Ned Kelly was officially announced as Scunthorpe’s new assistant manager on Monday evening and Mark Robins believes it’s a big coup for the club.
The former striker left his position as deputy manager at Nottingham Forest last campaign and arrives at Glanford Park with a wealth of playing and coaching experience.Robins expressed his delight at being able to get Kelly on board and thinks that he can be an invaluable asset.
He told The Iron Player: “I know Ned. He’s been out of work since he left Forest last season and we’ve kept in touch.
“This opportunity has arisen and it suits him, it suits me and I think it’s a really good coup for the club.
“He’s a good assistant manager and he’s worked under good quality managers before.
“That will help me no end and I certainly think it will help the players and the club in the long run.”
As a player, Kelly turned out for the likes of West Ham, Leicester, Newcastle and Wolves amongst others during a professional career which spanned almost 20 years.
He also gained 26 caps for the Republic of Ireland national team and has held various coaching positions since retiring from the game, most notably at Preston and Forest, but this role represents the first time he has worked with United’s new manager.
“He’s not someone I’ve worked with in the past,” Robins revealed.
“He’s been with Billy Davies for a long time and with Neil Warnock prior to that so he’s certainly not a novice to the role, that’s for sure.
“He brings in a lot of experience and he brings in some real good quality as well so I’m delighted to have him on board and he will be a real asset to me.”
Despite only being unveiled himself on Monday afternoon, the agreement to bring Kelly to North Lincolnshire was something that Robins wanted to sort out almost immediately.
When asked if it was important to bring an assistant in quickly, he stated: “I think so yes.
“He’s got the same work ethic as me, he wants to do well and he wants to progress.
“He wants to make sure that we’re as good as we possibly can be so I’m delighted and I think we’ll work well together.”
See much more from Mark Robins on The Iron Player.