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Dylan Kerr

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Dylan Kerr
Personal information
Full name Dylan Kerr[1]
Date of birth (1967-01-14) 14 January 1967 (age 57)
Place of birth Valletta, Malta
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[2]
Position(s) Left back
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1984–1988 Sheffield Wednesday 0 (0)
1988–1989 Arcadia Shepherds
1989–1993 Leeds United 20 (0)
1991 → Doncaster Rovers (loan) 7 (1)
1991 → Blackpool (loan) 13 (1)
1993–1996 Reading 104 (5)
1996 Carlisle United 1 (0)
1996–2000 Kilmarnock 67 (0)
2000 Slough Town 10 (1)
2000 Kidderminster Harriers 1 (0)
2001 Hamilton Academical 17 (3)
2001 Exeter City 6 (1)
2001–2002 Greenock Morton 23 (2)
2002 East Stirlingshire 1 (2)
2002 Harrogate Town 23 (2)
2002 Gateshead 3 (0)
2003 Hamilton Academical 17 (0)
2003 Kilwinning Rangers
Managerial career
2013–2014 Hải Phòng
2015–2016 Simba
2017–2018 Gor Mahia
2018–2019 Black Leopards
2020 Baroka
2020–2021 Black Leopards
2021 Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila
2021–2022 Moroka Swallows
2022 Warriors
2023 Marumo Gallants
2024 Marumo Gallants
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dylan Kerr (born 14 January 1967) is a Maltese-born English football manager and former professional footballer who played as a left back. He was most recently the head coach at South African Premier Division club Marumo Gallants.[3][4][5][6][7]

Playing career

[edit]

Leeds United

[edit]

Kerr began his playing career with Sheffield Wednesday.[8]

After gaining playing experience in South Africa with Arcadia Shepherds, he returned to the UK and joined Leeds United in 1989.

He made a number of appearances in the Leeds United first team as they won the Division 2 and Division 1 titles, but was unable to hold down a regular place.

Reading

[edit]

Kerr joined Reading in the summer of 1993 and won the player of the season award in his first season, as Reading won the Division 2 title.[9]

He was part of the Reading side that finished second in Division 1 the following season but missed out on automatic promotion to the Premier League, as the division was being restructured.

Reading reached the 1995 Division 1 play-off final, but Kerr was not included in the match day squad. Reading lost 4-3 after extra-time against Bolton Wanderers.

Kilmarnock and Hamilton Academical

[edit]

Kerr left Reading in 1996 to join Kilmarnock and won the 1996-97 Scottish Cup with them.[10][11][12]

After a spell with Slough Town, he signed for Hamilton Academical in January 2001 and won the SFL Division 3 title.

Greenock Morton

[edit]

After a brief spell with Exeter City, Kerr returned to Scotland and spent the 2001–02 season at Greenock Morton.[13][14][15]

Return to Hamilton Academical

[edit]

Kerr had spells with Harrogate Town and Gateshead before returning to Hamilton Academical in 2003. He finished his playing career with Kilwinning Rangers.[16]

Coaching and management career

[edit]

Kerr has won two league titles and five cup competitions since 2014 as a head coach in Vietnam, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa and has helped four South African Premier Division clubs avoid relegation after taking charge with the club in danger of being relegated. He guided Marumo Gallants to the 2022–23 CAF Confederation Cup semi-finals.[17]

Introduction to coaching

[edit]

After retiring as a player, Kerr coached in Phoenix, Arizona, then returned to Scotland and worked as Argyll and Bute Council's Football Development Officer between 2005 and 2009. Kerr also worked for the Football Associations of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland and qualified for various UEFA badges.[18][19]

Coaching roles in South Africa and Vietnam

[edit]

In September 2009, Kerr joined South African club Mpumalanga Black Aces as assistant manager.[20]

In 2011, he was appointed as academy director and assistant coach at Khatoco in V.League 1, the top division in Vietnam. Kerr followed the franchise when it was sold to Hải Phòng. He assisted the head coach and was head of development for the younger players.

In 2012 Kerr was involved with the Vietnamese national team for the AFF Championship, assisting the technical bench and heading the fitness programme.[21]

Hải Phòng

[edit]

In 2013 Kerr became head coach of Hải Phòng, leading them to success in the Vietnam National Cup in his first season.[22]

Burton Albion, Simba and return to UK

[edit]

In 2015, Kerr was Burton Albion Academy's Under-18s head coach, before joining Tanzanian Premier League club Simba as head coach. He guided the team into the top three in the league.[23]

In 2016, he returned to the UK and was appointed as the Under-18s academy coach at Chesterfield.[24]

Gor Mahia

[edit]

In July 2017, Kerr was confirmed as head coach of Gor Mahia.[25][26][27]

He won the Kenyan Premier League manager of the month award in September 2017 on his way to winning the league title in his first season. He won the Kenyan Premier League coach of the month award again in June 2018.[28][29][30]

Kerr completed a trophy treble in 2018, winning the Kenyan Premier League, Kenyan Super Cup and SportPesa Super Cup, as well as securing qualification for the 2018 CAF Confederation Cup group stages.[31][32][33][34]

Black Leopards

[edit]

In November 2018, Kerr was appointed as manager of Black Leopards in the South African Premier Division.[35]

He won the coach of the month award in January 2019, becoming the first Leopards coach in 10 years to win the accolade, and helped Leopards avoid relegation.[36][37][38]

Baroka

[edit]

In January 2020, Kerr was appointed as the head coach of Baroka.[39]

Kerr kept Baroka in the South African Premier Division, but Baroka suspended him in November 2020 for what the club described as 'undermining the chairman and owner in a post-match press conference'. With three years remaining on his contract, Kerr decided to take legal action for unfair dismissal and won his case.[40][41][42]

Black Leopards return and cup success with TTM

[edit]

He returned to Black Leopards in November 2020, then was appointed head coach at Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila in February 2021 and won the Nedbank Cup during his time in charge.[43][44]

Moroka Swallows and Warriors cup success

[edit]

In November 2021, Kerr was appointed as the head coach of Moroka Swallows with Swallows in the South African Premier Division relegation zone.[45][46][47][48][49]

He guided Swallows to safety via the play-offs, but his contract was not renewed and he left the club in September 2022.[50][51][52][53]

During his time as Swallows manager, Kerr was appointed as manager of the Warriors side for the DStv Compact Cup, a mid-season competition featuring players from PSL teams representing different regions in South Africa. Warriors lifted the trophy after a win against Coastal United at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on 29 January 2022.[54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61]

Marumo Gallants

[edit]

In January 2023, Kerr was appointed as acting head coach for South African Premier Division club Marumo Gallants with the club at the bottom of the division and on a run of eight games without a win, having won just two PSL games all season.[62]

Following Kerr's appointment, Gallants won their next four games and went on an unbeaten eight game PSL run. He also guided them to the semi-finals of the CAF Confederation Cup.

Gallants players refused to train the day before the semi-final second leg, in protest at what they felt were derisory bonuses offered by chairman Abram Sello for reaching the final.[63]

Gallants were relegated on the final day of the season. Kerr had previously had a 100% record of taking over at four relegation-threatened PSL clubs and keeping them all up.[64]

Reacting to the team's relegation on the "1871" podcast, Kerr says the players had let themselves and the club down for refusing to train in the run up to the final game over a dispute about bonuses. He believes the dispute was a contributing factor in the side's relegation.[65]

Following relegation, it was announced that Kerr would be leaving Gallants. He spent his entire time working for Gallants without having a work permit approved, meaning he had to sit in the stands for all of the side's games.[66]

Brief return to Marumo Gallants

[edit]

On 9 July 2024, it was announced that Kerr had been reappointed as manager of Marumo Gallants, after the club purchased PSL status from Kerr's former club Moroka Swallows.[67]

Kerr resigned after only three weeks in the role following the club's decision to appoint a co-coach. He said: “I didn't feel it was the right move for me to go in the direction that they wanted and I said, ‘chairman, I think we just need to go our ways separately.' And that was it.”[68][69]

Personal life

[edit]

Kerr was born in Valletta, Malta, but grew up in Mexborough, England.[70][71][72][73]

He was exposed to voodoo practices as part of an initiation ceremony when he joined South African club Arcadia Shepherds in 1988 as a 21-year-old. He revealed that he stood in a bath, naked apart from his football boots, as the heads were cut off three live chickens and their blood was poured on him.[74][75][76][77]

Kerr says he is lucky to be alive after he was involved in a car accident during his time as a player at Reading FC. He was driving and had a passenger in the car. Recalling the incident during a Q&A conversation with Reading fans on the "1871" podcast in June 2022, he said: "A car came up and I lost control and I hit the car. Luckily I didn't hit it head on - if I'd hit it head on we'd have both been dead."[78][79][80]

Kerr was married in 1995 at the age of 28, but the marriage ended within a year.[81]

In September 2022, Kerr was inducted into the Reading FC Hall of Fame.[82]

On 26 December 2022, he was robbed at gunpoint in Durban, South Africa.[83]

Media work

[edit]

Kerr was a pundit for South African broadcaster SuperSports' Euro 2020 coverage in 2021.[84]

Kerr is a co-host of the "1871" podcast, a podcast for Reading F.C. fans.[85][86][87][88][89]

Honours and achievements

[edit]

As a player

Sheffield Wednesday

  • 1983–84: Promotion to EFL Division 1

Arcadia Shepherds

  • 1986–87: BP Cup winners

Leeds United

  • 1989–90: EFL Division 2 winners
  • 1991–92: EFL Division 1 winners

Blackpool

  • 1991–92: Promotion to EFL Division 2

Reading

  • 1993–94: EFL Division 2 winners
  • 1994–95: EFL Division 1 runners-up

Kilmarnock

  • 1996–97: Scottish Cup winners

Hamilton Academical

  • 2000–01: SFL Division 3 winners

As a manager

Hải Phòng

Gor Mahia

Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila

Warriors

  • 2022: DStv Compact Cup winners[97]

Marumo Gallants

Individual

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Dylan Kerr". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  2. ^ Rollin, Jack, ed. (1989). Rothmans Football Yearbook: 1989–90 (20th ed.). London: Queen Anne Press. p. 288. ISBN 0-356-17921-4. OCLC 655652451.
  3. ^ "Dylan Kerr" – Soccerbase
  4. ^ "D. Kerr - Profile". soccerway.com.
  5. ^ "Dylan KERR". Footballdatabase.eu.
  6. ^ "Marumo Gallants confirm their home ground & unveil coach ahead of new PSL season". Afrik Foot.
  7. ^ "Kerr quits Gallants barely three weeks after joining the club". Sowetan Live.
  8. ^ "Former Owls academy man Dylan Kerr". BBC.
  9. ^ "Dylan Kerr: Reading Hall of Famer from Malta". FIFA.
  10. ^ "Players of the season". Reading FC.
  11. ^ "Do you remember Dylan Kerr?". KillieFC.com.
  12. ^ "I nicked the Scottish Cup when no one was watching ... the club thought it was gone forever says 1997 Kilmarnock hero Dylan Kerr". Daily Record. 20 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Dylan Kerr Bio". Slough Town FC.
  14. ^ "Kerr signs for Hamilton" – BBC Sport
  15. ^ "Kerr, Dylan" – The Grecian Archive
  16. ^ "Dylan Kerr" – Soccerbase
  17. ^ "D. Kerr - Profile". soccerway.com.
  18. ^ "'Boots for Africa': Dylan Kerr appeal wins Helensburgh and Rhu backing". Helensburgh Advertiser. 11 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Former Reading FC fan favourite speaks on managerial ambition". Reading Chronicle. 27 June 2022.
  20. ^ ""Arcadia Veteran Helping Black Aces" – KickOff.com".
  21. ^ ""UK football legend to help Vietnam's top players" – Vietnam+". 29 August 2012.
  22. ^ "Dylan Kerr's Hai Phong In Vietnamese Cup Final For The First Time In Nine Years". snl24.com.
  23. ^ "Dylan Kerr Appointed New Simba SC Head Coach". snl24.com.
  24. ^ "Dylan Kerr Has Landed A Job At Chesterfield". snl24.com.
  25. ^ "Coach leaves Chesterfield to join Kenyan club". Derbyshire Times.
  26. ^ "Gor Mahia appoint Dylan Kerr as Coach". kawowow.com. 5 July 2017.
  27. ^ "Gor Mahia appoint Dylan Kerr as new coach". The Sunday Standard.
  28. ^ "Dylan Kerr is the winner of September's SJAK coach award". The Standard.
  29. ^ "Gor Mahia coach Dylan Kerr scoops KPL Award for June". Goal.
  30. ^ "Gor Mahia chairman hails Dylan after League triumph". Kawowo. 23 October 2017.
  31. ^ "'Sad day in my life!' – Gor Mahia coach Dylan Kerr leaves for the UK". Goal.
  32. ^ "Ulinzi Stars 0-1 Gor Mahia: Kagere strikes to hand K'Ogalo 16th title". Nation. 4 July 2020.
  33. ^ "SportPesa: Historic match between Everton and African Giants, Gor Mahia". Goal.
  34. ^ "Gor Mahia part ways with coach Dylan Kerr". gormahiafc.co.ke. Gor Mahia F.C. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  35. ^ "Ex-Gor Mahia coach Dylan Kerr unveiled to lead Black Leopards in South Africa". Goal.
  36. ^ "Kerr quits Leopards despite surviving relegation". SA Soccer. 24 May 2019.
  37. ^ "England - D. Kerr - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com.
  38. ^ "Coach Dylan Kerr confirms he's resigned from Black Leopards". Times Live.
  39. ^ "Dylan Kerr yearns to be on Baroka bench". SowetanLIVE.
  40. ^ "Baroka FC suspend coach Dylan Kerr | Goal.com". www.goal.com.
  41. ^ "Dylan Kerr to take legal action against Bakgaga for unlawful termination". news24.
  42. ^ "Baroka appeal after being ordered to pay Kerr R3.5m". Sunday World. 22 May 2022.
  43. ^ "Former Leopards' coach, Dylan Kerr, joins TTM". Zoutnet.
  44. ^ "TTM's cup-winning coach Dylan Kerr: I had to spend two-and-a-half hours running around Polokwane". Sowetan Live.
  45. ^ "Dylan Kerr unveiled as new Swallows coach". TimesLIVE.
  46. ^ "Swallows appoint Dylan Kerr as new head coach to rescue season". news24.
  47. ^ media, TEAMtalk. "Swallows appoint Dylan Kerr as new head coach to rescue season". Sport. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  48. ^ "It took Dylan Kerr 30 minutes to realise joining Swallows was 'a no-brainer'". TimesLIVE.
  49. ^ "Kerr Appointed New Swallows Coach". Limpopo Chronicle. 30 November 2021.
  50. ^ "Swallows survive relegation and remain in PSL". news24.com.
  51. ^ "Reading FC fan favourite keeps Swallows in South African top-flight". Reading Chronicle. 16 June 2022.
  52. ^ "Swallows part ways with head coach Dylan Kerr". news24.com.
  53. ^ "Kerr: 'I was not paid for two months' – Ex-Baroka coach talks salary debacle at Swallows". Goal.
  54. ^ "Chiefs octet to bolster Dylan Kerr-led Warriors FC in Compact Cup". IOL.
  55. ^ "Warriors coach banks on Khune to keep clean sheet against Amabutho". Sowetan Live.
  56. ^ "Swallows players have benefited from Compact Cup, says Dylan Kerr". IOL.
  57. ^ "Warriors crowned DStv Compact Cup champions". Orlando Pirates FC.
  58. ^ "DStv Compact Cup - The Viewers' Choice". SuperSport.
  59. ^ "Swallows coach Dylan Kerr sets his sights on another trophy". Times Live.
  60. ^ "The DStv Compact Cup". DSTV.
  61. ^ "Warriors lift inaugural DStv Compact Cup". SuperSport.
  62. ^ "Marumo Gallants' Dylan Kerr coaches from the stands as he awaits a work permit". Cape Talk.
  63. ^ "CAF CC: Marumo Gallants players boycott training ahead of Young Africans return leg". Sports World Ghana. 16 May 2023.
  64. ^ "Reading FC legend suffers first relegation as manager". Reading Chronicle. 22 May 2023.
  65. ^ "Dylan Kerr and Reading FC latest". YouTube.
  66. ^ "Kerr Won't Continue At Gallants". iDiski Times. 27 May 2023.
  67. ^ "Dylan Kerr will be the coach of the new PSL side Marumo Gallants FC, the club announced after their PSL status was approved". MSN. 9 July 2024.
  68. ^ "Kerr quits Gallants barely three weeks after joining the club". Sowetan Live.
  69. ^ "Dylan Kerr breaks silence on sudden Marumo Gallants exit". AFRIK-FOOT.
  70. ^ "Kerr relishing chance to make history as Kenyan side take on Everton". Yahoo Sport UK. 5 November 2018.
  71. ^ "The History of the Don & Dearne Representative Teams (South Yorkshire) - 1977-78". Don & Dearne School Football. 10 October 2017.
  72. ^ "The History of the Don & Dearne Representative Teams (South Yorkshire) - Mexborough". Don & Dearne School Football. 10 February 2021.
  73. ^ "Leeds United Player Profiles - Dylan Kerr". ozwhitelufc.net.au.
  74. ^ "Witchcraft, Leeds United, Howard Wilkinson and managing from Kenya to Vietnam - the 'Legend' story". Yorkshire Evening Post.
  75. ^ "Dylan Kerr speaks on coaching Kenyan giants Gor Mahia and African football". Goal.
  76. ^ "My Naked Blood Bath With Headless Chickens". Back of the Net/YouTube.
  77. ^ "Former Gor coach Dylan Kerr on witchcraft, not getting paid in Africa". The Standard.
  78. ^ "1871 - A podcast for Reading fans". Twitter/1871 podcast.
  79. ^ "Dylan Kerr Q&A (recorded in June 2022)". PlayerFM/1871 podcast. 2 February 2024.
  80. ^ "Dylan Kerr Q&A (recorded in June 2022)". Apple Podcasts/1871 podcast.
  81. ^ "Dylan Kerr, the man who fell in love with Kenya and left his wife for football". scoopernews.com.
  82. ^ "26 names added to STAR's Hall of Fame". Reading FC. 27 September 2022.
  83. ^ "Kerr: Former Swallows FC and Gor Mahia coach robbed at gunpoint on Boxing Day". Goal.
  84. ^ "Kerr is happy chilling on TV". Daily Sun.
  85. ^ "Former Reading FC fan favourite to co-host new Royal podcast". Reading Chronicle. 15 February 2022.
  86. ^ "Former Reading FC defender guest for online 'audience with' event". Reading Chronicle. 13 June 2022.
  87. ^ "Reading FC podcast joined by Brian McDermott for anniversary". Reading Chronicle. 6 February 2023.
  88. ^ "1871". Sport Social Podcast Network.
  89. ^ "1871 podcast". YouTube.
  90. ^ "Vincem Hai Phong win 2014 national cup". nhandan.vn. 18 August 2014.
  91. ^ "Walusimbi's Gor Mahia wins 2017 Kenya Premier League title". kawowo.com. 21 October 2017.
  92. ^ "Dylan Kerr resigns from Gor Mahia". ESPN. 15 November 2018.
  93. ^ "Shakava Wins Gor Super Cup Title In Mashemeji Derby". Capital Sports. 28 January 2018.
  94. ^ "Gor Mahia clinch 2018 SportPesa Super Cup". Football Kenya Federation. 10 June 2018.
  95. ^ "Top Five: Ranking Gor Mahia's top foreign coaches in last decade". Goal.
  96. ^ "Kerr hails TTM's Nedbank Cup title as 'great achievement after the season they've had'". news24.
  97. ^ "Warriors Win Compact Cup Final". iDiski Times. 29 January 2022.
  98. ^ "Marumo Gallants stun Bafana Bafana star Lakay's Pyramids to secure Caf Confederation Cup semi-final spot". Goal.
  99. ^ Lynch. The Official P.F.A. Footballers Heroes. p. 150.
  100. ^ "Players of the season". Reading FC.
  101. ^ "Reading FC 1990s legend on Hall of Fame induction". Reading Chronicle. 27 September 2022.
  102. ^ "Dylan Kerr is the winner of September's SJAK coach award". The Standard.
  103. ^ "Gor Mahia coach Dylan Kerr scoops KPL Award for June". Goal.
  104. ^ "Kerr quits Leopards despite surviving relegation". SA Soccer. 24 May 2019.
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