Kevin Keegan’s departure from Manchester City signals the end of an eventful, entertaining and occasionally bizarre managerial era.

The lovable, if eccentric, former footballing legend has made it quite clear he will be retiring from the game now after stints with Newcastle, Fulham and England as well as City.

From my end I will be sad to see him bow out. He may not have achieved the sort of success he wanted, but his teams always played attractive, flowing, attack-minded football which was often a joy to watch.

Rumours have already started as to who will take over the City hotseat with Martin O’ Neil and Gordon Strachan suggested as possibilities. But, in my mind, they need look no further than the man the have appointed caretaker manager to lead the team to greater things.

Stuart Pearce still remains my all time favourite English defender and, if he can instill some of the passion he had as a player into the City side, it could be just the boost they need to turn mid-table mediocrity into European campaigners.

If he does get the job it will be a great test of my theory that the key element in being a successful manager is passion for the game. Surround a passionate manager with tactically aware coaches and you have the perfect combination. I think.

Big Kev will be missed and the Premier League as a whole will be a poorer place without his infectious enthusiasm and perky personality.

But in Stuart I think there is every reason for City fans to be optimistic about a more successful future. If he does indeed get the job he has already said he wants.

Arsenal

No matter how much Arsenal and Arsene Wenger put on a brave face, the hard truth is that their season lies in tatters.

I honestly believed they would turn around their tie with Bayern but this was an Arsenal team that lacked invention, belief and the ability to create something out of nothing.

Aside from Henry’s one magical moment in scoring the goal, there were few times when it looked like the London side would break down their opponents instead of relying on a lot of huff and puff and hopeful long balls to their French striker.

They were truly awful in the first half and, although more positive in the second, the were still a mere shadow of their former selves.

As painful as it may be and unlikely as it may sound, the team that went unbeaten last season must now be broken up and rebuilt if Wenger ever wants to make progress in Europe.

But does he have the guts to do it?

Magnificent Chelsea

I may not like the manager and I may feel that the owner is the worst thing to happen to modern football, but boy, you cannot argue with the team itself.

Chelsea were magnificent on Tuesday, at times playing football of the absolute highest order. The game itself was a breathtaking spectacle including what must be one of the cheekiest and most sublime goals of all time from Ronaldinho.

On balance of play over the 180 minutes I think Chelsea did deserve to go through to the quarter-finals, despite the controversy surrounding what eventually turned out to be the winner scored by John Terry.

And, as I have said before, I can really see them going on to win the entire competition now.

Liverpool

At this point I would like to take my hat off to Liverpool and then go on to eat it.

Beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 in their own backyard was a truly magnificent result for Benitez’s men and one which I never saw coming (and one which few Liverpool fans probably saw coming either).

Although it proved me wrong in the most emphatic of fashions, what really confuses me is why the Liverpool players seem able to raise their game to the highest level in Europe but are playing like a collective wet blanket domestically.

I still harbour serious doubts as to whether Liverpool will go much further in the competition and I will go out and buy a new hat specifically for consumption if they actually win it.

But, nevertheless, it was a fine result and one which the Anfield team need to build now over the rest of this season and the whole of next if they are to finally put an end to their years of underachievement.

Real Madrid

The mighty Real Madrid are out of this year’s competition at a far earlier stage than the powers that be can accept. With a little luck this may just be the incentive they need to get rid of Luxemburgo and replace with ah, let me see, hmmm, Sven maybe?

We live in hope.

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