Richard Keys getting weird about what is happening at Newcastle United, who would have thought it…
On this latest occasion it concerns Kieran Trippier.
Richard Keys having issues with the ‘Legend’ status that has been afforded the departing England international.
The 35-year-old seeing his current NUFC deal set to end on 30 June 2026 when he will officially no longer be a Newcastle United player.
Richard Keys coming out with this on his personal blog: “One of these two players left their club this weekend feted as a legend – Kieran Trippier, with 133 appearances for Newcastle over four and a half years. Seamus Coleman, with 373 appearances over 17 seasons. He’s Everton’s all time PL appearance holder. It’s pretty obvious which one isn’t it? Yep – Trippier.”
As always, Richard Keys keen to sow conflict, no doubt loving it if fans of Everton and Newcastle United end up in a major online argument over which of the two really deserves ‘Legend’ status.
How about this radical idea…maybe both Kieran Trippier AND Seamus Coleman deserve that status?
As a Newcastle United fan, I am obviously not really bothered either way about Seamus Coleman and Everton.
What I do know though is that Kieran Trippier is an absolute Newcastle United LEGEND!
Only months earlier he had won La Liga and then played in the Euros final, yet he was prepared in January 2022 to come to Newcastle United in the middle of what looked an all but certain doomed relegation fight.
After helping to save the team/club from that nightmare situation, Kieran Trippier has then been a key figure in Newcastle United reaching two cup finals (the first ones in a quarter of a century), two Champions League campaigns (the first ones in over two decades), plus winning a major trophy (the first in 56 years).
As the saying goes, size (of time at a club) doesn’t matter, it is what you do with it!
Seamus Coleman has been a brilliant servant to his club and clearly is a legend for Everton having played so many matches. However, you have to also factor in that when it comes to impact that is visible for those outside the Everton bubble, the fact is that in his 17 years at the club Everton have won no trophies, haven’t reached any cup finals, nor played in the Champions League.
The very obvious truth as well, is that Newcastle United fans and their club did absolutely everything they could to ensure Kieran Trippier’s legend status was broadcast to the world. Before, during and after the 3-1 win over West Ham, outsiders made well aware of just how much respect and affection exists for Tripps.
Wor Flags were absolutely at the heart of this and put on their latest blockbuster tribute display. The Kieran Trippier one on Sunday was the result of countless hours of work by the Wor Flags volunteers and the display financed as always by thousands of their fellow United fans.
I have no idea what Everton fans did or didn’t do for Seamus Coleman but I am absolutely confident that it wouldn’t have come anywhere close to the efforts of Wor Flags and the wider NUFC fanbase.
In the Jordon Pickford derby on Sunday, the scouse mackems lost 3-1 at home to their mackem mates, the Liverpool Echo reporting on the aftermath of that game at the Hill Dickinson Stadium: ‘Seamus Coleman took in hugs and handshakes from both sets of players…[the final whistle also though bringing] a crescendo of boos as the few home supporters left inside the ground let their feelings known after a second half implosion destroyed any realistic hope of Moyes leading the side into Europe next season. Even fewer remained when the squad returned to the pitch for a final lap to thank the fans after the final whistle. The scene was such that it deserved serious thought over whether it should even have taken place.’
Newcastle winning their final home match of the season naturally did no harm. However, even if it had all gone pear-shaped during the 90 minutes, I am still confident that the vast majority of the near full stadium that did stay behind on Sunday to pay tribute to Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth and others who will be leaving, would still have done so if losing to West Ham.
There is always a bigger picture and just because this has been a league season that didn’t meet our hopes as fans, it doesn’t change the fact of what Kieran Trippier (and everybody else at Newcastle United…) has achieved since 7 January 2022 when Eddie Howe persuaded Tripps to sign for him second time around (Howe signed Trippier from Man City when he was Burnley manager).