Football
Paul Murphy 6y

Ex-Premier League manager Steve Kean to leave Brunei DPMM

 

Former Premier League manager Steve Kean is on the lookout for a new challenge after agreeing to part ways with struggling S.League side Brunei DPMM, two years after making them Singapore champions.

Kean has been unable to maintain the success of this first three years at the club, having led them to a second-placed finish in 2014 and third place in 2016. Kean's side also lifted the 2014 League Cup by beating Tanjong Pagar in the final.

The Brunei club sit second bottom of the table after only four wins in 23 matches this season.

Kean's agent Alister Veerasamy spoke to ESPN FC and confirmed that the club had agreed a deal that sees the Scot released from his contract one year early at the end of November.

Over the past year, the ex-Blackburn Rovers boss has become increasingly frustrated at losing some of the control he previously had over team matters, including transfer targets and signings, and he feels the time is right to look for a new club after an eventful four years in the Kingdom.

Kean is interested in staying in Southeast Asia, with Thailand and Indonesia possible destinations, while he would also consider a return to British football, despite the hostility he experienced while managing at troubled Blackburn.

Kean was in charge at Ewood Park during a turbulent time at the club. He took over after the sacking of the popular Sam Allardyce in 2010 and subsequently had a difficult relationship with the fans.

Although Kean's relationship with the support base was never a healthy one, he managed to keep Blackburn in the Premier League in the 2010-11 season, with a final day victory at Wolves.

The following season, his team, weakened by the sale of many of its star players, recorded a famous victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Alex Ferguson's 70th birthday. But the 2011-12 campaign would ultimately end in relegation, and Kean left the club at the beginning of the following season.

Ferguson had been a mentor to Kean early in his coaching career and offered valuable support. Both were born and raised in Glasgow.

The 50-year-old is now contemplating a return to English football, but he is also open to remaining in the continent which has been his home for the past four years.

 

^ Back to Top ^