End of career in sight for Keegan

Kevin Keegan said last night that he can see the end of his managerial career in sight.

Kevin Keegan said last night that he can see the end of his managerial career in sight.

The Manchester City manager, whose contract runs until 2006, may be tempted to move abroad. He said: "I am coming to the end of my time as a manager in this country. Maybe there will be something somewhere else for me in the future. But you never know. I have enjoyed every minute of it [my career]."

Known as one of football's romantics, he said: "If someone said you can pick a team that is going to bore the pants off everyone but is going to finish in the top six, I would say thanks very much but find someone else. There are loads of people like that around but it is not a job for me. I have been honest with people. I have tried to be honest with the fans - these are the ones we are here for.

"If I think something is wrong at a club, like I did at Newcastle, I just said that was not for me. I walked away from a massive contract but that is something I had to do. I would not have been true to myself otherwise."

Keegan, who takes his team to Newcastle tomorrow, was surprised at the manner of Sir Bobby Robson's departure from his former club. However, he is convinced Sir Bobby's replacement, Graeme Souness, can be a success.

"Nothing surprises me in football but I can't see too much what he [Sir Bobby] did wrong," the City manager said.

He added. "I have a lot of respect for Graeme Souness as well. Maybe he is just right for them at this moment. The one thing he knows he has inherited is a squad of super players. He probably feels he could improve the togetherness a bit like we have."

* The Scottish Football Association met for two-and-a-half hours to discuss the future of the national manager Berti Vogts yesterday but any official announcement looks set for next Tuesday. The SFA declined to make any official comment after the meeting. All 11 board members are required to vote on a decision of the magnitude of relieving a manager of his post, but that looks likely to be the German's fate next week.