Kinnear poised to set Forest afire
By Larry Cooney
Following Paul Hart’s dismissal by Nottingham Forest it has been announced by the club that they have had formal talks with Joe Kinnear about becoming their next manager.
Hart was sacked following Forest’s 1-0 home defeat by Midlands rivals Coventry City last Saturday. The news of Kinnear’s possible appointment may surprise many Forest fans after it was widely speculated at the weekend that former players Nigel Clough and Stuart Pearce were being mentioned as possible successors to Hart.
Joe Kinnear has been enjoying a break from football since his sensational ousting by the new Luton Town regime just before the end of last season when they replaced him with Mike Newell, allegedly following the result of a local radio phone-in by the fans. Should Kinnear be appointed to the Forest hotseat he will be joining a club currently suffering an alarming reversal in fortunes that has seen them slide down the Division One table to third from bottom. Forest have not won in the League since late October against lowly Bradford City.
Despite his sensational dismissal by the Hatters last summer, Kinnear’s track record as a manager has impressed Forest chairman Nigel Doughty enough to initiate discussions with him over the club’s desperate situation and the managerial vacancy.
Speaking on Forest’s website last Monday the club’s chief said: “We are in discussions at the moment with Joe and I would hope we could move our negotiations forward in the coming 48 hours.”
Doughty has clearly tracked Kinnear’s progress in his previous clubs and certainly appears to be a leading contender for the vacancy.
“When he took over at Wimbledon in 1992, they were bottom of The Premiership and went on to not only consolidate the club’s position in the top flight but took them to three (FA) Cup semi-finals. He also had tremendous success at Luton, who he took to promotion in his first full season, before they were gripped by financial and ownership problems.
During his time at Wimbledon, he was a key figure in developing a lot of talented young players who have become household names in football and everyone knows how much emphasis we place on the academy at Nottingham Forest,” said Doughty.
Every genuine football supporter will welcome the return of one of the most colourful characters in the game who has made made a full recovery since a heart-attack scare near the end of his management reign at Wimbledon in 1999.
Dougty concluded: “He’s also an inspirational and charismatic figure and his popularity with supporters at his previous clubs speaks volumes for the job he has done.”
Meanwhile, Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has been a surprise call-up into the Republic of Ireland squad to play Brazil at Lansdowne Road on Wednesday week. Recent outstanding performances by Kenny for the Blades have finally led to international recognition.
Brian Kerr’s panel also includes Jason McAteer who has not been involved since September 2002. Not surprisingly, Cardiff midfielder Graham Kavanagh has also been given another chance to impress, while Nottingham Forest’s Andy Reid will be looking to build on his recent impressive debut.
Rep of Ireland squad: Stephen Carr, Lee Carsley, David Connolly, Kenny Cunningham, Rory Delap, Gary Doherty, Damien Duff, Richard Dunne, Shay Given, Steve Finnan, Ian Harte, Matt Holland, Graham Kavanagh, Robbie Keane, Paddy Kenny, Kevin Kilbane, Alan Lee, Jason McAteer, Clinton Morrison, Joe Murphy, Andy O’Brien.
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