Former Republic Of Ireland Senior football coach Brian Kerr this morning agreed to take the position of National Team Coach of the Faroe Islands. Kerr has signed a contract through to the end of 2011. His first competitive game with the national side will be at home to Serbia on the 10 June 2009 in a World Cup Qualifying round match. In addition to managing and coaching the senior international team, Kerr will also be heavily involved in implementing coaching structures and systems for the development of the national game from under age level, right through to the development of the senior national league. Kerr performed a similar developmental role with great success for the Football Association of Ireland from 1996 to 2005. At a press briefing in Torshavn this morning, Kerr commented: 'After a recent approach from the General Secretary of the Faroe Islands FA - Isaac Mikladal - I am delighted to accept a position that will see me work with the Faroe Islands Football Association in all areas of the development of the game in their country, in parallel with coaching the national senior team'. Kerr continued: 'It will be a very interesting and difficult challenge, but one I look forward to getting my teeth into. I have been extremely impressed with the ambition and enthusiasm shown by everyone at the Faroese FA, and other key figures I have met who are involved in the development of the game there'. 'It has always been my intention to go back into coaching and management. To this end, I have spent some of my recent time acquiring a FIFA Pro Licence and have continuously studied new technical developments and trends in the game, at both club and international level'. He concluded: 'While I enjoyed my last role at St. Patricks Athletic with John McDonnell, as we attempted to bring the club to a new level, my desire to return to coaching at International level remained. 'I have had other interesting offers in the past, but for varying reasons such opportunities didn't suit me at the time. I am now delighted to be taking on this new opportunity with an international association who are both determined and eager to grow the game of football at all levels while improving the nations standing in world football'.
He is a good manager imo, not a world class manager but good.He brought possible our best ever youth team through the ranks and actually won stuff. How many other international managers can you say have done this. He was unfairly treated by the FAI and should have been given another campaign to try and qualify. McCarthy was given a few attempts to qualify before 2002 and our group when Kerr came close had the French and Swiss team who were very hard to beat and quailfied for a few tournaments.
best of luck to him he was treated disgracefully by the FAI after all he did for them at underage level.
Best of luck to him, treated very badly by FAI and I hope he does well (although Faroe's are pretty bad)
Always liked Kerr for his work with underage teams and with the success he had with u20s at the world cup a great achievement but his failures with the senior team left a sour taste in the mouth.Reading any articles by him now he comes accross as a bitter prick.Dont have any time for him now.
Dont blame him for being bitter we were very close to qualifying and he wasnt given another chance after that. Like fair enough if they had a top manager lined up to replace him but Staunton was an embarasment I liked him as a player but not as a manager. How and ever whats done is sone and best of luck to Kerr.
Feel bad for him tbh.Thought he was a decent enough manager-certainly better than this at least.Hard to believe how far your stock can fall in a relatively short space of time.Best of luck to him.
He did very well with the under age alright. He couldn't command the respect of the senior players and thats kinda understandable. Bad work by the FAI to appoint him in the first place. The FAI didn't learn from there mistakes either appointing Stan. Maybe he should have been put back in with the under age teams by the FAI. Think he could have been still useful developing some more young players tho. Good luck to him there in the new position anyway. Didn't think the TV punditry suited him either.
I am delighted to see him back working. The man knows the game and will do a good job. Its true he is bitter but who can blame him, he was rode by the FAI.