Lincoln City’s new head coach Mark Kennedy has promised an attractive brand of attacking, aggressive football that “gets fans off their seats” next season, as well as praising the structure of the club which gives him “opportunity for success”.
The former Irish international Kennedy, 45, joined the club as Lincoln City head coach on Thursday, May 12, announced as the replacement for Michael Appleton who left at the end of the 2021/22 season.
It will be just his second job in first team management, having briefly taken charge of then-financially stricken Macclesfield Town, which ultimately resulted in relegation from League Two, but his battle scars have only made him more determined to achieve great things in the game.
| Photo: Chris Vaughan / Lincoln City
Once the most expensive teenage footballer in British history, Mark Kennedy’s playing career saw him pull on the shirt of Liverpool, Manchester City, Wolverhampton Wanderers and more, over a near 20-year career on the pitch.
Since retiring from the game, he has worked in academy coaching at Ipswich Town and Wolves, as well as current Premier League champions Manchester City, before most recently serving as Lee Bowyer’s assistant at Championship outfit Birmingham City.
In his first interview with the media since signing a four-year contract as head coach, Mark spoke to The Lincolnite about the passion of himself and the fanbase, his football philosophy, and the lessons he learned along the way on his coaching journey.
The Lincolnite: What lessons have you learned on your coaching journey? Obviously you took the job on at Macclesfield and decided to take a step back into coaching again after that? What was it that made you feel ready for a first team job again?
| Photo: Chris Vaughan / Lincoln City
Mark Kennedy: “I started my coaching journey at the wrong end, when I retired from football I got a first team job which ultimately is what I wanted to do, but through various conversations with different people I respect I realised that I was at completely the wrong end of the spectrum.
“It was from that point where I chose to take a step back and learn my trade basically, I started to understand what coaching really looks like so I looked to get a job in elite academy football and retrain myself to get a clear understanding of what methodologies, philosophies, periodisation, all those sexy words you hear.
“I knew it would take some time and I knew it wouldn’t happen overnight, the Macclesfield opportunity came up quicker than I wanted it to, but it was something I hugely embraced.
“I knew what I was getting into before I went there and although it would have frightened the life out of a lot of people, that was the reason why I took the job. I’ll certainly be a lot better off because of that experience.”
TL: What are some of the similarities or differences between Mark Kennedy the player and the manager?
| Photo: Chris Vaughan / Lincoln City
MK: “I was very lucky in my playing career that I always played for clubs who played an attractive brand of football and had a clear identity. I just think football has changed so much now, the environments have changed, I think football is heavily geared around head coaches, we can see that; it’s about maximising the multi-disciplinary departments and the people around you.
“When I played there was ultimately a manager who was in charge of everything and thankfully one of the huge attractions of Lincoln was the fact that the structures and the frameworks are in place, they are all highly regarded and super impressive people.
“The biggest compliment I can pay Lincoln is that if we’re successful it will be down to the club, and if we’re not it will be down to me, because the structure is already in place to give the head coach the opportunity for success.”
TL: Will it be at the forefront of your agenda to win your home games and make the stadium a fortress again?
| Photo: Chris Vaughan / Lincoln City
MK: “Home form at any club in any footballing pyramid is so important, the support here is outstanding, it’s very vociferous, we know that in terms of filling the stadium capacity it’s the best in the league. We want to give the fans a brand of football they can be proud of, something they can identify with, and something that gets them off their seats.
“The one thing that really stood out to me when I spoke to the board was their passion for the fans and the connection, that was really evident and was one of the main reasons why I came here. We want to make sure there is that connection.”
TL: How would you describe your personality on the touchline? Are you a reserved character or will you show your passion?
| Photo: Chris Vaughan / Lincoln City
MK: “My wife wrote me a card last night saying we look forward to watching your hand gestures on the touchline, which suggests I might be a little bit animated. You can quite clearly see that I am a passionate guy on the side, however somebody running up and down the line ranting and raving doesn’t necessarily mean they know what they’re doing.
“I’ve worked with coaches who are very quiet on the side and they are some of the best I’ve worked with, but I think my passion will be there for all to see. I’m certainly not someone who will stand on the side with their arms folded, sitting in the dugout, I’ll be at the forefront of the pitch that’s for sure.”
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Proposed outdoor dinning spaces in Sleaford’s market square will help to rejuvenate and reinvent the town centre, council officers have said.
They have recommended that two restaurants’ outdoor seating areas are given permission to help boost trade within the town.
The Burger Lounge and The Solo Bar & Restaurant have requested permission to expand their seating into the town’s Market Place.
The space is currently used as an ad hoc car park, but there are hopes that the dining areas will take greater advantage of the square.
The spaces will be located outside of the restaurants, each measuring 9m by 3m, and will ensure that there is enough room for the market to continue.
North Kesteven District Council has pointed to the success of the nearby Sessions House’s outdoor space, saying it has helped to “revitalise this part of the Market Place”.
It says: “Outdoor seating at some cafés and the staging of the ‘Welcome Back Fund’ event post-pandemic has shown what can be achieved, and that this attractive space has far more to offer residents and visitors than simply car parking or the ‘legacy’ market, which has struggled to remain viable as shopping habits have changed.”
Both restaurants expect to take on another two part-time staff as a result, and will operate the areas 9am to 11pm subject a licence.
However, not everyone is happy about the application.
Burton & Co solicitors, which occupies the space between the restaurants, has complained that the application will restrict customers’ access and have a detrimental impact on their business.
However, council officers say that it is unlikely to be affected, and the business will benefit from greater passing trade.
A report into the application concludes: “The proposals are considered to be an important element of rejuvenating and reinventing Sleaford’s town centre to allow multi-purpose visits to support its vitality and viability in a manner that will not only support expansion of the businesses directly affected but will more generally support trade within the town.”
The planning committee will decide on it at their next meeting on Tuesday, June 7.
A disabled man was improperly banned from employing his mum as his personal carer by the council.
Social workers failed to properly consider the request, which had been beneficial for him in the past, the Local Government Ombudsman has found.
The man, who is named only as Mr B in the report, has a severe learning disability, autism and epilepsy, and can exhibit behaviour which causes harm to himself or other people.
When his care centre closed during the pandemic, the council for the area in which they were living at the time decided his mother could be employed as his full-time personal carer.
She quit her job to take the role, and they moved to Lincolnshire shortly afterwards.
Lincolnshire County Council found Mr B was entitled to 35 hours of paid care every week, but said this couldn’t be from a family member.
Mr B’s parents complained, saying his complex needs meant he couldn’t be cared for by strangers. His autism also meant he struggled to deal with change.
Despite letters from his psychiatrist and learning disability nurse, the council said there weren’t exceptional circumstances to justify his mother looking after him.
The county council has admitted it didn’t communicate well with Mr B. | Photo: Lincolnshire Reporter
However, the government ombudsman says the council didn’t properly look into this option or consider experts’ opinions.
The report says: “I am concerned that the council appears to have a blanket policy to refuse such requests and no apparent procedure for determining if there are exceptional circumstances, setting out what evidence it would take into account or recording the outcome.”
Lincolnshire County Council has admitted it didn’t communicate well with Mr B.
It has agreed to reconsider whether Mr B’s mother could be his paid carer within a month. It will also review how it makes decisions like these.
Joanna Tubb, head of learning disabilities at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “The role of the Ombudsman is not to look at the decision itself, but to assess whether the council followed its processes when making the decision, and whether it was communicated effectively. We accept that in this case, we could have communicated better with Mr B about his case.
“In line with the Ombudsman’s decision, we will be reconsidering the request, and reviewing our processes to make sure that we’re communicating effectively with all our service users.”
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