FORMER REPUBLIC of Ireland international Jeff Kenna has been appointed manager of St Patrick’s Athletic having informed Galway United on Monday he wished to leave the club in order to speak to the Dubliners.

The 38-year-old who arrived at Terryland Park early last season and, after a good FAI Cup run, steered the team clear of relegation on the last day of the season, is set to be formally unveiled as John McDonnell’s successor tomorrow at lunchtime while his former assistant, Ian Foster, has taken over at Terryland Park.

The switch appears to have caused some difficulties behind the scenes between the clubs with the Dubliners initially believing Kenna was a free agent until it was pointed out he had confirmed his intention to return to United and had been back on the pay roll in recent weeks. In the end, it seems, St Patrick’s agreed a compensation package for the former Blackburn Rovers defender with Derek O’Brien returning to his former club along with, it is believed, a significant amount of money.

Kenna had been linked with a long list of clubs, including St Patrick’s, at one stage or another before Christmas but having been allowed a month or so to weigh up his options agreed to return to Galway for the coming season just before the end of the year.

McDonnell’s departure from Inchicore, though, suddenly opened up what he regarded as opportunity for advancement and, he said yesterday, he had little hesitation in taking it. “I have a very strong bond with the people of Galway but if I’m honest it wasn’t really a very hard decision to make. I’m ambitious and St Patrick’s Athletic are ambitious. They’ve cut back the budgetary situation but they still have a very strong squad and they’ll be competing in Europe and the Setanta Cup. It will be a great challenge for me. Now I have the pressure of being expected to win something and I’m happy with that.”

A major part of his role during the coming weeks will involve overseeing the process of the squad’s return to part-time football, something that may involve some difficulties with regard to his dealings with players. Kenna insists, however, that everyone at the club must appreciate the changes prompted by the downturn.

“The club are doing what they are doing (cutting back) because of the wider economic situation and I can understand that, they’re not the only ones,” he says. “Dealing with players in these sort of circumstances isn’t always ideal but they have to be realistic about what’s going to work out best for everybody in the long-term.”

The club’s chief executive, Richard Sadlier, said he was delighted with the appointment. “We’ve been in discussions for a few days now but he was always the outstanding candidate from my point of view,” he said. “We feel very lucky to be able to appoint him.”

The new man’s contract is only for one year, something Sadlier says is down to the club’s new approach to doing its business. “Our position is well known,” he says. “We’re trying to cut things back and don’t really want to commit ourselves to any long-term contracts. Jeff’s happy with that and given that he’s from around the corner in Palmerstown I think it’s an appointment that will be very well received by the fans.”

Kenna, who revealed yesterday he came close to signing as a player for St Patrick’s in 2006, apparently wanted to bring Foster with him to Dublin but his friend has opted to stay on at Terryland after being offered the manager’s job by the United board.

The 32 year-old, a former English schoolboy international striker, who was much travelled as a player before meeting up with Kenna at Kidderminster, is said to have impressed during his time in the west and has been rewarded with a two-year deal.

“The players know and respect Ian,” said chief executive Nick Leeson, “and know that he was more than a key part in last season’s recovery. His appointment assures continuity. We made enormous progress in the second half of last season and we will be looking to continue that and make a strong start to the new campaign,” he said.

Dundalk, meanwhile, will today unveil former Celtic star Joe Miller as Seán Connor’s assistant. Miller, who was a double winner with the Scottish club, was in charge of Clyde for a year and was recently a candidate for the Shamrock Rovers job.