To judge from the bizarre goings-on at St James' Park, it could be appropriate that Newcastle United have turned to man whose roots lie deep in the “Crazy Gang” that was Wimbledon in the late 1980s and early 1990s. If Joe Kinnear, as manager from 1992 to 1999, did not actively encourage the burning of trousers and other such childish antics, it went on under his watch.

It was, though, little more than an extreme form of male bonding and one that proved mightily effective for Kinnear and his similarly offbeat predecessors. The Wimbledon team exuded an “all for one and one for all” mentality that would often unnerve more illustrious opponents even before kick-off. Once the matches got under way, that combative spirit transferred to the pitch.

That it proved widely successful earned Kinnear and his players grudging respect from their peers. Wimbledon reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup and League Cup in 1997 and the brink of qualification for the Uefa Cup. Kinnear left only after he suffered a mild heart attack while warming up on the pitch before a match against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in March 1999.

Bullish even in adversity, he made light of the scare. “I'm now not allowed to drive to the pub every night,” he said. “So I walk there.” It was typical Kinnear, putting on a brave front after a close shave with the Grim Reaper. What you see is what you get with the Dubliner: up front and in your face, yet with a soft and self-effacing underbelly that often emerges in times of stress.

As a player, Kinnear had a no-nonsense reputation, too. The tough-tackling full back made almost 200 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur over ten years and played in the 2-1 victory over Chelsea in the 1967 FA Cup Final at Wembley. He also won 26 caps for Ireland, but a knee injury ended his career.

After the heart attack, Kinnear took more than a year off to recuperate. He had to slow down. In February 2001, though, he re-emerged as director of football - he was effectively the manager - at Luton Town. He could not stay away. Although he was unable to prevent them from being relegated from the third tier, he brought them back at the first attempt. He left Kenilworth Road in May 2003.

Kinnear's last port of call was as manager of Nottingham Forest, where he succeeded Paul Hart in February 2004. Again, he reflected on his health. “I've begun to understand how to look after myself,” he said. “As a result, I feel fresh, revitalised and certainly able to cope with a job of this size. I have a walking machine and do five miles on it every day. There's no reason why my career won't last for many years to come.”

It did not. Forest's fortunes under him initially rose, but they made a poor start to the 2004-05 season in the second tier and he resigned in December. That would have appeared to have been the last of Joe Kinnear in football until Mike Ashley's desperate plea. Crazy times require crazy remedies.

Joe Kinnear factfile

Dec 27, 1946 Born in Dublin.

1965 Joins Tottenham Hotspur. Wins FA Cup once and League Cup twice in ten years.

1977 Knee injury ends career.

1992 Appointed Wimbledon manager.

1997 Leads team to semi-finals of FA Cup and League Cup.

March 1999 Suffers heart attack. June Resigns because of ill health.

Feb 2001 Appointed director of football with Luton Town.

May 2003 Leaves the club.

Feb 2004 Joins Nottingham Forest as manager.

Dec 2004 Resigns.