Former Lincoln City boss Mark Kennedy has emerged as a leading candidate for the vacant role at Bristol Rovers, according to Football Insider.
The Gas are hunting a new manager after dispensing with the services of Joey Barton last month, and numerous names have been linked with the role. Steve Cotterill and Dean Holden were both thought to be in the running, but both have strong Bristol City connections. Former Oxford boss Karl Robinson has been mentioned, as has Garry Monk and Ian Holloway.
Today’s report from trusted journalist Peter O’Rourke suggests that former Liverpool attacker Kennedy is being considered for the post. The 47-year-old has held two positions as a head coach, one at Macclesfield in the early part of 2020 and at the LNER Stadium from May 2022 until last month.
He led the Imps to 11th place in League One last season, their second-highest finish in 40 years and left them in midtable this campaign. His departure wasn’t entirely down to results, according to CEO Liam Scully. Indeed, a controversial post-match interview where he condemned attacker Danny Mandroiu seemed to be the catalyst for his departure.
Kennedy twice took the Imps on a League Cup run, narrowly losing to West Ham this season after despatching Sheffield United on penalties in late August. Last season, his side beat Bristol City 3-1 before losing to Southampton, as well as scoring six against Bristol Rovers in September in the league.
He left the Imps with a statement concluding that he was ‘looking ahead now to my next challenge,’ clearly stating an intent to get back into football.
He isn’t the only new name being linked with the job in BS7 – former Birmingham City boss John Eustace is also named in the report. Eustace also left a role last month, dismissed by Birmingham City despite being on the cusp of the play-offs in the Championship.
The Gas put aside the uncertainty around their head coach in the FA Cup First Round yesterday, beating Whitby Town 7-2 at the Memorial Stadium.
Writer’s View
Mark Kennedy wasn’t doing a bad job on the field at the LNER Stadium, but it does seem there was a little trouble behind the scenes. However, Kennedy always came across as respectful to the opposition, and up until his final week in charge, he rarely called players out in public. That would be a refreshing change for Gas fans.
It does seem that journalists are throwing as many names at the role as they can, hoping that eventually, one will stick and they can claim to be proven right. Whether there really is a chance that Kennedy take up the role remains to be seen, but he would be surely more popular than Cotterill or Holden with supporters.
