙashin jagorancin Keegan, sun buga ƙwallon ƙafa mai ci gaba da farmakin da ya ɗauki hankalin masu goyon baya a duk Ingila. A wani lokaci, sun jagoranci tseren taken da maki 12, kuma taken gasar na farko a cikin shekaru da yawa ya bayyana yana cikin isa.

Bai taɓa zuwa ba.

Faɗuwar da ta ayyana al'umma gaba ɗaya

Manchester United, ƙarƙashin jagorancin Sir Alex Ferguson, sun kama Newcastle a makonni na ƙarshe na kakar. Wasan tunanin Ferguson — musamman shawarar da ya yi cewa ƙungiyoyi na iya «ƙyale» ƙwallaye a kan ɓangaren sa — ya haifar da amsa ta fushi da ba a tsara ba daga Keegan a Sky Sports. «Zan ƙaunata idan muka doke su,» Keegan ya ayyana, muryarsa kusan ta ɓarke. «Zan ƙaunata.»

Wannan lokacin ya kasance a cikin tarihin ƙwallon ƙafa tun daga lokacin. Yanzu, yana tunani bayan shekaru talatin, Keegan yana faɗakar da gaskiya game da abin da ya bayyana — da abin da ya kashe shi.

«Ferguson ya wuce iyaka,» Keegan ya faɗa, «kuma a nan ne bambancin tsakanina da shi yake. Haka ne ya sa ya lashe taken gasar ligi 13 ni kuma ba na lashe kowanensu.»

Yaƙi na dabaru da na tunani

Wannan furci yana da ban mamaki a cikin gaskiyarsa. Keegan ya yarda cewa son Ferguson na aiki a yankunan ruwan hoda na yaƙin tunani — wuce iyakoki, rikitar da abokan gaba, da yin duk abin da ya wajaba — shi ne ainihin abin da ya bambanta Ɗan Skotland a matsayin manaja.

Keegan, a nata ɓangaren, yana nuna motsin ransa a sarari. Sha'awar sa ita ce babbar makamashi ta Newcastle, kuma, a ƙarshe, ɗaya daga cikin raunin ta. Inda Ferguson ya ƙididdiga, Keegan ya ji. Inda Ferguson ya ƙarfafa, Keegan ya amsa.

Newcastle sun ƙare kakar Premier League a matsayi na biyu, maki biyu a bayan Manchester United. Tazarar a teburin ƙarshe ta yi kama kaɗan. Tazarar ta tunani, Keegan yanzu ya yarda, wani abu ne daban gaba ɗaya.

Taken da ya tsere

Ƙungiyar Newcastle ta 1995/96 ta kasance ɗaya daga cikin ƙungiyoyin da ba su sami sa'a ba a tarihin Premier League — wata ƙungiya cike da ƙwararrun 'yan wasa masu farmakin, da masu goyon bayan su ke ƙauna, kuma ƙarƙashin jagorancin manaja wanda ya buga ƙwallon ƙafa yadda magoya bayan suke mafarki za a buga ta.

Amma mafarkai, kamar yadda kakar ta tabbatar, ba su isa ba. Tunannin Keegan, bayan shekaru talatin, suna ba da taga mai ban sha'awa da mai koyarwa zuwa ɗayan manyan tseren taken na zamani.