STEVE Kean says he feels ready to return to management – nine months after his turbulent spell at Blackburn Rovers came to an end.

Kean became a highly controversial figure with Rovers fans during almost two years as manager, as the club dropped out of the Premier League.

The Scot departed Ewood Park last September, saying he had been ‘forced to resign’, but was recently in the running for the manager’s job at Millwall before Steve Lomas was handed the role.

After a break from the game, during which time Kean says he has travelled abroad to observe training at European clubs, he is now looking to return to football.

“I’m ready,” the 45-year-old said. “I’ve worked at every level at different clubs – from kids at Reading to reserve team at Fulham under Jean Tigana and assistant to Chris Coleman and first-team coach under Sam Allardyce.

“I’ll consider every offer. I love coaching but over the last two years or so I have been given a real insight into how to run a club from the financial side in terms of budgets and different restraints.

“My forte is being on the training ground. I’m a manager that will be on the training field every single day with the players.

“I was fortunate at a young age to play in Portugal and closely with owners Venky’s and travelled to meet the owners in India on 14 occasions.

“I was initially given the job on a caretaker capacity and was delighted the owners offered me the opportunity,” he said.

“I always received plenty of support from my peers, from Sir Alex Ferguson to Tony Pulis and none more so than David Moyes. I took massive encouragement from that.

"You stand by your beliefs and I knew the players were playing for learn languages. I got exposure to a different perspective on football.

“I’d consider going abroad again. It would give me something to get my teeth into.

“The past nine months have been beneficial. I’ve had time to reflect.”

Kean says he has learned plenty from his time as Rovers boss, when he worked me. If the players weren’t onside then I wouldn’t have lasted two minutes.

“I had to deal with things at the sharp end. I always tried to get on with my job of winning games and improving the players.

“I’m a conscientious coach and work hard all week on the training ground, giving the players my undivided attention.”

Kean added that there were moments at Rovers of which he was proud.

He said: “We went to places such as Old Trafford and won and drew at Liverpool.

“The players still grafted. It was about mutual respect.

“We had a very young team but we had togetherness and a good spirit.”