Former Newcastle United and Northern Ireland star Tommy Wright has reflected fondly about his time playing under "icon of football" Kevin Keegan following his passing aged 75 - saying "he made you feel 10 feet tall at times". Wright made a move to St James' Park from Linfield in 1988 with two-time Ballon d'Or winner Keegan taking over almost four years later. Ballyclare native Wright made 33 league appearances as Keegan helped preserve Newcastle's Second Division status in 1991/92 and racked up a further 14 matches the following season in their First Division title triumph which sealed Premier League promotion. Wright played 88 times across all competitions for the Magpies and witnessed Keegan's immediate impact upon returning to Newcastle. Keegan was named 'Player of the Year' in both 1983 and 1984 before coming back to save them from the drop as manager, further enhancing his legendary reputation with the Toon Army. Wright believes Keegan's immense legacy is clear through the outpouring of condolences from fans and former players, and insists football has lost one of its great characters. "It's really sad for his family and the football family in general because he was an icon of football," Wright told the News Letter. "He had a great personality, he was bubbly, really infectious with his enthusiasm. "He made you feel like you really wanted to go and play for him. He was very personable, you could talk to him and go to him with anything. He made you feel 10 feet tall at times. "We never really had much structure to how we played, we were told to go and play and that freedom helped us, particularly in the situation he came into. "His first game at home was against Bristol City and we had been averaging about 14,000 - that day there was about 38,000 or 40,000 there and thousands locked out as well. "He had a great career at other clubs, but it shows you the impact he had on Newcastle. "He came in at a difficult time, we were struggling in the First Division and it looked like we could fall out of the league, which would have been a disaster for the club. "We managed to turn it around and stayed up in the last game of the season, the rest is history. "We won the league the next year, we won 11 or 12 games in a row, and once we had that momentum we went on to win the league. "But for him coming in, plenty of Newcastle fans believe there mightn't be a club. "He will be sadly missed. If you see the response from the Newcastle fans and the players who worked under him, it shows you the high esteem in which he is held."