Kerr departs Inchicore once more

Not for the first time in his coaching career, Brian Kerr has shocked fans of his beloved St Patrick's Athletic by walking away from the club. While talk of a rift with club chairman Garrett Kelleher may have been a factor, surely the fact, once more, that Kerr had overseen the Inchicore side move significantly onwards in their development plan under his guidance was the main reason for his sudden departure.

Think back to the winter of 1996. After 10 years with the club, and having just guided a team that he had been financially involved in saving to their second league title since 1956, Kerr walked away to take on another rebuilding job, that of overseeing the Republic of Ireland's youth system. Overcoming significant challenges seem to be what makes Kerr tick.

Surely a man who has been so involved in coaching would love to get back into the thick of day-to-day management. As Director of Football at St Pat's, Kerr was brought in to assist the new owners in showing them how to properly run a football club. With that seemingly done, what purpose would Kerr now have served had he stayed.

The timing of his departure seems to indicate that Kerr fancies his chances of picking up a job across the water, as he would obviously prefer a full pre-season with whichever club were to come looking for his services. No doubt wherever he goes it will be a challenge that he approaches with great enthusiasm.