Mark Kennedy (footballer, born 1976)

Mark John Kennedy (born 15 May 1976 in Clonsilla, Dublin) is an Irish retired footballer who is currently head coach at Macclesfield Town.

Mark Kennedy
Personal information
Full name Mark John Kennedy[1]
Date of birth (1976-05-15) 15 May 1976
Place of birth Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position(s) Left back/left winger
Club information
Current team
 Macclesfield Town (Head Coach)
Youth career
St.Mochta's
Belvedere
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1992–1995 Millwall 43 (9)
1995–1998 Liverpool 16 (0)
1998 → Queens Park Rangers (loan) 8 (2)
1998–1999 Wimbledon 21 (0)
1999–2001 Manchester City 66 (8)
2001–2006 Wolverhampton Wanderers 167 (12)
2006–2008 Crystal Palace 46 (1)
2008–2010 Cardiff City 66 (0)
2010–2012 Ipswich Town 33 (0)
Total 466 (32)
National team
1992 Republic of Ireland U17 1 (0)
1994–1996 Republic of Ireland U21 4 (4)
1995–2002 Republic of Ireland 34 (4)
Teams managed
2020– Macclesfield Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

As a player, he was a left back and left winger from 1992 to 2012. He notably featured in the Premier League with Liverpool, Wimbledon, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as in the Football League for Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City and Ipswich Town. He was capped 34 times by Ireland, scoring four goals.

Club career

Millwall

Kennedy began his professional career at Millwall, making his senior debut on 24 April 1993 in a 1–0 win over Charlton, when still only 16. He developed over his three-year stay at The Old Den, and broke into the Republic of Ireland Under-21 side. He particularly gained attention for a powerful run and goal at Highbury that helped eliminate Arsenal from the FA Cup in 1995.[2]

Liverpool

He left to join Liverpool in March 1995 for an initial £1.5 million fee (potentially rising to £2.3 m), making him then the most expensive teenage footballer in British history. However, opportunities at Anfield were scarce, and he managed just 18 appearances over three seasons, which also saw him loaned to Queens Park Rangers to gain first team action. He found a permanent route to regular football when he moved back to the capital with Wimbledon in 1998, for £1.75 million, but he stayed for just one season with the club, scoring once against Bolton in the League Cup,[3] before returning to the north, this time to Manchester City, for £1.6 million, in 1999.

Manchester City

He won promotion to the Premier League with Manchester City in his first season, but the following year saw the club relegated and manager Joe Royle sacked. When Kevin Keegan took the reins, he sought to rebuild the squad and decided Kennedy was not part of his plans, selling him to fellow second flight club Wolverhampton Wanderers for £2 million.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

He looked set for another promotion in his first season at Molineux, but a groin tear ruled him out of the run-in and the team dropped into the play-off zone in his absence, where they lost to Norwich. However, the following season saw them achieve the aim of promotion, with Kennedy scoring the opening goal in their 3–0 Division One Play-off final win over Sheffield United. The Midlands club were unable to remain in the top flight beyond a solitary season though, and soon found themselves with a new manager, with Glenn Hoddle replacing Dave Jones, in late 2004. Hoddle preferred to play Kennedy in a more restrained left midfield role, rather than his original position on the wing. With Hoddle departing in Summer 2006, so did Kennedy, after refusing the terms of a reduced contract, he moved to Selhurst Park on a free transfer to play under new manager Peter Taylor at Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace

Kennedy spent the majority of the 2006–07 season in Palace's first team line-up, but largely disappointed fans, despite scoring against Derby County.[4] Early in the following season Taylor was replaced by Neil Warnock, and Kennedy hardly featured for the Eagles after that, before being released at the end of that campaign.

Cardiff City

He was signed by his former Wolves manager Dave Jones at Cardiff City on 10 July 2008.[5] With club stalwart Joe Ledley cemented in the left midfield role, Kennedy started the season at left-back in place of the injured Tony Capaldi but an injury to Kennedy himself meant he missed around half of the opening two months. However following his return, he remained as first choice left back for the majority of the season. The following season, he started the opening game of the season but injury meant he did not feature again until September during a 1–0 loss to Newcastle United where he remained on the bench, but he started the next game at Reading. He made his 400th career club start against Sheffield Wednesday on 26 September 2009. He made his 50th league Cardiff appearance on 5 December 2009, coming on as a substitute for injured Anthony Gerrard in a 1–0 win over Preston North End.[6]

Ipswich Town

On 27 July 2010, Kennedy joined Ipswich Town, managed by his former international team-mate Roy Keane, for a fee of £75,000.[7] Kennedy retired at the end of the 2011–2012 season and joined the Ipswich Town coaching staff. On 12 August 2013, he managed the Ipswich Town under-21 squad during their pre-season friendly against Chippenham Town.

International career

Kennedy has 34 caps for the Republic of Ireland, scoring four times.[8][9] He made his international debut on 6 September 1995 in a 3–1 defeat in Austria, but never established himself as a regular player over seven years involved with the national side. During this time, Ireland did not play in the final tournaments of the World Cup or the European Championship. While on international duty, Kennedy was arrested in Dublin with teammate Phil Babb in August 2000 for public order offences and causing criminal damage to an off duty Garda officers car.[10] This effectively ended his International career. Kennedy's final game for Ireland was a friendly in February 2002: he missed the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals because of injury.

Managerial career

Kennedy coached at Manchester City's academy and was a first-team coach at Ipswich Town before working with Wolves' under-23 side. In January 2020, Kennedy was appointed head coach at Macclesfield Town.[11]

Personal life

His brother Brendan was also a footballer, playing in the League of Ireland. Brendan is the Ireland under-18s and 19s goalkeeper coach and manager of Dunboyne AFC in the Leinster Senior League.

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Millwall 1992–93 First Division 100000—10
1993–94 First Division 124002000124
1994–95 First Division 3054152—528
Total 43941720000
Liverpool 1994–95 Premier League 600000—60
1995–96[12] Premier League 4000101[lower-alpha 1]060
1996–97[13] Premier League 5010101[lower-alpha 2]080
1997–98[14] Premier League 1000000010
Total 160102020210
Queens Park Rangers (loan) 1997–98[14] First Division 820000—82
Wimbledon 1997–98[14] Premier League 400000—40
1998–99[15] Premier League 1702051—241
Total 210205100281
Manchester City 1999–00[16] First Division 4182042—4710
2000–01[17] Premier League 2500051—301
Total 6682093007711
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2001–02[18] First Division 35510101[lower-alpha 3]0385
2002–03[19] First Division 31341003[lower-alpha 3]1385
2003–04[20] Premier League 3123020—362
2004–05[21] Championship 3002000—320
2005–06[22] Championship 4022010—432
Total 16712121404118714
Crystal Palace 2006–07[23] Championship 3812000—401
2007–08[24] Championship 8000000080
Total 461200000481
Cardiff City 2008–09[25] Championship 3603010—400
2009–10[26] Championship 30030003[lower-alpha 4]0360
Total 660601030760
Ipswich Town 2010–11[27] Championship 2601030—300
2011–12[28] Championship 700000—70
Total 330103000370
Career total 466323023169153641
  1. Appearance in UEFA Cup
  2. Appearance in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  3. Appearance(s) in First Division play-offs
  4. Appearances in Championship play-offs

International
Source:[29]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Republic of Ireland
199530
199670
199771
199820
199962
200051
200130
200210
Total344

International goals
Scores and results list the Republic of Ireland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kennedy goal.[30]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.6 September 1997Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavik, Iceland Iceland4–24–21998 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.28 April 1999Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Ireland Sweden2–02–0Friendly
3.1 September 1999Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland FR Yugoslavia2–12–1UEFA Euro 2000 qualification
4.30 May 2000Lansdowne Road, Dublin, Republic of Ireland Scotland1–11–2Friendly

Managerial statistics
As of match played 7 March 2020
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
PWDLWin %
Macclesfield Town 16 January 2020 present 12 1 3 8 008.3
Total 12 1 3 8 008.3

Honours

Manchester City

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Individual

References
  1. "List of Players under Written Contract Whose Registrations have been Cancelled by Mutual Consent Between 01/05/2012 and 31/05/2012". The Football Association. Archived from the original on 28 June 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  2. Haylett, Trevor (18 January 1995). "Millwall deepen Arsenal's misery". The Independent. London. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  3. Hadfield, Dave (10 November 1998). "Kennedy creativity destroys Bolton". The Independent. London. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  4. Mercer, Nathan (29 April 2007). "Crystal Palace 2–0 Derby". BBC. Retrieved 6 November 2009.
  5. "Cardiff sign Kennedy from Palace" BBC Sport Retrieved on 1 June 2009
  6. "Cardiff 1–0 PNE" BBC Sport Retrieved on 5 December 2009
  7. "Mark Kennedy completes Ipswich move". WalesOnline. 28 July 2010. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  8. "Mark Kennedy profile" LFChistory.net Retrieved on 19 October 2013
  9. "Ireland record international players" rsssf.com Retrieved on 1 June 2009
  10. Samantha McCaughren (14 November 2000). "Soccer Stars Get Probation Act". Independent Newspaper. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  11. "Mark Kennedy: Macclesfield Town name ex-Republic of Ireland winger as head coach". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  12. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 1995/1996". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  13. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  14. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 1997/1998". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  15. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  16. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  17. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  18. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  19. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  20. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  21. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  22. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  23. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  24. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  25. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  26. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  27. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2010/2011". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  28. "Games played by Mark Kennedy in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  29. Mark Kennedy at National-Football-Teams.com
  30. "M. Kennedy". Soccerway. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
  31. "City ride luck on return". BBC News. 7 May 2000. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  32. "Wolves back in big time". BBC Sport. BBC. 26 May 2003. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  33. "Keane claims award double". BBC News. 30 April 2000. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  34. "PFA teams send Hatters mad". The Guardian. London. 15 April 2002. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
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