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Stephen Kenny facing further disruption as Ireland chief scout Ruaidhri Higgins confirmed as new Derry City manager

Ruaidhri Higgins (right) is currently a member of Stephen Kenny's Ireland coaching team. Image credit: Sportsfile. Expand

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Ruaidhri Higgins (right) is currently a member of Stephen Kenny's Ireland coaching team. Image credit: Sportsfile.

Ruaidhri Higgins (right) is currently a member of Stephen Kenny's Ireland coaching team. Image credit: Sportsfile.

Ruaidhri Higgins (right) is currently a member of Stephen Kenny's Ireland coaching team. Image credit: Sportsfile.

Daniel McDonnell Twitter Email

IRELAND manager Stephen Kenny will have to replace another member of his backroom team after chief scout and opposition analyst Ruaidhrí Higgins was confirmed as the new Derry City manager.

The appointment was confirmed in a statement on the club's website on on Friday morning.

Derry chairman Philip O’Doherty made specific reference to Higgins' position in the Ireland set-up in the statement, saying: "We would like to put on record our thanks to Jonathan Hill FAI CEO and Stephen Kenny First Team Manager of the Republic of Ireland, in granting permission for us to speak to Ruaidhrí.

"We hope our fans will get behind the new Management team as we face Sligo Rovers on Saturday evening."

The FAI have yet to comment on Higgins' future within Kenny's management team but combining the two roles will not be an option.

Limavady-born Higgins (36) has a strong relationship with his local club – who parted company with Declan Devine yesterday – and he spent nine seasons there as a player in two different spells.

It is a blow to Kenny, who lost Damien Duff and Alan Kelly from his staff earlier this year and had to move to replace them with Anthony Barry and Dean Kiely.

Ironically enough, Higgins played a role in the appointment of well-regarded Chelsea coach Barry, as they played together at Coventry as trainees and did their coaching badges together with the IFA.

And it’s understood that Kenny has always been aware of Higgins’ desire to go out on his own one day if the right opportunity came up.

Yet it also delivers mixed emotions for Higgins, who has maintained an extremely strong relationship with the Ireland boss, a man that he considers to be his mentor.

Higgins struck up a strong relationship with Kenny during the latter’s time as Derry manager and he subsequently brought the Derryman to Dundalk as a player and later as a backroom staff member.

Higgins stepped up to assistant manager with Dundalk after Kenny’s departure for his initial brief with the U-21s but left Oriel Park when his old boss assumed the senior reins from Mick McCarthy.

He was appointed chief scout and opposition analyst, which involves regular trips to the UK to watch players and also preparing reports on upcoming teams that Ireland will face.

However, the former midfielder has made no secret of his ambition to become a manager one day and the chance to manage Derry City proved too good to pass up.

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