Mark Kerr (footballer)

Mark Kerr (born 2 March 1982) is a Scottish professional football player and coach, who is the player-manager of Scottish Championship side Ayr United.

Mark Kerr

Personal information
Date of birth	(1982-03-02) 2 March 1982
Place of birth	Coatbridge, Scotland
Playing position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Ayr United (player/manager)
Number	4
Youth career
	Moodiesburn Boys Club
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2003	Falkirk	107	(8)
2003–2008	Dundee United	164	(2)
2008–2010	Aberdeen	69	(1)
2010–2011[1]	Asteras Tripolis	11	(0)
2012	Dunfermline Athletic	13	(0)
2012–2013	Dundee	8	(0)
2013–2014	Partick Thistle	0	(0)
2014	Queen of the South	23	(1)
2015–2018	Falkirk	98	(2)
2018–	Ayr United	41	(0)
National team
2001	Scotland Under-21	1	(0)
2005	Scotland B	1	(0)
Teams managed
2019–	Ayr United
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18 May 2018

Kerr started his career with Falkirk in 1998, and later played for Dundee United (appearing in two major finals with the club) and Aberdeen before joining Asteras Tripolis in Greece. On Returning to Scotland, Kerr played for Dunfermline Athletic, Dundee, Partick Thistle and Queen of the South before rejoining Falkirk in 2015. He made one appearance for the Scotland B team in 2005.

In October 2019, Kerr was appointed player/manager of Ayr United.

Club career

Falkirk

Raised in Coatbridge,[2] Kerr joined Falkirk from Moodiesburn Boys Club as a sixteen-year-old,[3] and progressed through the Youth Development scheme at Brockville, so was well known to then-manager Ian McCall and his management team.[3]

Kerr made his Falkirk debut towards the end of the 1998–99 season at the age of 17 against Clydebank.[3] The following season, he turned out seven times and scored his first goal in a 3–3 draw at Ayr United. For the next three seasons, he hardly missed a game for Falkirk and by the time he left, he had accumulated 125 appearances and scored nine times. He was named as the second tier's Young Player of the Year for the 2000–01 season.[4]

Dundee United

In July 2003, he moved to Dundee United on a Bosman transfer.[5] Their manager Ian McCall had been keeping tabs on the Scotland Under-21 player since he himself left Falkirk.[3] Kerr soon settled at Tannadice and became a regular in the side, and by the end of his first season, he had racked up 33 League and two cup appearances. His tenacity in midfield was a feature of the latter part of the campaign in which United finished strongly to take fifth place.

Commencing the season 2004–05 in the starting eleven, Kerr suffered a dip in form and only appeared another four times before making his way back into the first team at the turn of the year. He went on to miss only one more match throughout the rest of the season, and became a vital part of the midfield as Gordon Chisholm became manager. His two goals in that term came in the Cup competitions, one in the 3–0 League Cup win over Stranraer at Tannadice and the other in the thrilling 4–3 Scottish Cup tie against Gretna; he played the entirety of the final, a 1–0 loss to Celtic.[2][6]

Kerr played in the majority of matches in every season, but in the 2008 Scottish League Cup Final, with his team 1–0 ahead in the closing minutes of normal time, he was responsible for a careless backpass pounced upon by Kris Boyd who equalised for Rangers; the game moved into extra time and a penalty shoot-out, which United lost.[7][8] Kerr chose to leave when his contract expired at the end of June 2008.[9]

Aberdeen

In July 2008, it was reported that Kerr was on the verge of a move to Dundee United's New Firm rivals Aberdeen,[10] and he subsequently moved to Pittodrie on a Bosman transfer, taking over the number 8 shirt vacated by Barry Nicholson. Kerr was made Aberdeen club captain from the start of season 2009–10.[11] He scored once for the club, his goal coming in a 2–1 loss at home to Kilmarnock on 5 May 2010.[12]

Greece and return to Scotland

Kerr agreed to join Greek side Asteras Tripolis; the move was announced on 6 June 2010.[13][1] Asteras finished 13th in the 2010–11 Superleague Greece.[14] Kerr played his final match for the club in September 2011.[14]

In January 2012, Kerr signed for Dunfermline Athletic until the end of the 2011–12 Scottish Premier League season.[14] He made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw against Kilmarnock on 7 February 2012. However, Dunfermline were relegated at the end of the season and Kerr left the club[15] despite manager being offered a new contract by Jim Jefferies[16]

Dundee

After trial spells with Hibernian and Carlisle United, Kerr signed for Dundee, Dundee United's city rival.[15] Previously, he was on the verge of joining St Johnstone, after the club signed Steve MacLean, the duo having played together during their time at Aberdeen in 2010 while MacLean was on loan.[17] However, the move collapsed despite Kerr having a medical; he was 'frustrated' with the inability to complete the deal,[18] and after joining Dundee, said he didn't know why his move to St Johnstone collapsed.[18] On 15 September 2012, Kerr made his debut, playing in defensive midfield, in a 2–1 loss against Motherwell.

Partick Thistle

Kerr began summer 2013 pre-season training with Partick Thistle.[19] On 13 July 2013, he scored a goal from 35 yards in a pre-season friendly against Dumbarton at the Bet Butler Stadium in a 4-3 win. He signed a short-term deal but was released on 30 January 2014.[20]

Queen of the South

Kerr signed for Queen of the South on 7 February 2014, having been released by Partick Thistle.[21] On 30 December 2014, he left the Dumfries club by mutual consent.[22]

Falkirk (second spell)

Kerr signed for Falkirk for a second spell on 3 January 2015.[23] Although agreeing a new one-year contract in May 2017,[24] he was released by the club in January 2018 after the side's poor results in the first half of the 2017–18 season.[25] One of his teammates during his return spell was Lee Miller, with whom he had also played in his early years with the club (2000–03), as well as at Dundee United (2005–06) and Aberdeen (2008–10).

Ayr United

Shortly after leaving Falkirk, Kerr signed for Scottish League One club Ayr United[26] linking up with former manager Ian McCall for the third time. At the end of the season Kerr celebrated promotion with Ayr as league champions. Shortly afterwards, he signed a new contract for another season.

Kerr was appointed player/manager of Ayr in October 2019.[27]

International career

Having played once for the Under-21s[3] in 2001 against Poland,[28][29][30] Kerr made an appearance for the Scotland B team in December 2005, coming on as a substitute in the Future Cup competition, coincidentally also against Poland.[31] Lee Miller again played alongside him for the B side.

Championship Manager

Kerr's name became known around the world to fans of the Championship Manager football video game series in the early 2000s, after some of its versions (produced around the time of his breakthrough at Falkirk) programmed his 'potential abilities' generously, whereby he would develop into one of the world's top players.[32]

In an interview for a book based around the series, Kerr stated that he rarely played the games but had been approached on several occasions by people wishing to share stories of how 'he' helped their team to glory; in the real world, his integration into the unfamiliar environment of Greek football was made easier by his elevated profile in the virtual universe, as some of his new teammates recognised his name from the game.[33]

Career statistics

Player

As of 18 May 2019

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Scottish Cup		League Cup		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Falkirk	1998–99[34]	Scottish First Division	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
	1999-00[35]		7	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	1
	2000–01[36]		32	2	2	0	2	0	1[lower-alpha 1]	0	37	2
	2001–02[37]		30	3	1	0	2	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	1	35	4
	2002–03[38]		36	2	4	0	3	0	3[lower-alpha 1]	0	43	2
	Total		107	8	7	0	7	0	6	1	127	9
Dundee United	2003–04[39]	Scottish Premier League	33	1	0	0	2	0	—		35	1
	2004–05[40]		30	0	5	1	2	1	—		37	2
	2005–06[41]		35	1	1	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 2]	1	38	2
	2006–07[42]		36	0	2	0	2	0	—		40	0
	2007–08[43]		30	0	3	0	5	0	—		38	0
	Total		164	2	11	1	11	1	2	1	188	5
Aberdeen	2008–09[44]	Scottish Premier League	32	0	4	0	2	0	—		38	0
	2009–10[45]		37	1	3	0	1	0	2[lower-alpha 3]	0	43	1
	Total		69	1	7	0	3	0	2	0	81	1
Asteras Tripoli	2010–11[46][47]	Superleague Greece	9	0	1	0	—		—		10	0
	2011–12[48][47]	Superleague Greece	2	0	0	0	—		—		2	0
	Total		11	0	1	0	—		—		12	0
Dunfermline Athletic	2011–12[48]	Scottish Premier League	13	0	0	0	0	0	—		13	0
Dundee	2012–13[49]	Scottish Premier League	8	0	0	0	0	0	—		8	0
Partick Thistle	2013–14[50]	Scottish Premiership	0	0	1	0	3	0	—		4	0
Queen of the South	2013–14[50]	Scottish Championship	11	0	0	0	0	0	2[lower-alpha 4]	0	13	0
	2014–15[51]		12	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	13	1
	Total		23	1	1	0	0	0	2	0	26	1
Falkirk	2014–15[51]	Scottish Championship	18	0	—		0	0	0	0	18	0
	2015–16[52][46]	Scottish Championship	35	2	1	0	2	0	5[lower-alpha 5]	0	43	2
	2016–17[53]	Scottish Championship	30	0	1	0	4	0	4[lower-alpha 6]	0	39	0
	2017–18[54]	Scottish Championship	15	0	0	0	5	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	0	22	0
	Total		98	2	2	0	11	0	11	0	122	2
Ayr United	2017–18[54]	Scottish League One	14	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	14	0
	2018–19[55]	Scottish Championship	22	0	0	0	6	0	2[lower-alpha 7]	0	30	0
	Total		36	0	0	0	6	0	2	0	44	0
Career total			515	14	30	1	41	1	25	2	611	18

1. Appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup
2. Appearances in the UEFA Cup
3. Appearances in the Europa League
4. Appearances in the Premiership promotion play-offs
5. One appearance in the Scottish Challenge Cup and four in the Premiership promotion play-offs
6. Two appearances in the Scottish Challenge Cup and two in the Premiership promotion play-offs
7. Two appearances in the Premiership promotion play-offs

Managerial record

As of match played 10 March 2020

Managerial record by team and tenure

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
Ayr United	22 October 2019	Present	21	7	5	9	033.33

Honours

Falkirk

• Scottish First Division: 2002–03

Dundee United

• Scottish Cup: Runner-up 2004–05[6]
• Scottish League Cup: Runner-up 2007–08[7]

Ayr United

• Scottish League One: 2017–18

References

1. Gordon Waddell (15 January 2012). "Mark Kerr reveals all about the turmoil he experienced during stint in Greece". Daily Record. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
2. "Coatbridge footballer Mark Kerr tells the Albion Rovers players to enjoy being the underdog against Celtic". Daily Record. 21 January 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
3. "Mark Kerr player profile". Dundee United F.C. (match programme). 20 December 2003. Retrieved 17 October 2018 – via Partick Thistle History Archive.
4. "Livingston lead Bell's awards". BBC Sport. 21 May 2001. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
5. "Dundee Utd land Kerr". BBC Sport. 1 July 2003. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
6. "Celtic 1–0 Dundee United". BBC Sport. 28 May 2005. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
7. McGuigan, Thomas (16 March 2008). "Dundee Utd 2–2 Rangers". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
8. Ewing Grahame (17 March 2008). "Mark Kerr: I've let everyone down". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
9. "Kerr can go as Levein's hunt for striker hots up". The Courier. Archived from the original on 9 June 2008. Retrieved 30 June 2008.
10. "Kerr poised for Pittodrie switch". BBC Sport. Retrieved 3 July 2008.
11. "Kerr completes Pittodrie switch". BBC Sport. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2008.
12. "Aberdeen 1 – 2 Kilmarnock". BBC. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
13. "Dons skipper Kerr moves to Greece". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 June 2010.
14. "Mark Kerr will join Dunfermline on a short-term deal". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
15. "Dundee beat St Johnstone to midfielder Mark Kerr's signature". BBC Sport. BBC. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
16. "Jefferies facing Kerr fight". Sky Sports. 1 June 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
17. "St Johnstone sign Steven MacLean & hope to add Mark Kerr". BBC Sport. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
18. "'I don't know what happened' — Dundee new boy Mark Kerr in dark about collapse of Saints deal". The Courier. 14 September 2012. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 26 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
20. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 April 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
21. http://www.qosfc.com/new_newsview.aspx?newsid=2185
22. http://www.qosfc.com/new_newsview.aspx?newsid=2628
23. http://www.falkirkfc.co.uk/?p=9173#sthash.mp2TlY7G.dpbs
24. Temple, Alan (24 May 2017). "Peter Houston delight as Mark Kerr, Tom Taiwo & Paul Watson sign new Falkirk deals, while Luke Leahy says emotional farewell". Capital City Press. Deadline News. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
25. "Mark Kerr departs". Falkirk FC. 24 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
26. "McCall adds auld acquaintance". Ayr United FC. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
27. "Ayr United: Mark Kerr announced as new manager". BBC Sport. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
28. "Kerr earns Scotland call". BBC Sport. 23 April 2001. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
29. "Football: Kerr gets U-21 nod; Poland U21 v Scotland U21". Daily Mirror. 24 April 2001. Retrieved 17 October 2018 – via The Free Library.
30. "Young Poles edge out Scots". BBC Sport. 24 April 2001. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
31. "Scotland B player Mark Kerr". FitbaStats. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
32. "11 Scottish journeymen who were Football Manager legends". The Scotsman. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
33. Iain Macintosh; Kenny Millar; Neil White (2012). Football Manager Stole My Life: 20 Years of Beautiful Obsession. BackPage Press. p. 96. ISBN 9780743429917. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
34. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 1998/1999". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
35. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 1999/2000". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
36. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2000/2001". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
37. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2001/2002". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
38. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2002/2003". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
39. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2003/2004". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
40. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2004/2005". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
41. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2005/2006". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
42. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2006/2007". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
43. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2007/2008". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
44. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2008/2009". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
45. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2009/2010". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
46. Mark Kerr at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
47. "Mark Kerr". Superleague Greece. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
48. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2011/2012". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
49. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2012/2013". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
50. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2013/2014". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
51. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
52. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
53. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
54. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2017/2018". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 10 November 2017.
55. "Games played by Mark Kerr in 2018/2019". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 17 October 2018.

External links

• Mark Kerr at Soccerbase
• Dundee United FC profile
• Profile at AFC Heritage Trust