Sir John Keegan or Kevin Keegan?

When Kevin Keegan took the job as England manager he had a big reputation and plenty of ideas. At the start he promised flair and passion but in the end he delivered vary little. His intentions were good, but his execution lacked a sound tactical know-how and, ultimately he came second to the German's attention to detail.

This in essence is Sir John Keegan’s problem. He has a good idea. An insight into the character of Donald Rumsfeld, the world’s most powerful military man, shapes to be an interesting read. Anybody working in that position must have a story to tell.

And despite a shaky headline, the ageing Alan Shearer up front if you will, the notion is a sound one. The standfirst, although a little long, provides intrigue and breadth and promises a revelation or two.

But, like Kevin before him, when the time came to shine, to set alight the readers senses with the most vital part of any feature, the introduction, Sir John was found wanting. A mass of irrelevant historic information, which would perhaps mean more to an American audience, does not promise a road to glory. His introduction is the writing equivalent of a first minute own goal.

He follows this shambles by diverting the reader to a golden age, his own experiences, to give greater clarity of explanation. This, so I am lead to believe, is more Glen Hoddle than Big Kev, but work with me here. And either way it didn’t work.

Sir John has a momentary reprieve in the second block, a spell of pressure in footballing terms, where things promise to get better. His use of nicknames and setting the scene with a personal encounter brings him momentarily back into the features genre, and the crowd back on side.

But the lack of any un-doctored or interesting quotes shows that, like England under Keegan, he is relying on luck rather than technical ability or understanding.

As a reader I felt let down by broken promises. I couldn’t help but wonder, where was the feature I was promised? So, I lost interest and hope and started to pray for penalties, or a last minute reprieve.

Now, everybody knows that England are not too good in these situations. But, Sir John briefly promises some hope with some reflection and quotes to provide so real content. Then, like England, Sir John looses the plot. A Jerry Springer sign off is as American as they come, and all hope is gone.

The final whistle is a small mercy. The end brings a relief and disappointment. Kevin Keegan lacked the technical knowledge to make it work and Sir John followed suit. As a good history writer he should take his archaic essays and read them to Kevin Keegan – together as relics of the 70s.