View source for Brian Kidd

{{Short description|English football manager (born 1949)}}
{{About|the English football coach and former player|the American performer better known as Unipiper|Unipiper}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox football biography
|     name      = Brian Kidd
|     image = Brian Kidd (cropped).JPG
| caption       = Kidd with [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] in 2013
|     full_name = Brian Kidd<ref name="Hugman">{{Hugman|10980|access-date=7 December 2024}}</ref>
|    birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|5|29|df=y}}<ref name="Hugman"/>
|    birth_place = [[Manchester]], England
|         height = 
|       position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]]
|    currentclub = 
|    youthyears1 = 1963–1967 |youthclubs1 = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
|         years1 = 1967–1974 |clubs1 = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]                    |caps1 = 203 |goals1 = 52
|         years2 = 1974–1976 |clubs2 = [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]]                                        |caps2 = 77  |goals2 = 30
|         years3 = 1976–1979 |clubs3 = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]                        |caps3 = 98  |goals3 = 44
|         years4 = 1979–1980 |clubs4 = [[Everton F.C.|Everton]]                                        |caps4 = 40  |goals4 = 12
|         years5 = 1980–1982 |clubs5 = [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]]                      |caps5 = 43  |goals5 = 14
|         years6 = 1981      |clubs6 = → [[Atlanta Chiefs]] (loan)                                     |caps6 = 27  |goals6 = 22
|         years7 = 1982–1983 |clubs7 = [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–83)|Fort Lauderdale Strikers]] |caps7 = 44  |goals7 = 33
|         years8 = 1983      |clubs8 = [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–83)|Fort Lauderdale Strikers]] ([[indoor soccer|indoor]]) |caps8 = 2  |goals8 = 3
|         years9 = 1984      |clubs9 = [[Minnesota Strikers]]                                          |caps9 = 13  |goals9 = 8
|      totalcaps = 545 |totalgoals = 215
| nationalyears1 = 1967 | nationalteam1 = [[England national under-18 football team|England Youth]] | nationalcaps1 = 8 | nationalgoals1 = 2
| nationalyears2 = 1967–1970
| nationalteam2  = [[England national under-21 football team|England U23]]
| nationalcaps2  = 10
| nationalgoals2 = 5
| nationalyears3 = 1970 |nationalteam3 = [[England national football team|England]] |nationalcaps3 = 2 |nationalgoals3 = 1
|  manageryears1 = 1984–1985 |managerclubs1  = [[Barrow A.F.C.|Barrow]]
|  manageryears2 = 1986      |managerclubs2  = [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]]
|  manageryears3 = 1998–1999 |managerclubs3 = [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]]
|  manageryears4 = 2013      |managerclubs4 = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] (caretaker)
}}
'''Brian Kidd''' (born 29 May 1949) is an English [[association football|football]] coach and former player, who won the [[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]] in [[1968 European Cup final|1968]] with [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]. He was most recently assistant coach of [[Premier League]] club [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]].

Kidd, a striker, played for Manchester United, [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], Manchester City, [[Everton F.C.|Everton]], [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]], [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–83)|Fort Lauderdale Strikers]] and the [[Minnesota Strikers]] in his footballing career.

==Playing career==
Kidd was born in [[Manchester]],<ref name="Hugman"/> and started playing for [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] as a youngster, joining the club's [[Manchester United F.C. Academy|academy]] in August 1964. Two years later, he went on to become a professional player with the club.<ref name=England>{{cite web|url=http://www.englandfootballonline.com/TeamPlyrsBios/PlayersK/BioKiddB.html|title=Brian Kidd|website=England Football Online.com}}</ref>

Kidd had the distinction of scoring on his 19th birthday for Manchester United in their 4–1 victory over [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]] in the [[1968 European Cup Final]]. All in all, he scored 52 times in 203 league appearances for Manchester United.<ref name=England />

Following United's relegation to the [[Football League Second Division]] in 1974, Kidd was transferred to Arsenal for £110,000.<ref name=Arsenal>{{cite web |title=Profile: Brian Kidd |url=http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/380/brian-kidd |work=Arsenal.com |access-date=13 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140114215308/http://www.arsenal.com/history/profiles/380/brian-kidd |archive-date=14 January 2014}}</ref> Kidd scored on his debut for Arsenal against [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] at [[Filbert Street]]. He then scored a brace at home against [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]. He was by far Arsenal's top goalscorer during the [[1974–75 in English football|1974–75]] season, scoring 19 goals in 40 appearances. In the following season Kidd, on 20 March 1976, scored a hat-trick against [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] in a 6–1 win at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hMKzVa-mmpohMKzVa-mmpo| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813183309/https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=hMKzVa-mmpohMKzVa-mmpo| archive-date=2021-08-13 | url-status=dead|title=Arsenal 6-1 West Ham|publisher=[[English Football League|EFL]]|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldfootball.net/report/premier-league-1975-1976-arsenal-fc-west-ham-united/|title=Arsenal 6-1 West Ham United|website=World Football.net}}</ref> Altogether Kidd scored 34 times for Arsenal from 90 appearances. In July 1976, he was sold to Manchester City for a fee of £100,000.<ref name=Arsenal />

With Manchester City, Kidd scored three times against rivals Manchester United, in a 3–1 win at [[Maine Road]] and a 2–2 draw at Old Trafford during the [[1977–78 in English football|1977–78]] season. He would play 98 times for Manchester City, netting 44 goals. He then moved to [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] in March 1979 for £150,000. With the Toffees, Kidd netted 12 times in 44 appearances and was sent off in an FA Cup semi final against [[West Ham United F. C.|West Ham United]]. Kidd then joined [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] in May 1980 for £110,000. Kidd found the back of the net a total of 13 times for Bolton where he made a total of 43 appearances at and away from [[Burnden Park]]. He was then loaned out to [[North American Soccer League (1968–1984)|NASL]] team [[Atlanta Chiefs]] in 1981. He played 29 times for the chiefs, scoring on 23 occasions.<ref name=England /><ref name=ManCity>{{cite web|url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football/manchester-city-fc/brian-kidd-5342/biography-of-his-career-at-maine-road_a11742/|title=Brian Kidd at Man City|website=Sporting Heroes.net}}</ref>

In January 1982, Kidd moved on from Bolton to return to the NASL. He then signed with the [[Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–83)|Fort Lauderdale Strikers]] and two years afterward with the [[Minnesota Strikers]]. He was prolific with both teams when it came to goalscoring, but in 1984 he retired from the game.<ref name=England />

==Management and coaching career==

===1984–2008===
In 1984, Kidd began his coaching career at [[Barrow A.F.C.|Barrow]]. He briefly managed [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]] for several games in 1986.<ref>{{cite web|title=Managers: Brian Kidd|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=249|work=Soccerbase|access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> Kidd then became involved in coaching young players before being brought back to Manchester United as a youth team coach by [[Alex Ferguson]] in 1988. Over the next three years Kidd helped to bring through a host of talented players like [[Ryan Giggs]] and [[Darren Ferguson]]. When Ferguson's assistant [[Archie Knox]] moved to a similar capacity at [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] in the summer of 1991, Kidd was promoted to the role of assistant manager. He helped Ferguson guide United to a [[Football League Cup]] win in 1992, the [[Premier League]] title in 1993, [[Double (association football)|the double]] in 1994 and again in 1996, as well as another Premier League title in 1997.

Kidd left United to take charge at [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]] in December 1998, replacing [[Roy Hodgson]] who had been sacked after Blackburn's poor start to the season left them in the relegation zone. Despite Kidd having a promising start with Rovers, which saw him voted [[Premier League Manager of the Month]] and having also spent nearly £20&nbsp;million on new players in his first four months in charge he was unable to save them from being relegated from the Premier League (just four years after being champions) and Kidd was dismissed on 3 November 1999 with Rovers standing 19th in [[Football League First Division|Division One]].<ref name=England /><ref>{{cite news| url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/fa_carling_premiership/342956.stm | work=BBC News |title=Boom and bust the Blackburn way | date=13 May 1999}}</ref>

In 1999, a rift developed between Kidd and Alex Ferguson after Kidd was strongly criticised in Ferguson's autobiography ''Managing My Life''. Ferguson was angered that when Kidd was his assistant manager he had questioned United's 1998 summer signing of striker [[Dwight Yorke]]. Ferguson criticised Kidd's footballing judgement and wrote in his book: "I saw Brian Kidd as a complex person, often quite insecure, particularly about his health." Kidd was upset at Ferguson's attack on him and responded by saying: "I believe Walt Disney is trying to buy the film rights to his book as a sequel to Fantasia."<ref>{{cite news |last=Nixon |first=Alan |title=Angry Kidd responds to Ferguson 'insults' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-angry-kidd-responds-to-ferguson-insults-1111278.html |access-date=14 February 2013 |newspaper=The Independent |date=7 August 1999}}</ref>

Kidd moved to [[Leeds United F.C.|Leeds United]] in May 2000 as youth coach but was promoted to act as Head Coach in March 2001 under [[David O'Leary]] then [[Terry Venables]]. He left Leeds in May 2003 after [[Peter Reid]] was appointed manager.<ref>{{cite news |title=Leeds axe Gray and Kidd |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/3030627.stm |work=BBC Sport |date=15 March 2003 |access-date=22 February 2008 }}</ref>

Meanwhile, Kidd was named as assistant to [[England national football team|England]] manager [[Sven-Göran Eriksson]] in January 2003.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kidd gets England role |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/england/2682553.stm |work=BBC Sport |date=22 January 2003 |access-date=22 February 2008 }}</ref> He was forced to end this role in May 2004, just weeks before [[UEFA Euro 2004|Euro 2004]], due to undergoing surgery for [[prostate cancer]].<ref>{{cite news |title=McClaren nets England role |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/internationals/england/3679479.stm |work=BBC Sport |date=14 May 2004 |access-date=22 February 2008 }}</ref> Kidd had recovered by February 2006.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kidd keen on return to coaching |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/4690044.stm |work=BBC Sport |date=7 February 2006 |access-date=22 February 2008 }}</ref>

In August 2006, former United player [[Roy Keane]] was appointed manager of [[Sunderland A.F.C.|Sunderland]] and there were reports that Keane wanted Kidd to become his assistant manager at the [[Stadium of Light]]. However, Kidd instead accepted an offer to work as assistant to [[Neil Warnock]] at [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]] a few months after their promotion to the Premier League.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kidd snubs Sunderland for Blades |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_utd/5334224.stm |work=BBC Sport |date=11 September 2006 |access-date=22 February 2008 }}</ref> After the Blades were relegated and Warnock resigned, Kidd remained at [[Bramall Lane]] under new manager [[Bryan Robson]] (another former Manchester United player) but left the club after Robson departed in February 2008.<ref>{{cite news |title=Blackwell in for Robson at Blades |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/sheff_utd/7238885.stm |work=BBC Sport |date=14 February 2008 |access-date=22 February 2008 }}</ref>

===2009–present===
On 11 February 2009, Kidd was appointed as the assistant to caretaker manager [[Paul Hart]] at [[Premier League]] side [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Kidd Joins Blues |url=http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=home&goto=news&qs_article_id=2159 |work=portsmouthfc.co.uk |publisher=Portsmouth FC |date=11 February 2009 |access-date=11 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090219071054/http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/index.php?cms_ref=home&goto=news&qs_article_id=2159 |archive-date=19 February 2009}}</ref> He stayed until August 2009, when he rejected a new contract offer.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/8193109.stm |title=Portsmouth and Kidd part company |work=BBC Sport |date=10 August 2009 |access-date=10 August 2009 }}</ref>

Kidd became Technical Development Manager at [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] in September 2009,<ref name="man_city_academy">{{cite news |title=Brian Kidd joins Manchester City |url=http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Academy-news/2009/September/Kiddo-joins-Academy |work=mcfc.co.uk |publisher=Manchester City FC |date=7 September 2009 |access-date=7 September 2009 |archive-date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308234449/http://www.mcfc.co.uk/news/academy-news/2009/september/kiddo-joins-academy |url-status=dead }}</ref> before becoming assistant manager to new boss [[Roberto Mancini]] on 19 December 2009, following the sacking of manager [[Mark Hughes]].

In February 2011, Kidd said that he was willing to give Alex Ferguson "the benefit of the doubt" in the dispute that the two men had in the late 1990s. Kidd revealed that although there was no phone call from Ferguson when he was fighting prostate cancer in 2004, he was now speaking to Ferguson after matches again.<ref>{{cite news |last=Herbert |first=Ian |title=How a bitter dispute with Ferguson turned Kidd red then blue |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/how-a-bitter-dispute-with-ferguson-turned-kidd-red-then-blue-2211032.html |access-date=14 February 2013 |newspaper=The Independent |date=11 February 2011}}</ref>

In the [[2011 FA Cup Final]], Manchester City won their first major trophy for 35 years after beating [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] 1–0.<ref>{{cite news |title=Man City 1 Stoke 0 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13346941 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref> In the following [[2011–12 in English football|2011–12]] season, City were crowned league champions for the first time since 1968. In an extraordinary finale to the season, City scored twice in stoppage time to beat [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] 3–2 in dramatic style to win the [[Premier League]] on goal difference from Manchester United. Together with Mancini and City's first team coach [[David Platt (footballer)|David Platt]], Kidd raced on to the pitch to celebrate [[Sergio Agüero]]'s title-winning goal for City.<ref>{{cite news |title=Man City 3 QPR 2 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/17973148 |work=BBC Sport |access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref>

Kidd served as caretaker manager for the final two games of the 2012–13 season, following the departure of Mancini.<ref>{{cite news |title=Roberto Mancini: Manchester City sack manager |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/22507128 |publisher=[[BBC Sport]] |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref> Kidd returned to his assistant role following the appointment of [[Manuel Pellegrini]] and worked with both him and his successor [[Pep Guardiola]], before leaving after the 2020–21 season.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brian Kidd leaves Manchester City after 12 years |url=https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/brian-kidd-leaves-manchester-city |publisher=[[Manchester City F.C.]] |access-date=2 July 2021}}</ref>

==International career==
Kidd was [[cap (football)|capped]] twice for the [[England national football team]] with both of those appearances coming in 1970.<ref name=England />

===International===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
| rowspan="2" |[[England national football team|England]]
|1970||2||1
|-
! colspan="1" |Total!!2!!1
|}
''Scores and results list England's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Kidd's goal.''
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col" |No.
! scope="col" |Date
! scope="col" |Venue
! scope="col" |Opponent
! scope="col" |Score
! scope="col" |Result
! scope="col" |Competition
|-
| align="center" |1
|24 May 1970
|[[Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa]], [[Quito]], Ecuador
|{{fb|ECU}}
| align="center" |2–0
| align="center" |2–0
|[[Exhibition game|Friendly]]
|}

==Honours==
===Player===
'''Manchester United'''
*[[UEFA Champions League|European Cup]]: [[1967–68 European Cup|1967–68]]
*[[FA Community Shield|FA Charity Shield]]: [[1967 FA Charity Shield|1967]]

===Manager===
'''Individual'''
*[[Premier League Manager of the Month]]: [[1998–99 FA Premier League#Monthly awards|December 1998]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/managers/1512/Brian-Kidd/overview |title=Manager profile: Brian Kidd |publisher=Premier League |access-date=15 September 2018}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===Manager===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|Nat
!rowspan="2"|From
!rowspan="2"|To
!colspan="5"|Record
|-
!G!!W!!D!!L!!Win %
|-
|align=left|[[Preston North End]]
|{{flag|ENG}}
|align=left|24 January 1986
|align=left|1 March 1986
{{WDL|6|0|2|4}}
|-
|align=left|[[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn Rovers]]
|{{flag|ENG}}
|align=left|4 December 1998
|align=left|3 November 1999
{{WDL|44|12|18|14}}
|-
|align=left|[[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
|{{flag|ENG}}
|align=left|13 May 2013
|align=left|14 June 2013
{{WDL|2|1|0|1}}
|-
!colspan=4|Total
{{WDLtot|52|13|20|19}}
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*{{Soccerbase}}
*{{soccerbase (manager)|id=249|name=Brian Kidd}}
*[http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2003/01/37369.htm Football Association – Brian Kidd profile]
*[http://www.nasljerseys.com/Players/K/Kidd.Brian.htm NASL stats]

{{1981 NASL All-Stars}}
{{Barrow A.F.C. managers}}
{{Preston North End F.C. managers}}
{{Blackburn Rovers F.C. managers}}
{{Manchester City F.C. managers}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kidd, Brian}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Footballers from Manchester]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:Manchester United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Arsenal F.C. players]]
[[Category:Manchester City F.C. players]]
[[Category:Everton F.C. players]]
[[Category:Bolton Wanderers F.C. players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players]]
[[Category:North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players]]
[[Category:Atlanta Chiefs players]]
[[Category:Fort Lauderdale Strikers (1977–1983) players]]
[[Category:Minnesota Strikers (NASL) players]]
[[Category:UEFA Champions League–winning players]]
[[Category:England men's under-23 international footballers]]
[[Category:England men's international footballers]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:Barrow A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Preston North End F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Manchester United F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Leeds United F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Sheffield United F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Manchester City F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Premier League managers]]
[[Category:Blackburn Rovers F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Manchester City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Portsmouth F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:Men's association football forwards]]
[[Category:English Football League representative players]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]
[[Category:Expatriate men's soccer players in the United States]]
[[Category:English expatriate men's footballers]]
[[Category:England national football team non-playing staff]]