Givemefootball.com has reported that Brian Kidd has joined Portsmouth to assist caretaker manager Paul Hart following the sacking of Tony Adams.
Brian Kidd was a key contributor in the Manchester United European Cup winning team in 1968, and gained world-wide acclaim as Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant in the great United teams on the 1990's. He was a key influence in developing young players like Ryan Giggs at the youth level, and helped mature them into a nucleus that would lead United to league titles in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996 and 1997.
Kidd left Manchester United in 1999 to serve as manager of Blackburn Rovers, and after stints with Blackburn and Leeds United, eventually worked for Sven-Göran Eriksson as an assistant to England. He was forced to end this role just weeks before Euro 2004, due to undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. Kidd had recovered by February 2006.
He had ties to the United States as well, having played in the now-defunct North American Soccer League (NASL), playing for the Atlanta Chiefs, Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Minnesota Strikers.
I had the thrill of a lifetime to get to meet him during his time as first team coach at United, and it was a dream come true to be able to see someone that I looked up to as a player, coach and person work up close - I had the chance to watch him train Manchester United's youth team, as well as do a session with a group of young American players (that included my brother).
Brian is one of the true treasures of football coaches, and I am excited to see him back in the English Premier League.
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