3. Ashley Actually Trusts Him
To be fair to Kinnear he wasn't sacked when he was manager. He left due to health reasons. Although he averaged just under a point a game in his short tenure at the club many argue we might have stayed up had Kinnear remained in charge. There was even talk of him coming back to the club once his health improved, had Hughton not made such a good start to his reign. And let's not forget, Kinnear did do a terrific job at Wimbledon and did win the Manager of the Year award (but not three times, like he claims). He's also managed India and Nepal - not the most relevant or prominent of footballing havens but international experience all the same. He was rumoured to have turned down the Republic of Ireland job in 1996 and it was only his heart attack that saw him leave Wimbledon - and they have never been the same since. So maybe there's unfinished business with Ashley and Kinnear. The Chairman obviously sees something in the ex-Wimbledon man having plucked him from limbo back in 2008 and giving him the top job. Maybe Kinnear himself feels, at 66 years of age, he has something still to prove and has been beginning his mate for one last opportunity.