Ex-Scots boss Kerr lands top job with English FA

FORMER Scotland head coach Shelley Kerr has been asked to provide England with the ‘competitive advantage’ needed to win their first major title — after landing a top job with the Football Association. The 51-year-old has been working as a TV and radio pundit since standing down from the Scotland job in December, having paid the price for failing to take the women’s national team to a third successive tournament. But Kerr, who led the Scots to their first-ever World Cup in 2019, is back in the game following yesterday’s announcement. She has been appointed technical lead of the FA’s ‘How We Play’ strategy, and will be responsible for everything from overseeing the development of future national team coaches to producing coaching playbooks. Kerr will be expected to play a decisive role in helping Scotland’s oldest rivals make the giant leap from tournament contenders to trophy winners. In the official FA announcement, a spokesman explained that they expect the 59-times capped former Scotland captain to ‘deliver a technical competitive advantage in support of our aims to win a major tournament’. Kerr, who will report directly to FA technical director Kay Cossington, will be eager to rebuild her career after such a disappointing end to her time as Scotland boss. The pioneering head coach, the first woman to take charge of a British men’s senior team when appointed boss of Lowland League side Stirling University in 2014, took over the national team from Anna Signeul in 2017. Building on the success of her predecessor, who had steered the Scots to their first European Championships, Kerr’s achievement in taking many of the same players to the World Cup earned her plenty of plaudits. But Scotland’s failure to progress past the group stage was a blow, while a well-publicised bust-up with players — exacerbated by Kerr admitting that she’d ‘had a few drinks’ before the fateful team meeting — raised eyebrows at Hampden. Top seeds in their qualifying section for Euro 2020, Kerr’s side failed to make it out of the group, with a last-minute winner for Finland — ironically managed by Signeul — in December ending their campaign with two rounds of fixtures remaining. Kerr’s Scotland departure was announced on Christmas Eve, with the former centre-half saying: ‘I know the timing is right for me to look ahead to the next chapter, to face new challenges and to enjoy more amazing experiences on my journey.’