QPR Goalie Mike Kelly Turns 80

[QPR Report]

Edit a Year...

Mike Kelly - Turns 80

Signed for QPR the same day as Rodney Marsh
(March 1966)

Born October 18, 1942.

Signed from non-league Wimbledon. Made his QPR debut in November 1966 (and was the backup to Peter Springett for the League Cup Final). Joined Birmingham in August 1970 (afer QPR signed Phil Parkes from Walsall)

Good goalie (but Parkes was obviously far better)

See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Kelly_(footballer)


FROM BUSHMAN ARCHIVES

March 15 or 16, 1966 - or tomorrow, Rodney Marsh joins QPR from Fulham

[From Bushman Archives]

Mar 19, 2012 6:45:33 GMT Macmoish said:

March 19, 1966,Rodney Marsh began his QPR Career.

- Just signed from Fulham, Marsh made his debut away to Peterborough. Drew 1-1 and didn't score.The team for Marsh's debut: Peter Springett -Langley, Hunt Sibley Watson - Lazarus, Keen, Roger Morgan, Allen, Collins Marsh.

- A few Years ago...In response to a (QPR Report) query on his blog about whether he remembered his debut, Rodney Marsh responded:

- "Remember it very well. I was useless! QPR were in the third division and it was my first game outside of the top league. As a twenty one year old it took me time to adjust!"

From Plymouth Fan Site Greens on Screen

Plymouth Managers - Mike Kelly

1977-1978

Former England amateur international goalkeeper Mike Kelly managed Plymouth Argyle for ten months following the departure of Tony Waiters.

Kelly was born in Northampton in October 1942 and won his single amateur international cap before turning professional, first with Wimbledon and then, from 1966, for Queens Park Rangers. He played 54 matches for QPR, then signed for Birmingham City in 1970, making another 62 appearances and winning promotion in 1972 before hanging up his gloves in 1975.

Soon afterwards, he arrived at Home Park to manage the reserve team and, when Waiters was dismissed in March 1977, Kelly was appointed manager. Argyle were already struggling in Division Two, and he was unable to prevent relegation at the end of the season.

1977-1978 started as badly as the previous season had ended, with the team winning just one point from the three matches played in October, and the crowds began to dwindle. Kelly brought in new players, but to little effect. In February 1978, he left the club, but it was never made clear whether he did so voluntarily. His departure was, however, a very public one, as he stormed out of Home Park in front of the television cameras, refusing all interviews.

Between 1978 and 1980, Kelly was assistant manager at Fulham, and he went on to carry out similar roles at Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion. Meanwhile, he was also England goalkeeping coach, a post he took up in 1984 and held until 1990, nurturing the national goalkeepers through the 1986 World Cup, the 1998 European Championships and his second World Cup, Italia 90. Immediately after stepping down from the England set up, he took over as goalkeeping coach for the Swiss national team, working with them at the 1994 World Cup.

Kelly has also worked with the Chinese and United Arab Emirates national teams, as well as Liverpool, Leeds, Southampton, West Ham, Sheffield United, Grasshopper Zurich, FC Zurich, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Charlton and Crystal Palace. He is currently assistant manager and goalkeeping coach at Fulham.

[Kindly supplied by Peggy Prior, author of The Gaffer Tapes, a series on Argyle's managers that first appeared in matchday programmes in 2007-08]

www.greensonscreen.co.uk/managers.asp?name=MikeKelly

[QPR Report]

August 29, 1967 - Kelly makes his QPR League Debut

QPR 3 Bristol City 1

Goals from Ian Morgan, Roger Morgan and Les Allen

Goalkeeper Mike Kelly made his league debut for QPR (having previously played in the cup) the precedeing season.

Newly promoted QPR after drawing their opening game, were in the midst of a five game winning streak. And at the end of the season: Another promotion, up on goal aggregate!

QPR's Team vs Bristol City

Kelly
Clement Harris Hazell Hunt
I Morgan Keen R Morgan
Lazarus Leach Allen

After this win, QPR topped the table

[QPR Report]

[QPR Report]

VIDEO

In Goal
vs Derby FA Cup 1969/1970
www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=46026


And... (Sorry!) In goal for Birmingham shortly after had been sold

[cpr]

I was going to add, now remembered more for rodders hat trick against him. ;D

[cpr]

Soory, should add, happy birthday Mike, you weren't a bad keeper mate! ;D

[QPR Report]

His competition at QPR: A (sadly) aging Ron Springett (although in goalie years he was actually young). And the smallish Alan Spratley! And with the not-so-great (but legendary!) Ron Hunt at center half. Tough!

[Macmoish]

Bump a year...

Currently First Team coach at Liverpool (which of course may not be for too much longer)

Liverpool Staff

First Name:Mike
Surname:Kelly
Town of Birth:Northampton
Country of Birth:England
Job Title:First-team Coach
Joined:2010
Page Select Roy Hodgson Sammy Lee John McMahon John Achterberg Eduardo Macia Mike McGlynn Peter Brukner Zaf Iqbal Darren Burgess Phil Coles Rob Price Andrew Nealon Matt Konopinski Chris Morgan Jordan Milsom Alan McCall Ivan Ortega Paul Small Graham Carter Lee Radcliffe Barry Drust James Morton Andy Scoulding Billy Parry Alec Scott James Malone Mike Kelly Profile
Mike Kelly reunited with Roy Hodgson at Liverpool in the summer of 2010.

The first-team coach followed the boss from Fulham to Melwood to continue a long-standing working relationship and friendship that stretches back in excess of 40 years.

"I first crossed paths with Roy in the late 1960s," he recalls. "Roy comes from Croydon and he, his friend Bobby Houghton and myself were members of the Surrey Coaches Association. We'd meet once or twice a month and from there we became close friends."

After obtaining his coaching qualifications in 1965, Mike enjoyed a playing career that saw him represent Wimbledon, QPR and Birmingham, as well as a year-long spell in America with Minnesota Kicks.

It was during his stint at St Andrews that Kelly became a player/coach and he would later take up a managerial berth at Plymouth and assistant roles with Crystal Palace and West Brom.

Specialising in training goalkeepers, Mike worked with the England and Swiss national teams, as well as a whole multitude of domestic teams putting stoppers through their paces.

He was the Three Lions' custodian coach for two World Cups as well as Euro 96, while he worked alongside Hodgson for Switzerland at USA 94.

In 2007, Mike moved to Fulham in an assistant manager/first-team coach capacity after Hodgson was appointed as the Cottagers' boss - and the pair helped the Londoners enjoy some of the most successful seasons in their history.

"I'm like a golf bag - I've had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus," he chuckles.

"I got the coaching buzz early in my career when I was around 19/20 years of age. I qualified in 1965, so I was actually a qualified coach before I became a full-time professional with Wimbledon.

"The first time I worked with Roy was in the early 1980s later at Bristol City. After that he went to work in Scandinavia, then in 1990 he got the job as Switzerland boss and I worked alongside him.

"Because I have worked with him over a period of time, I know how he likes to operate. I understand how I can fit into my role without being a nuisance to him.

"It's the familiarity factor - I know the way he works, where I can step in and where I have to step out in order to help him.

"Roy likes to work with big groups and that is difficult for one coach to do as you've only got one pair of eyes, so it's always handy to have an aide.

"Sammy Lee is heavily involved as well and it's like a jigsaw - Roy does the bulk of it and then Sammy and I do our bits and between the three of us it is a good organisation."

Mike's summer switch to Liverpool is actually the second time he has worked for the Reds.

The vastly-experienced coach was hired on a freelance basis by then-manager Graeme Souness in the early 1990s.

"I've worked at Liverpool before for nine months as a freelance goalkeeping coach under Graeme Souness for two or three days a week," he explains.

"I'd done some work with Graeme at Glasgow Rangers, and he invited me to come and work at Melwood with Bruce Grobbelaar, David James and Mike Hooper as they didn't have a goalkeeping coach at the time."

Having worked with so many of the game's top stoppers over the years, what qualities does Mike look for in a goalkeeper?

"The main characteristics I look for in a goalkeeper are good technique, eye-to-hand coordination, athleticism, strength and mobility," he reveals.

"Temperament is also important at a club like this. The stadium is packed out for every game, so you have got to have a strong mentality to handle that every time you play."

Despite having represented a whole host of clubs across Europe, Mike believes there is something unique about Liverpool and admits the chance to follow Hodgson to Merseyside left him thrilled.

He says: "It's a good feeling. This is a special club and when I worked here for Graeme you could sense that. To get the opportunity to work here at a high level is something some people will never get in their lives."

www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/first-team/staff/mike-kelly

[Macmoish]

Sunday Mail

"...[Liverpool] Players are aghast that Hodgson has put a 68-yearold, Mike Kelly, in charge of first-team coaching. Kelly, a former keeper with Wimbledon, Birmingham and QPR from 1958 and 1976, even takes Reina through his routines, to the Spaniard's disquiet."

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1323260/Fernando-Torres-Pepe-Reina-Glen-Johnson-seek-Anfield-exit.html?ITO=1490#ixzz13Dv5FiSm

[Macmoish]

Turning 78

[Macmoish]

Turning 80