KEVIN KEEGAN wowed the town of Clitheroe last night at a fundraising event for the town's non-League football club.

The former England manager spoke in his typically frank, honest and humorous fashion for more than an hour to the hundreds of people packed into the Shawbridge clubhouse.

All money raised from the event - where former Blues goalkeeper Carlo Nash was also a guest - went to the club.

Keegan entertained the crowd with stories of his time as England manager, his hopes for City - 'I think we'll finish mid-table' - his memories of Bill Shankly and his introduction into management.

And Nash revealed what he really thought about his manager - but before the 'gaffer' turned up!

"He's a brilliant manager," said Nash. "He knows his stuff and he gets involved in training and that's great because in games you can do him!

"Seriously, though, we are disappointed with the way things have gone this season, we had such high expectations. We just need to start scoring."

Kevin Keegan arrived, around 20 minutes late, but all was forgiven by the welcoming crowd, many of whom were donning City shirts.

Keegan blamed his late arrival on his coach Derek Fazackerley, the Rovers legend who lives in Llangho. Keegan said it was Faz's fault they were late because he 'didn't know the area'!

The first question put to him was what he had learned since becoming a manager.

"When I gave up playing I moved to Spain to play golf," he said. "But then when my kids got to school age I came back. People think I came back for the Newcastle job. I didn't, I was back about a year before then.

"The chairman of Newcastle rang me and said 'there are only two people who can save this club and they are talking to each other now'.

"So I took the job but it was a shock because I realised I didn't know anything about management, I didn't know the players in Newcastle's side, never mind the players in the team we were facing on Saturday.

"I remember Bill Shankly saying to Bob Paisley 'You have to be mad to be a manager, but you have to be an idiot to be an assistant' and I thought 'Who do I know who's an idiot?' and I rang Terry McDermott.

"He loved the club and that's why I rang him.

"I have learned that the players have to trust you, they have to know where the line is. At City at the moment when I pick the team on a Saturday there are more disappointed players than not - because we have about 44 first team players! People say Shankly wouldn't manage now with agents and everything but he would, and he would have been just as successful. He believed in all his players in different ways and he had a great sense of humour which you need.

"The staff used to play against the kids and they would cheat them. One time me and Steve were sat behind the goal and one of the kids hit a ball just inside the post and Shanks was in goal. There were no nets, so he said 'Wide!'

The kid said 'Gaffer, I think you'll find it went inside the post'. 'Wide!' said Shanks.

"'Ask the lads behind the goal' said the kid. Luckily he didn't ask me but he turned to Steve Lawler, who was a real quiet lad, and said 'Was it in, or out?' and Steve said 'It was in'.

Shanks replied: 'You spoke once in your life - and it was a lie!'