Tributes to Kevin Keegan at St James' Park are set to begin coming down on Tuesday, a week after the former Newcastle United player and manager died at the age of 75 on 20 July.
Thousands of flowers, shirts, scarves and other messages were left outside the ground in the days after his death, turning the area around St James' Park into a public memorial for one of the club's most admired figures.
On Monday, Newcastle United said Tuesday would be the final opportunity for fans to leave tributes. The club said the response had been a moving reminder of what Keegan meant to the club, the city and the wider football community, and thanked everyone who had visited to pay their respects.
What happens next
According to the club, bouquets are due to start being removed and the non-perishable tributes will be preserved. Newcastle United is consulting supporter groups on how best to handle those items, while floral tributes that have begun to decay may be recycled for use on the club's academy pitches.
The tribute period reflects the lasting impact Keegan had at Newcastle. He first played for the club in the 1982-83 season, then returned as manager in 1992 and stayed for five years before resigning in 1997. Those two spells made him a defining figure for Geordies in both the 1980s and 1990s.
For now, the memorial outside St James' Park is reaching its next stage. The flowers will start to go, but the club's plan is to keep the most meaningful tributes in a way that matches the affection shown this week.
