Unfathomably, Frank Rijkaard was the man that a Nigerian consortium had chosen as the gaffer they wanted should they complete a takeover from Mike Ashley, who had overseen the resignation of Kevin Keegan a month or so earlier. Keegan himself and Paul Ince were the other names in the Nigerian's sight as they looked to save Newcastle from oblivion. As we all know, that 2008-09 season didn't end too well. The Sunday Sun, speaking to a reputable source called "a good friend of Rijkaard", reported the following when the former Barcelona manager, barely two years removed from winning the Champions League with the Catalans, said he didn't want to take the Newcastle job: "Frank says he is enjoying what he calls 'a calm life' after five years at Barca. He is dividing his time between Barcelona and Amsterdam, and not even doing much media work. "He wants to wait until next season before seriously looking to return to football."
