Mark Kennedy: New Lincoln City boss wants 'aggressive and progressive' football

New Lincoln City manager Mark Kennedy wants the Imps to play "progressive and aggressive" football that will "get fans off their seats".

Kennedy, 45, left his job as Birmingham City assistant this week to succeed Michael Appleton at Sincil Bank.

The ex-Republic of Ireland winger also previously spent four years working at Manchester City's academy.

"By being attractive, having a brand that people can identify with, that to me will bring success," he said.

"A big part of my DNA and how I see the game is to be a really aggressive and high-pressing team.

"There has to be a purpose to playing football and has to be a purpose to possession - we don't want centre-halves that have 300 passes between them.

"We want to play an attractive brand of football that is possession based, but it has to be aggressive and it has to be progressive. That is something I want to bring to Lincoln.

"It's hugely important that we get fans off their seats."

Kennedy said "there is no doubt" his time working at Manchester City's academy, as well as stints with Ipswich and Wolves' youth teams in the past decade, have shaped his approach to the game.

"From a coaching perspective my time working in those elite academies has had a huge influence on how I see the game today," he told BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

The Imps finished 17th in League One this season, a year after reaching the play-off final where they were beaten by Blackpool.

The job as Lincoln boss is his second as a senior manager, having spent a fraught seven months in charge of Macclesfield before resigning in August 2020 prior to the Silkmen being wound up in the High Court.

Kennedy, who spent the largest portion of his playing career with Wolves, said he felt an "instant connection" and was "super impressed" with the Imps board during the recruitment process, convincing him that Lincoln was the place to move back into senior management.

"I knew it would take some time to get to where I wanted to get," Kennedy said of his time honing his skills as a manager.

"What I wanted to do more than anything was make sure that when I got the right opportunity at the right club, that not only would I be prepared but I wanted to repay the faith in the board and people and fans in particular.

"I also wanted to make sure they were getting someone who is ready to give them something they want to see."