Steve Kean

Kean grew up in Cumbernauld, a new town on the outskirts of Glasgow, attending St. Maurice's High School. Upon leaving school, he joined Celtic as a professional, but was unable to break into a first team then dominated by Celtic legends Tommy Burns, Murdo MacLeod and Paul McStay. He joined Swansea City on loan in 1987, at the same time as Chris Coleman. They formed a lasting professional relationship, which carried on after both of their playing days had ended. Kean then played for Académica Coimbra in Portugal, making nine appearances, and scoring one goal in all competitions. During his time in Portugal, Kean also played for Naval.

Coaching career

Since retiring from playing Kean has worked as a coach for Reading, Fulham, Real Sociedad and Coventry City, working as an assistant to Chris Coleman at Fulham, Real Sociedad and Coventry. In June 2008, it was reported that Kean was in talks with Chelsea to become assistant manager to Luiz Felipe Scolari. Kean's fluency in Portuguese from his playing days was believed to be a key reason for Chelsea's interest. Kean is an advocate for taking younger players “out of their comfort zone” in the early stages of their career. In 2022, Hibs fielded a youthful B team made up mostly of under-20 players against a seasoned Brechin City side from the Highland League, whose greater experience and physicality ultimately told in a 4–1 penalty shoot-out win after a 1–1 draw. “A lot of young players who will learn from playing against men in a proper, competitive game,” he told the Edinburgh Evening News.

Blackburn Rovers

On 4 August 2009, Blackburn Rovers manager Sam Allardyce appointed Kean as his new first team coach. Kean replaced Karl Robinson who returned to Milton Keynes Dons. Allardyce commented that he had received numerous applications for the first team coaching position and Kean "stood out above the rest through his personality, experience and knowledge of football at the highest level". After the sacking of Allardyce on 13 December 2010 by new Blackburn owners Venky's, Kean was initially installed as caretaker manager but on 22 December 2010,…

Kean is married with two children. He is a champion of mental health in football and has been outspoken about the impact that criticism from fans and the media can have on players, managers and other professionals. Kean told Sky Sports that the “pressure cooker” atmosphere of Premier League football has a profound impact on the people who work in the game. He also warned the channel about the effects that fame has on the children of leading figures in the football world, revealing that his children suffered “nasty” cyberbullying due to his role at Blackburn. Speaking to The Scotsman, Kean said he was at his "happiest" when working to develop players, telling the newspaper: “I just love being on a training pitch." He is also an advocate of encouraging younger players to train with the first team, which makes their game "sharper" and gives them "that little bit more bite". On 15 August 2011, Kean was convicted of drunk driving at Macclesfield Magistrates' Court. The Court rejected his defence that his drinks had been spiked following a match against Manchester United. He was banned from driving for 18 months and fined £1,800.

Manager

Torpedo Kutasi

Georgian Super Cup: 2024 DPMM

S.League: 2015 Singapore League Cup: 2014 Individual

S.League Coach of the Year: 2015