Kennedy to take up coaching role as he hangs up boots

NEWS:FORMER REPUBLIC of Ireland international Mark Kennedy has announced he will retire from playing at the end of the season at which stage he will join Paul Jewell's coaching team at Ipswich Town where the Dubliner has spent the last couple of years.

“It wasn’t a tough decision at all really,” said Kennedy, who turns 36 next month. “I have been playing football for a long time and I am keen to get into coaching. After many discussions it was the manager Paul Jewell who made me realise that’s what I want to do and I’m grateful to him for that. I’m really looking forward to it and I’m really excited by it.”

Kennedy, who started his career as a winger at Millwall, became the most expensive teenager in the British game when Liverpool paid around £2 million for him in 1995 but he didn’t manage to establish himself at Anfield. He subsequently had spells at the likes of Wimbledon, Manchester City and, most memorably, Wolves where he spent five years and played in several different positions before establishing himself as a left-back in recent seasons.

He played 35 times for Ireland and while he drifted out of the international reckoning a decade ago, he still rates his debut, against Austria 17 years ago, as the highlight of his career.

“My debut for Ireland stands out. Even with the promotions and the moves and being in teams of the year, I think playing for your country is phenomenal,” he said.

“I was a big, big fan of my country and Mick McCarthy was my hero. To then go and play for Ireland and to play for Mick, I don’t think you can top that.”

Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, has confirmed that West Brom are in talks with Steven Reid about taking up the option of keeping him for another year with the manager insisting the 31-year-old’s latest lay-off through injury is not a concern.

“I’m a bit wary of saying anything that will prejudice what’s going on, said the former Liverpool boss. “But Steven has done a very good job in the time I’ve been here so I don’t think his current injury will affect him.

“It will be more a question of us being convinced he’s a man that will still help us next year and him being convinced that he wants to be here to help us out. If he wants to stay it won’t be a difficult decision to keep him.”

Kevin Doyle has admitted to feeling a bit weary as Wolves approach the end of their uphill battle against relegation. “It is hard to keep going every week for three years when you are in and out of the bottom three and looking over your shoulders and every week is a ‘must-win’ game,” he said.