Surprise talks between Keegan and Ashley break down

The discussions in London were believed to centre on Keegan's £2million compensation package.

The 57-year-old had gone against the advice of his legal team in his bid to reach a financial settlement but the two sides failed to reach agreement.

Angry Newcastle United fans made their feelings clear last week when Kevin Keegan resigned from his job

The leak that the meeting was taking place was seen in some quarters as a ploy to appease fans ahead of the home game against Hull City today.

Supporters are planning a march through the city centre before and during the first game since Keegan quit two weeks ago after a series of rows with the club's board.

A protest is also expected during the game, although a full-scale boycott is unlikely.

It is not known if Ashley will be present at the game, although he attended the first home match of the season against Bolton, which attracted the lowest attendance for 10 years, and sat next to football director Dennis Wise.

Sportsmail understands Wise's former Chelsea team-mate and No 2 at Leeds Gus Poyet, currently assistant manager at Tottenham, is being lined up to succeed Keegan next week.Talks with Poyet and Spurs are at an advanced stage.

A statement issued last night by the League Managers' Association read: 'The LMA can confirm that talks to resolve several issues were held today between Kevin Keegan. However, the discussion failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion.'

The Keegan talks came as Anil Ambani, the sixth richest man in the world, officially withdrew his interest in buying the club after failing to get an audience with Ashley.

'We have been unable to have any satisfying talks with anyone from the club,' said a spokesman from Reliance Communications. They have not been the only ones.

Ashley, one-time man of the people, has gone to ground and with him the figures of power at St James' Park. Talking about Newcastle United was not on anyone's agenda yesterday - not Paul Ince's, a candidate to succeed Keegan, and not Ambani's, the Indian billionaire so dismayed at being ignored and at the political unrest that has descended over St James' Park that he has instead been attracted to Bill Kenwright's wooing at Everton.

Keegan brought his second spell as Newcastle manager to an end last week

And certainly not for Ashley's control team . Even Chris Hughton, the caretaker manager, chose to address the fans' unrest via a carefully worded column in the club's matchday programme.

'Nobody needs me to tell them that the last fortnight has been a difficult one for everyone connected with Newcastle United,' he wrote.

'Following the departures of Kevin Keegan and Terry McDermott, I was asked by the board to take temporary charge of firstteam affairs. That has meant working with the players and getting them ready for today's game against Hull City. And that has been my sole focus over the past week.' It was hardly Churchillian.

It is 11 days since Sportsmail revealed details of the row between Keegan and Newcastle's managing director Derek Llambias that led to the manager's resignation and a civil war both inside and outside St James' Park.

A demonstration will start outside the ground at 2pm today. Five different marches are planned to descend upon the stadium, with sections of fans arriving after kick-off.

Northumbria Police have doubled their numbers. Ashley will meet Llambias, Wise and Tony Jimenez this weekend for a vital meeting, with a shortlist of four names to replace Keegan: Poyet, Didier Deschamps, Zico and Ince, whose own attempt at avoidance was far from convincing.

He said: 'You are never going to get away from speculation. As flattering as it is because Newcastle is a massive club, I don't comment on speculation. They are going from one person to another at the moment and my focus is totally on Blackburn Rovers.

'I am here to concentrate on Blackburn. If people want to say things because me and Wisey are good mates, I can't control that.' Keegan's decision to resign was endorsed by Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday.

The Manchester United manager said: 'You have to have your pride. You have to have your control.'

Phil Brown, the Hull manager, returns home to the north east today. He is not new to mob mentality at St James' Park. As a youngster he was beaten up for being a Sunderland fan.

'I supported Newcastle when they were at home and Sunderland when they were at home until I had an altercation with a group of supporters in the Leazes End,' he said.

'They accused me of being a Mackem. I was mistakenly identified as a Sunderland fan when at the time, I was a football fan. Then I became a Sunderland fan.'

Four decades later he watched best friend Sam Allardyce sacrificed as Ashley sought popularity. 'It was Newcastle's loss when he left,' said Brown. 'Sam is a top manager. He understood the challenge when he went there. He got on with it but unfortunately only lasted seven months.'