According to the official site, Brian Kidd has taken up the role of Technical Development Manager with the Blues Academy.
This appears to be part of an ongoing overhaul of the Academy that has already seen Jim Cassell move to Abu Dhabi and Andy Welsh take over at Platt Lane. Kidd is understood to get on well with Hughes and he will be charged with helping to bring the young players through to the first team. Steve Wigley had a similar role, when he joined the club a few years ago, before going on to become Stuart Pearce’s assistant.
Having recently turned 60, Kidd will be bringing experience, rather than youthful enthusiasm to a role that will see him head up the in-service training of staff alongside the coaching of youngsters. Kidd is known as a strong family man, who has always sought to work close to his Manchester home. This was cited by Paul Hart as the reason he didn’t take up the offer to remain at Portsmouth. Over the Summer he was linked with a position assisting Tony Pulis at Stoke, and last week with the vacant manager’s job at Barnsley.
Kidd has been lauded as one of the best coaches around ever since his days in charge of the youth team at Old Trafford. He went on to become Fergie’s assistant and the rest is history at Old Trafford. He nearly left to become City’s manager before finally embarking on an ill fated stint managing Blackburn. Since then he popped up at Leeds, Sheffield United and Portsmouth, as well as being Sven’s assistant in the England setup.
As a player, he started out by winning the European Cup with United, but is more fondly remembered by City fans for a stint with us between 1976 and 1979. This was a decent City side, managed by Tony Book, that managed to finish as League runners up behind Liverpool in 1977.
Brian Marwood:
“Brian has vast experience at both Club and International level and will help maintain the excellent development programme we have in place at the Academy.
“As a top class coach he was much in demand when it became clear he wasn’t going to stay at Portsmouth and we are delighted that Brian has chosen to come and work with us. I know he scored nearly 50 goals in his playing days at Maine Road and is greatly admired and respected amongst our fans.”
Andy Welsh:
“I have worked with Brian before and he is both an innovative and forward thinking coach who is amongst the best around. The players and the coaches here are looking forward greatly to working with him. Brian will be a huge asset to us.”
It’s an interesting appointment that once again illustrates the top-to-bottom changes going on at City. Kidd possesses an outstanding cv and it will be fascinating to see what impact he can have.
It’s been confirmed that Tal Ben Haim has joined Portsmouth on a four year deal. This was a logical deal with the Israeli international having little chance of first team football at Eastlands, while Pompey are desperate for proven Premier League players to bolster their decimated squad. Throw in the Abu Dhabi link of both clubs owners and it makes even more sense.
City fans never saw the best of Ben Haim, who has struggled since he left Sam Allardyce’s Bolton. Aside from Jo, he was Mark Hughes first signing, and probably his least successful. There was talk that he wasn’t actually a Hughes signing, but I’ve never been convinced by that one. He was happy to leave Chelsea, where he wasn’t getting much first team action, and apparently took a pay cut to join City. How many of our subsequent signings can say that?
The Israeli came in to provide competition for places across the back four, but isn’t quite big enough to dominate at centre-back or skillful enough on the ball for a top class full-back. He made a promising home debut in a pre-season friendly against AC Milan, but from then on struggled along with the rest of the defence to absorb the demands of Hughes’ style of play. A series of individual errors compounded his difficulties, with a particular low point coming away at Hull City. After being selected ahead of Nedum Onuoha, a sloppy back pass led to a goal and Joe Hart being injured.
With the return to form and fitness of Onuoha in the second half of last season, Ben Haim went on loan to Sunderland. A move away from City has seemed inevitable ever since, despite some improved performances in pre-season.
Northern Ireland international, Ryan McGivern, has joined Leicester City on loan until January.
The 19 year-old looked promising in pre-season and might have been considered as back-up to Wayne Bridge if Javier Garrido left the club. However the signing of Sylvinho put paid to that, and instead he heads out of Eastlands once again, following a spell at Morecombe last season.
The Championship should provide Ryan with a good standard of first team experience, and he might make his Leicester debut against Newcastle on Monday.
City have been drawn against fellow Premier League side Fulham in the third round of the Carling Cup. The tie is due to take place in the week beginning 21 September. This lies between the Old Trafford derby on Sunday 18 September and the home game against West Ham on Monday 28 September.
Whilst not the easiest draw we could have hoped for, at least we are at home. Fulham are also competing in the group stages of the Europa League, so it’s quite possible that this fixture won’t be amongst Roy Hodgson’s uppermost priorities this season.
The cottagers don’t have the biggest squad so we could be facing weaker opposition than we might expect in a Premier League game. Mark Hughes, of course, named a full strength team for the Palace game and will be lexoected to continue in the same vein.
With this in mind, it looks like a reasonable draw and City will be confident of progressing in our quest for silverware and a trip to Wembley.