Comparison

Well, with the season at a close I have noticed more than one similariy between our folk hero, Peter Jackson, and the returning messiah at St James' Park, Kevin Keegan.

When both men took over at their respective clubs this season they had started the season well below expectations, and not only had their previous attacking flair disappeared, both teams had begun to ship goals as well.

So, in the middle of the season when both managers took over they both faced the very real, stark prospect of relegation. However, a very good unbeaten run for each team, Lincoln's coming in February and Newcastle's in March and April were inspired not only by the return to form of a goalscoring centre forward (Ben Wright/Michael Owen) but even more so by the introduction of a very special manager.

And the managers too have similarities. Both prefer to set the tone of training sessions rather than actualy get involved, leaving it to their trusted coaches to instead do the actual work. Both are inspirational motivators and perhaps most tellingly both decided to stick with the squads they had at their disposal, rather than spending what money was available to them on signing that would last less time than a test match against Bangladesh.

So, all in all I am not comparing the two - how coud you? But they certainly do have similarities.