Kevin Keegan has insisted Newcastle will always be a big club even if they do not always act like one.
Keegan twice managed the Magpies, but eventually ended up fighting and winning a claim for constructive dismissal after walking out of his second spell at St James' Park in September 2008.
He was back on Tyneside on Monday to witness the unveiling of a statue of striker Alan Shearer, who was signed for a world record £15 million in 1996 during Keegan's first reign at the club.
Asked if Newcastle have not always felt like a big club since the highs of his time in charge, Keegan replied: "It is a big club, it just sometimes doesn't act like one.