“I always had eggs on toast, now it’s porridge for breakfast, every day. I should have the three bears sitting round the table with me. Then it’s apple and banana for lunch, and in the evening I have the luxury of a piece of fish staring at me.”After convalescing, the Dubliner knew he was prepared yet again for the fray. Sheffield Wednesday made an approach, “but after talks with them I knew it wasn’t for me.

They were selling all the best players and slashing the wage bill because the banks wanted their money, yet there was nothing coming in. Wherever I went, I wanted the opportunity to be successful, to build the club and have an association with the fans, just be a f***ing hero really, I suppose. But there it was just gloom and doom.”After a spell at Oxford United as director of football, he answered the call of Luton and found them a different proposition entirely. “I like the club and Mike Watson-Challis, the chairman, is a terrific guy. I’ve come in here really to start all over again, and prove myself.” Not, however, as a manager; more as a man whose health can survive the persistent stress of his occupation.There are many who might have anticipated him returning at a grander level, but the former Irish international defender admits: “There’s probably Premiership clubs who might have looked at me, but they’re thinking, ‘Oh, he’s got a dodgy ticker. He’s a bit of a risk’.”But what can he actually achieve with the Hatters, whose gradual decline from the early-Eighties success under David Pleat has failed to be arrested by seven managers (including Pleat himself again)? “This is a tough challenge, but so was Wimbledon,” Kinnear says defiantly.”When I arrived, confidence was a bit low, understandably They’d only won four matches and had conceded goals for fun.

But I’ve impressed on them the importance of tactically shutting up shop once we get in front, and improved our scoring from set plays – something we concentrated on at Wimbledon Hopefully, we’ll avoid relegation. If so, next season, I’ll build my own side and get them back up challenging for something. But who knows in football? It’s such an unpredictable job.”So unpredictable that a return to his beloved Tottenham is not altogether out of the question, although you sense that the opportunity hasbypassed him “It was always my ambition that one day I’d manage the club. I thought I was in with a really big shout prior to Christian Gross’ arrival. The fans were keen on me then, a bit like they are now with Hoddle. I know [Sir Alan] Sugar spoke to Sam [Hammam] about my contract at Wimbledon.

But it wasn’t to be.”As for a belated reunion with Tottenham this summer, he insists: “You can’t rule yourself out of anything in football We’re all dreamers You never know who the next phone call’s going to be from. I don’t know anybody from Enic, but if I’m reading the script right, I’d think it’s got to be Glenn Hoddle or somebody from abroad But who knows? It could be Terry Venables. They’ve underachieved a bit, but there’s a lot of good youngsters They’re only short of maybe three players. Whoever gets it will have a fantastic, wonderful job.”That’s if he can contend with the somewhat capricious nature of the White Hart Lane faithful, you submit. “I remember, when I was a player, walking into the dressing-room after a game, and complaining about someone in the crowd. I’d say, ‘Did you hear that f***ing moaning bastard over there?”But Bill Nicholson would come back at me, ‘Joe, when it’s just f***ing one, then you’ve got a point. When it’s the whole f***ing lot, they’re not wrong, are they?”Kinnear adds: “You have to understand that Spurs fans have always wined and dined well, and they insist on a first-class chef.”For Kinnear, it’s never been too hot in that particular kitchen.

If he is overlooked again, you will not hear anyone at Kenilworth Road complain.. Birmingham City’s hopes of winning automatic promotion to the Premiership suffered a serious setback when Sheffield Wednesday’s Italian striker Michele di Piedi scored three minutes from the end to send them spinning to a third defeat in four matches, when victory would have lifted them to second place behind Fulham in the First Division table. Birmingham City’s hopes of winning automatic promotion to the Premiership suffered a serious setback when Sheffield Wednesday’s Italian striker Michele di Piedi scored three minutes from the end to send them spinning to a third defeat in four matches, when victory would have lifted them to second place behind Fulham in the First Division table.
Trailing to Gilles de Bilde’s first-half goal, Birmingham clawed their way back through Geoff Horsfield after Kevin Pressman had beaten out a penalty, but a resurgent Wednesday, once threatened with relegation but on a run of six wins in eight matches, never looked likely to be beaten.Wednesday, in dire straits when Paul Jewell was sacked in January, ought now to survive, having been revived by their caretaker manager Peter Shreeves, who is making a strong case to be given the job on a more permanent basis.Shreeves, a career No 2 thus far, worked under Trevor Francis at Queen’s Park Rangers and regards the Birmingham manager, himself formerly in charge at Wednesday, as among the top 10 in the country, although the compliment may feel hollow if Francis fails in his objective of reaching the Premiership.To stay on course he needed a victory yesterday in spite of the absence of six first-choice players, which is why de Bilde scoring a rare goal was the last thing he needed.The Belgian is destined to leave Hillsborough in the summer, his salary regarded as beyond Wednesday’s budget. He was picked only reluctantly by Jewell, who questioned his commitment, but Shreeves, short of forwards now that Andy Booth has gone to Huddersfield, has challenged him to win himself a new club by his deeds on the field.Whether that proves to be a lasting motivation remains to be seen but the manner of his finish was impressive enough as he gave the visitors a 24th-minute lead. Collecting a pass from Steve Harkness just inside the Birmingham box, de Bilde went smoothly past the centre-back Darren Purse on a right-to-left run before angling a left-foot shot beyond the reach of Ian Bennett and in off the far post. It was only his second goal this season.Wednesday had needed to regroup after the loss of the defender Ian Hendon, carried off following a reckless challenge on Stan Lazaridis for which he was booked as he looked up from his stretcher, and the goal was no reflection of the first-half play. Shreeves’ team only rarely left their own territory as Birmingham sought to make their breakthrough.The St Andrews pitch, a regular quagmire lately, cut up badly, although it did not stop one splendid run by Lazaridis that deserved to bring Birmingham an equaliser before half-time.