Steve Kean

Last updated

Steve Kean
Steve Kean.jpg
Kean in 2010
Personal information
Full name Stephen Kean [1]
Date of birth (1967-09-30) 30 September 1967 (age 56) [1]
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Position(s) Winger
Team information
Current team
 Torpedo Kutaisi (manager)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1985–1987 Celtic 0 (0)
1987 → Swansea City (loan) 4 (0)
1987–1988 Alloa Athletic 1 (0)
1988–1991 Académica Coimbra 9 (1)
1991 Naval 35 (0)
1991–1992 Bath City
1993–1994 Newbury Town
Managerial career
2003–2007 Fulham (assistant coach)
2007–2008 Real Sociedad (assistant coach)
2008–2009 Coventry City (assistant coach)
2009–2010 Blackburn Rovers (assistant coach)
2010–2012 Blackburn Rovers
2013–2017 DPMM FC
2014 Brunei
2019–2020 OFI Crete (technical director)
2020–2021 Melbourne Victory (assistant)
2021 Melbourne Victory (caretaker)
2023– Torpedo Kutaisi
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Stephen Kean (born 30 September 1967) is a Scottish football coach and former player, who is currently the manager of Georgian club Torpedo Kutaisi. Kean played as a winger for clubs in the lower divisions of Scottish, English and Portuguese leagues in the 1980s and 1990s, before moving into coaching. After a 21-month spell in charge of Blackburn Rovers, he resigned on 28 September 2012.

Contents

Playing career

Kean grew up in Cumbernauld, a new town on the outskirts of Glasgow, attending St. Maurice's High School. Upon leaving school, he joined Celtic as a professional, but was unable to break into a first team then dominated by Celtic legends Tommy Burns, Murdo MacLeod and Paul McStay.

He joined Swansea City on loan in 1987, [2] at the same time as Chris Coleman. They formed a lasting professional relationship, which carried on after both of their playing days had ended.

Kean then played for Académica Coimbra in Portugal, making nine appearances, and scoring one goal in all competitions. [3] [4] [5] During his time in Portugal, Kean also played for Naval. [6]

Coaching and management career

Kean with Coventry City in 2008 Steve Kean (cropped).jpg
Kean with Coventry City in 2008

Coaching career

Since retiring from playing Kean has worked as a coach for Reading, Fulham, Real Sociedad and Coventry City, working as an assistant to Chris Coleman at Fulham, Real Sociedad and Coventry. [4]

In June 2008, it was reported that Kean was in talks with Chelsea to become assistant manager to Luiz Felipe Scolari. [4] Kean's fluency in Portuguese from his playing days was believed to be a key reason for Chelsea's interest. [4]

Blackburn Rovers

On 4 August 2009, Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce appointed Kean as his new first team coach. Kean replaced Karl Robinson who returned to Milton Keynes Dons. Allardyce commented that he had received numerous applications for the first team coaching position and Kean "stood out above the rest through his personality, experience and knowledge of football at the highest level". [7]

After the sacking of Allardyce on 13 December 2010 by new Blackburn owners Venky's, Kean was initially installed as caretaker manager but on 22 December 2010, he was appointed manager on a contract until the end of the season to prove his abilities in that position. [8] [9] On 4 January 2011, it was revealed by Anuradha Desai, chairperson of Venky's, that Kean would be offered a new two-to-three-year long-term contract to manage the club and on 20 January 2011, it was confirmed by Blackburn that Kean had signed a contract until June 2013. [10] [11] Kean's appointment was shrouded in a great deal of controversy since his agent Jerome Anderson had earlier played a major role in advising Venky's during the takeover of the club in the preceding months. [12] [13] [14] Furthermore, Allardyce later received "substantial", but undisclosed, damages from Kean after Kean had been recorded in a bar in Hong Kong falsely alleging that Allardyce had been sacked from his post at Blackburn Rovers because he was a crook. [15]

Kean started brightly as manager, but ten games without a win saw Rovers dragged into relegation trouble. A 15th-place finish was secured with a 3–2 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on the final day of the 2010–11 Premier League season.

In November 2011, Blackburn confirmed that Kean had signed a new contract with improved terms, despite the club being in the bottom place of the league. This came despite Kean's comments less than a week earlier stating: "Yes, there have been discussions about a new contract, but I have told the owners that this is an inappropriate time to conclude any new contract discussions". [16] The new deal came after months of protests at the club in which fans campaigned to have Kean removed as Rovers manager as he had recorded just one league win all season. [17] At the time, Steve Kean was Blackburn Rovers' second worst manager since 1992, with only Paul Ince scoring a lower win percentage. [18]

Further controversy was created when Kean admitted 'forfeiting' a League Cup quarter-final at Cardiff City for the sake of their league form, with fans subsequently demanding a refund for the ticket price, travel expenses and money lost due to not working on the day. [19] [20] In December 2011, the local newspaper and MP Jack Straw joined the fans in calling for Kean's resignation ahead of a crucial home match with Bolton Wanderers. [21] Another defeat concluded Kean's first 38 league games as Blackburn manager in which he had amassed just 32 points and left Rovers bottom of the table at Christmas. [22] Despite all of this, Kean remained defiant by insisting that he would stay in his job long enough to fashion a revival and that he would be "100% shocked" if he was sacked. [23] [24]

Results were somewhat improved in the second half of the season but five successive defeats in April dragged Rovers deep into relegation trouble again with Kean having recorded just 12 wins from his 55 league games since he took over. On 7 May 2012, a home loss against Wigan Athletic relegated Blackburn Rovers to the Football League Championship and ended an eleven-year run in the top flight. [25]

Kean left his position as Rovers' manager on 28 September 2012 with the club third in the Championship table. He declared that he had been "forced to resign" and that his position had been "untenable". [26]

DPMM FC

In October 2013 Kean agreed a deal to become the new manager of S.League side DPMM FC. [27] Kean signed an initial one-year contract with the club in Brunei on 28 November 2013. [28] [29] Brunei led the 2014 S.League for the majority of the campaign but ended up finishing as runners up to Warriors FC following a 2–1 defeat to Tampines Rovers on the final day of the season. [30] They were also knocked out of the 2014 Singapore Cup in the semi-final by Home United. [31] The team did lift some silverware however, as they won the 2014 Singapore League Cup, beating Tanjong Pagar United 2–0 in the final. [32]

Kean was also appointed as the head coach of Brunei national football team for the 2014 AFF Suzuki Cup qualification tournament in Laos in October 2014. [33]

Brunei DPMM clinched the S-League championship on 21 November 2015, with a 4–0 win at home to Balestier Khalsa. [34] Kean was named as the S.League's coach of the year in 2015. [35]

In early November it was announced that Kean would leave Brunei DPMM at the end of the 2017 S.League season, a year before his contract with the club ended. [36]

Melbourne Victory

On 23 October 2020 Kean was announced as the assistant coach for Melbourne Victory, serving under head coach Grant Brebner. [37] Brebner and Kean had previously worked together during their time with Reading, with Kean serving as Academy Director and then First Team Coach, while Brebner was a player. [38] In April 2021, Kean was appointed as interim coach until the end of the 2020–21 A-League season, following the sacking of Grant Brebner. [39] [40]

Hibernian

Kean became academy director of Scottish club Hibernian in November 2021, and was given the task of identifying youth players who could be promoted into the first team squad. [41] He was linked with managerial vacancies at Dundee and Charlton Athletic during the 2022 close season, but stayed with Hibs into the 2022–23 season. [42] For that season he decided that Hibs should not enter a "B" team in the Lowland League, as done by Celtic, Rangers and Hearts, and would instead enter the SPFL Reserve League, play friendlies against English clubs and participate in the 2022–23 UEFA Youth League. [43] In the latter competition, Hibs progressed through the first two rounds by defeating Norwegian side Molde FK [44] and French club Nantes before losing 2–1 to Borussia Dortmund in the knockout phase. [45] [46] [47]

Torpedo Kutaisi

Kean left Hibernian in May 2023 to become manager of Georgian club Torpedo Kutaisi. [48]

Personal life

On 15 August 2011, Kean was convicted of drink driving at Macclesfield Magistrates' Court. The Court rejected his defence that his drinks had been spiked following a match against Manchester United. He was banned from driving for 18 months and fined £1,800. [49]

Managerial statistics

As of 24 November 2023 [50] [51]
Managerial record by team and tenure
TeamFromToRecord
PWDLWin %
Blackburn Rovers 13 December 201028 September 201274211637028.4
DPMM FC 7 November 20134 November 2017135672246049.6
Brunei 12 October 201420 October 20144004000.0
Melbourne Victory 19 April 202130 June 202110226020.0
Torpedo Kutaisi 19 May 2023Present241266050.0
Total2471024699041.3

Honours

Manager

DPMM

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn Rovers F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. The club's motto is "Arte et Labore", meaning "By Skill and Hard Work" in Latin. They have a long-standing rivalry with nearby club Burnley, with whom they contest the East Lancashire derby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Mowbray</span> Footballer and football manager

Anthony Mark Mowbray is an English football manager and former footballer who is manager of EFL Championship club Birmingham City, currently on medical leave. Mowbray played for Middlesbrough, Celtic and Ipswich Town as a defender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Allardyce</span> English footballer and manager (born 1954)

Samuel Allardyce is an English football manager and former professional player who was most recently manager of Leeds United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Jeffers</span> English association football player and coach

Francis Jeffers is an English football coach and former player, who was most recently a first-team coach at Oldham Athletic.

Mark Venus is an English football coach and former player. He is currently assistant manager of Birmingham City. As a player, he spent the majority of his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Ipswich Town. As a coach, he has served as an assistant manager to Tony Mowbray at Hibernian, West Bromwich Albion, Celtic, Middlesbrough, Blackburn, Sunderland and Birmingham City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Brebner</span> Scottish footballer (born 1977)

Grant Ian Brebner is a Scottish football coach and former player who was the head coach at Australian side Melbourne Victory. Born in Edinburgh, Brebner joined Manchester United as a 16-year-old in 1994. While at Manchester United, he broke into the Scotland under-21 team, making 17 appearances between 1997 and 1999; however, he was unable to find a place in the Manchester United first team and was loaned out to Cambridge United and Hibernian, before being sold to Reading for £300,000 in 1998. He then returned to Hibernian on a permanent basis, and made more than 100 appearances in a five-year stint there that included a loan spell with Stockport County. In August 2004, he was transferred to Dundee United, before moving to Australia to play for Melbourne Victory. After six years with Melbourne Victory, he joined Victorian Premier League side Moreland Zebras. He returned to Melbourne Victory as an assistant coach in 2020, before assuming the position of manager later that year, where he served until being dismissed from the position in April 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neil McDonald (footballer)</span> English footballer (born 1965)

Neil Raymond McDonald is a football manager, coach and former player, in the right back and midfield positions. He is currently assistant coach of Indian Super League side Bengaluru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DPMM FC</span> Football club

Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota Football Club is a professional football club based in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei. The club played in the Brunei Premier League in the early 2000s, winning the league title in 2002 and 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Gamble</span> Irish footballer

Joseph Finbar Gamble is a retired Irish footballer.

Kevin James McCann is a Scottish footballer who last played for East Kilbride. He is primarily a defender who can also play in a defensive midfield role. He has represented Scotland at under-20 and under-21 levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adrian Pennock</span> English footballer and manager

Adrian Barry Pennock is an English former footballer who played for Norwich City, Molde FK, AFC Bournemouth, Gillingham and Gravesend & Northfleet. He is the current manager of Dartford.

Charles David Clough is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Thai League 1 club Port.

The history of Blackburn Rovers Football Club, an English football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, dates back to the club's formation in 1875.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Doran</span> Irish footballer

Aaron Brian Doran Cogan, known as Aaron Doran, is an Irish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Scottish Championship club Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He previously played at Blackburn Rovers, from where he spent time on loan with Milton Keynes Dons and Leyton Orient. He has also represented the Republic of Ireland U21 team.

The V H Group is an Indian conglomerate primarily comprising companies related to the poultry industry, including processed food, animal vaccines, human and animal pharmaceutical and healthcare products.

The 2010–11 season was Blackburn Rovers' 123rd season as a professional football club. The 2010–11 season was also Blackburn Rovers' 17th season in the Premier League, and their 10th consecutive season in the top division of English football.

Jerome Anderson was a London-based sports agent with Sport Entertainment and Media Group from 2001 until his retirement. Initially focused on the football world, he extended his reach into heavyweight boxing and was Lennox Lewis' agent for his bout against Mike Tyson that was described by The Telegraph as one of “the moments of the decade.”

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maududi Hilmi Kasmi</span> Bruneian footballer

Muhammad Maududi Hilmi bin Kasmi is a Bruneian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Brunei Super League club Kasuka. He has played for professional club DPMM FC for four seasons in the Singaporean S.League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azwan Ali Rahman</span> Bruneian footballer

Muhammad Azwan bin Ali Rahman is a Bruneian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for DPMM, which he captains, and the Brunei national team.

References

  1. 1 2 Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2005). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–2005. Queen Anne Press. p. 339. ISBN   1-85291-665-6.
  2. ↑ "Swansea City: 1946/47 – 2009/10". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  3. ↑ "Statistics" (in Portuguese). Veteranosaac.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Kean linked to Chelsea coach role". BBC Sport. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 19 June 2008.
  5. ↑ Steve Kean at ForaDeJogo (archived)
  6. ↑ "New: Steve Kean interview!". The British Coaches Abroad Association. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  7. ↑ "Who is Blackburn's interim manager Steve Kean?". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 December 2010. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers sack manager Sam Allardyce". BBC Sport. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  9. ↑ "Steve Kean put in charge by Blackburn". BBC Sport. 22 December 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
  10. ↑ "Kean to land long-term deal". Sky Sports. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  11. ↑ "Kean signs contract to June 2013". Blackburn Rovers F.C. 20 January 2011. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  12. ↑ Conn, David. "How an agent came to hold so much power at Blackburn Rovers", The Guardian , 21 December 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  13. ↑ Hytner, David. "Steve Kean finds value of friends in high places at Blackburn Rovers", The Guardian , 16 December 2010. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  14. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers board's dismay at Venky's conduct revealed in letter". The Guardian. 15 January 2012.
  15. ↑ "Steve Kean pays Sam Allardyce damages over 'crook' claim". BBC Sport. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
  16. ↑ "Rovers confirm Kean contract revision". ESPNsoccernet. 23 November 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  17. ↑ "Anti-Steve Kean banner flown by Blackburn Rovers fans". BBC Sport. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  18. ↑ "Kean out? How Kean fares historically". EPL Index.com. 19 November 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  19. ↑ "Blackburn boss Steve Kean admits Carling Cup 'forfeit' at Cardiff". BBC. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  20. ↑ "Rovers fans demand refund after Kean admits to 'forfeiting' Cup game". The Mirror. 30 November 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  21. ↑ "Lancashire Telegraph comment: Time to go Steve Kean". Lancashire Telegraph. 19 December 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  22. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Bolton Wanderers, 20th December 2011". BBC. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  23. ↑ "Under-fire Kean banking on season of goodwill". BBC. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  24. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean '100% shocked' if he was sacked". BBC. 20 December 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  25. ↑ Winter, Henry (8 May 2012). "Blackburn Rovers relegated from Premier League as Antolin Alcaraz scores only goal in Wigan's great escape". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  26. ↑ "Steve Kean 'forced to resign' as Blackburn Rovers manager". BBC Sport. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  27. ↑ "Steve Kean: Ex-Blackburn boss to take charge at Brunei DPMM". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  28. ↑ "Kean and Jeffers set to arrive at DPMM". Goal. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
  29. ↑ "New DPMM FC coach inks one year deal". borneobulletin.brunei-online.com.bn. Archived from the original on 1 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  30. ↑ "Summary – S.League- Singapore". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  31. ↑ "Summary – Singapore Cup- Singapore". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  32. ↑ "Summary – League Cup- Singapore". Soccerway. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  33. ↑ Syarif Rasani (11 October 2014). "Kean:We're not underdogs". The Brunei Times . Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  34. 1 2 "Steve Kean: Ex-Blackburn boss wins Singapore S-League title". BBC Sport. 21 November 2015. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  35. ↑ Duerden, John. "Melbourne's new number two still seeking to shrug off Premier League troubles". The World Game. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  36. ↑ "Ex-Premier League manager Steve Kean to leave Brunei DPMM". ESPN. 5 November 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
  37. ↑ "Steve Kean appointed Assistant Coach". Melbourne Victory. 23 October 2020. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  38. ↑ "Steve Kean on Melbourne move". Melbourne Victory. Melbourne Victory FC. 14 November 2020. Retrieved 27 February 2021.
  39. ↑ Lynch, Michael (17 April 2021). "Brebner out after Victory's 7-0 humiliation against Melbourne City". The Sydney Morning Herald .
  40. ↑ "Steve Kean confirmed as interim Head Coach". Melbourne Victory . 19 April 2021.
  41. ↑ Joseph, Anthony (16 November 2021). "Steve Kean: Hibernian appoint former Blackburn manager as academy director". Sky Sports. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  42. ↑ Copeland, Robbie (26 June 2022). "Steve Kean drops Hibs exit hint as former Blackburn boss can't rule out management return". Daily Record. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  43. ↑ "Hibs academy director explains youth strategy". BBC Sport. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  44. ↑ McPartlin, Patrick (5 October 2022). "Hibs defeat Molde on penalties after 2-2 draw to advance in UEFA Youth League". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  45. ↑ McPartlin, Patrick (2 November 2022). "Hibs stun Nantes to set up UEFA Youth League play-off against one of Europe's big guns". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  46. ↑ Delaney, James (8 November 2022). "Hibs handed tough Borussia Dortmund tie in Uefa Youth League". STV Sport. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  47. ↑ McPartlin, Patrick (7 February 2023). "Steve Kean hails 'outstanding' Hibs after Dortmund heartbreak and makes first team claim". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  48. ↑ "Steve Kean Departs Hibernian FC". www.hibernianfc.co.uk. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 19 May 2023.
  49. ↑ "Blackburn manager Steve Kean banned for drink driving". The Daily Telegraph. London. 15 August 2011. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  50. ↑ "Steve Kean". Soccerbase. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  51. ↑ "Brunei Duli Pengiran Muda Mahkota FC". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.