O'Leary kicks himself upstairs - March 2, 2001

Former Irish international David O'Leary has relieved himself of coaching duties at Leeds United. Brian Kidd - former second-in-command to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United - will take over as head coach.

Kidd will take over first-team coaching responsibilities, along with assistant manager Eddie Gray and reserve-team coach Roy Aiken, with O'Leary stepping back from direct training-ground involvement with the first team.

Kidd arrived at Leeds as youth development coach following his sacking as Blackburn manager.

"I've made Brian Kidd the new head coach at Leeds, a role which he started on Friday," O'Leary said today. "There isn't a much better coach than him in the country or in Europe.

"I've never had a first-team coach - so now, with Brian in place, it will give me a break and I can step away from the lads a little bit."

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