NEWCASTLE, England (AFP) - Kevin Keegan's third coming at Newcastle could hardly have got off to a better start as the Magpies racked up their biggest home win of the season to book a fourth round FA Cup clash with Arsenal.

Keegan, a hero to the club's fans for his exploits as a player in the 1980s and manager in the 1990s, played no direct role in the 4-1 third round replay win over Championship side Stoke.

But the presence of the 'Geordie Messiah' in the stands proved to be enough to galvanise his new charges into the kind of exhilarating performance that Newcastle's passionate supporters associate with his 1992-97 stint at the helm.

Keegan's shock return was confirmed on Wednesday in the wake of failed attempts by the Newcastle board to secure the services of Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp and Gerard Houllier, the former Liverpool boss who is now French football's technical director, following the dismissal of Sam Allardyce.

Snubbed by their first two choices, Newcastle owner Mike Ashley and chairman Chris Mort took the populist option by turning instead to Keegan, who, by his own admission, has not watched a single Premier League match live since quitting Manchester City in 2005.

Despite patchy records at City, Fulham and as England manager, the 56-year-old remains a legend on Tyneside because of the rollercoaster ride the club enjoyed during his time in charge.

Having saved Newcastle from relegation to English football's third tier, he went on to secure promotion to the top flight in 1993 and came close to winning the league title in 1995-96.

That season Newcastle led Manchester United by 12 points before finishing as runners up - a collapse that inspired his famous "I'd love it if we beat them" outburst against Sir Alex Ferguson.

The first game of Keegan's second spell as manager will be Saturday's Premier League clash at home to Bolton.

By then, it should be clear if, as many have predicted, he will be joined by the Alan Shearer, the former club captain who is also the Magpies record goal scorer.

Shearer has admitted he would listen to any offer from the coach who signed him for 15 million pounds when he was the hottest property in English football.

"Kevin is his own man and he'll make his own decisions," Shearer said. "It is my club so if he was to ring me up I would certainly speak to him - I would be foolish not to."

Shearer admitted he did not see himself as a natural number two, but he recognised that Newcastle were not ready to give him the manager's job without any prior coaching experience.

"I was never a serious possibility because it was made clear to me that they were looking for someone with experience, so I was never really in the hat," he said.

"If they had spoken to me about the job, then I would have spoken to them because it's my club, I love that club, and if I can help them in anyway then I would do that if it is right for everyone.

"It remains an ambition of mine to manage one day, when that will be I don't really know. But the fans have what they want. They want entertainment, they want passion and they want commitment. They haven't seen that of late.

"One thing they will be guaranteed with Kevin is that they will get all of those things, everyone is excited up here. Newcastle is in his heart and he wants to do so well for them. He failed to win a trophy there when he was manager last time but you can bet your bottom dollar that he will give it a right good go this time around."

Nigel Pearson, United's caretaker manager, appeared resigned to leaving the club with Keegan expected to bring in his own people.

Terry McDermott, Keegan's assistant during his first spell, is still at Newcastle and is likely to be kept on, while former players Peter Beardsley and Rob Lee are seen as candidates for coaching roles.

"I couldn't tell you what will happen to me now," Pearson admitted. "We'll see what happens but I'm unclear on the situation.

"As far as tonight is concerned I'm just happy to have got the right result and it takes the pressure off everyone. What I do know is that there are good players here who Kevin Keegan can work with."