The man behind this magical media moment, “Mighty Mouse” himself, Kevin Keegan, passed away on Monday.
One of the most iconic moments in sports broadcasting occurred a little over 30 years ago (God that makes me feel old).
But there was a curious echo of King Kev’s honest assessment of the situation as he saw it when another former swashbuckling forward gave his honest opinion at the Super Soccer Bowl (formerly proudly known as the World Cup).
After Messrs Rooney, Richards and Hart were asked for their highlights of the half-time show by Gabby Logan, our Wayne simply replied:
“I’ll be honest, mine was when it finished. “I like a lot of them artists but I thought it was crap.”
Boom!
It’s fair to say that Rooney is not everyone’s favourite pundit but that moment of “yes, mate, too right” will be forever etched into Rooney’s folklore, just as Keegan’s rant was, repeated here in its full glory:
“You can tell him (Sir Alex) now, we’re still fighting for this title and he’s got to go to Middlesbrough and get something. And I’ll tell you, honestly, I will love it if we beat them. Love it.”
Newcastle were already the neutral’s favourite but that moment elevated Keegan.
He went on to become England manager and this “one of us” vibe will have played a part.
Keegan was interviewed a while back about his legacy and he was as refreshingly honest as ever, noting that most people remember my hair, falling off a bike on Superstars and “I’d LOVE it!”
Nevermind the league titles, the European Cups, the Ballon D’or et al!
Sometimes, what you say and how you say it sticks.
Would I have cringed if I was Rooney’s PR guy on Sunday?
Nope. That is Wayne.
What about if I was Newcastle United’s press officer back in the day and he went “off on one”?
Nope, it was honest, it was true, it was unvarnished and it resonated with the intended audience and attracted a new fanbase.
In all honestly, I’d LOVE it!
GS
PS watch this space re Media Training. Seriously!