Mick Kennedy - he played hard and lived hard.. and held that Pompey team together Monday, 11th Feb 2019 21:20 by pompey-fans.com staff Mick Quinn has led the tributes to 1980s Pompey legend Mick Kennedy after his untimely death at the age of 57. A number of his former Fratton teammates have spoken in glowing terms about the tough-tackling Irish midfielder, whose death was announced on Sunday. Quinn is among ex-players to tell The News what a great man and teammate Kennedy was to his pals in Alan Ball's mid-80s team who took Pompey into the top division for the first time in nearly 30 years. Quinn told the paper: 'My recollection of Mick is that he was the glue that held that promotion team together. He was the skipper and Bally would have a go at him all the time - to have a go at us. He was the link between the players and Bally in that team. Mick played hard and lived hard - and he was very, very hard. I always think he didn’t get the credit he deserved as a footballer, though. Bally often used him as a dog in games. 'I remember playing Spurs in the old first division and Bally told him not to let Glenn Hoddle out of his sight for a second. He said if he goes to the toilet at half-time follow him there as well! Hoddle was their main man so Mick was told to upset him, kick him and do everything he could to stop him. 'Mick would get that kind of job in a lot of the big games, but he was better footballer than that. He had a good first touch, range of passing and a good engine. He was a hard, hard man but he was a good footballer as well. 'When I first moved to Portsmouth, he said to stay with him and his missus instead of a hotel. I got to know Mick really well and off the pitch then and he was a gentleman, a top man. That team could have easily gone off the rails, but Mick really held us together.' Kennedy's funeral is due to be held on Thursday. Pompey have yet to state how as a club they will pay their respects.
Click here to sign up for an account and reserve your username! You can then post on the Forum and add your comments to articles
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Portsmouth Polls |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.