Republic of Ireland

Reid has 22 caps for his country and made his debut in the 2-2 draw with Croatia in 2001 but has decdied to call it a day at international level in order to concentrate on his club form with newly-promoted West Brom  (West Brom 4/5 to be relegated from the Premier League next season).

“It was a tough decision because I’ve had some terrific times with Ireland,” said Reid who has recently signed a new two-year deal with the Baggies.

“But having weighed everything up, I know this is the right decision. The injuries I’ve had over the past couple of years have been well documented and I’ve taken this step to prolong my club career and to spend more time with my family.”

Reid was part of the Ireland squad that reached the knockout stages of the 2002 World Cup and his performances gained him a move to Premiership side Blackburn.

However, his stay at Ewood Park was blighted by injuries and Reid says that retiring from international football was a decision made in conjunction with his new club’s medical staff as he looks to make a fresh start at the Hawthorns.

“It’s a decision I came to after lengthy discussions with the club’s medical staff and my family. I’ve had some unforgettable times with Ireland, the highlight being making two appearances at the World Cup Finals in Japan and South Korea in 2002 and it has always been a huge honour for me to wear the Irish jersey.

“It’s just a shame my injuries cut short the number of caps I possibly could have won over the past few years.”

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni said he was “sorry” about the news and thanked the midfilder for his contribution to the side in recent years.

“We are sorry to hear about Steven’s decision to retire from international football to concentrate on his club career at West Bromwich Albion.

“His commanding presence for the Republic of Ireland will be missed by his teammates and fans alike. Steven always showed tremendous commitment to the Irish jersey even during difficult times in his career and for that we thank him most warmly.”

He added: “On behalf of the Irish team, we wish Steven well for his future club career and we thank him for his outstanding commitment.”

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Plymouth Argyle

Argyle parted company with Paul Mariner after he failed to keep them in the Championship last season and Reid’s first job will be to get the Pilgrims back up as soon as possible.

Reid had been working as Tony Pulis’ number two at Stoke but has now taken the helm at Home Park after Argyle chairman Sir Roy Gardner made him his number one choice.

“We said all along that we were seeking a man with proven experience who could help us realise our aspirations and ambitions,” Gardner revealed.

“We want to get back to the Championship and after that, move on. Peter fits that criteria perfectly.”

Reid has gained bad press since his ill-fated spell at Leeds United but there is no doubt that he did a tremendous job at both Manchester City and Sunderland.

At City, Reid guided them to fifth place in successive seasons but in the first season of the Premier League in 1992 they slipped into ninth place and the season after he was sacked following a poor start to the season.

Reid also did well at Sunderland and after getting them promoted from the Championship they finished seventh for two seasons running but after slipping down the table his eight-year spell as manager came to an end in October 2002.

Plymouth will now be hoping that Reid can work such wonders at Home Park but it will be a difficult task trying to get them out of League One as Charlton, Southampton, Peterborough and Sheffield Wednesday are also fighting to get out of the division.

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