A matter of national pride for Stephen Kenny

As he sat down to dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel on Sunday night alongside Ireland’s record goalscorer and the last manager to lead the country to the World Cup, there was no inferiority complex for Stephen Kenny.

It’s never been that way for Mick McCarthy’s heir apparent, be it his arrival into Longford Town as a 26-year-old rookie manager or jostling the superpowers on the European stage for Dundalk.

Over a managerial career spanning close to 20 years, including 12 months in Scotland, Kenny has marked himself out as ambitious rather than arrogant, self-assured, yet not smug.

He didn’t, as McCarthy had jokingly promised earlier in the day, have to foot the bill for the five-star meal — the FAI taking care of their new employees, including Robbie Keane — and his past record vindicates the view that he’s an equal among the greats of the association’s grand new vision, and the first manager since Brian Kerr to come with a League of Ireland background.

“Dundalk understood that his country needed Stephen,” said chief executive John Delaney about snaffling the FAI’s new U21 and future senior, manager from the double-holders.

Once the main broadcast section was completed at yesterday’s press conference, having handled the questioning with the professionalism of any previous Ireland nmanager holding court in that seat, Kenny expanded on his journey to newspaper reporters in a more refined section away from the cameras.

The pride he takes from that call to national duty soon triggered emotions, his voice breaking and eyes welling up while reflecting on his rocky road to the top. Sacked by three clubs, Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers, and

Dunfermline, Kenny overhauled three others — Longford, Derry City and Dundalk — to display his resilience.

There’s nothing to suggest he’ll escape the fate of his four predecessors by avoiding the chop from the Ireland job, but he’s intent on making his mark in the meantime.

Dundalk has been his greatest calling to date, reviving them from relegation contenders to title challengers within 12 months of taking charge for the 2013 season.

On what was described as a good day for Irish football, Kenny’s coronation didn’t spell a great day for the double-champions of the country. Peak6, the American owners of the club, declared to fans at their introduction last February how much of a prize asset they rated the manager. For all the success he delivered to deserve such an accolade, eight major trophies in five seasons equalling the club record previously held by Jim

McLaughlin, a degree of frustration rankled with Kenny. Their 2017 Champions League exit to Rosenborg brought that to the fore. He could have been talking about any League of Ireland club here.

“It’s disappointing when there’s nothing between the teams, but they get 20,000 at all their home matches,” he said sighing.

We’re playing in limited facilities like bloody Oriel Park and then travel away to stadiums like this.

The League of Ireland circuit couldn’t keep pace with his strides.

We’ll never know if he’d have accepted that U21 job alone had Martin O’Neill rescued himself by eking out a couple of results over the past fortnight. The offer of the senior job, albeit on a succession basis, clinched the deal.

“We understand that Stephen’s next opportunity is one that he was going to find hard to resist, once offered, and everyone connected with Oriel Park wishes him the very best,” read a statement from Dundalk FC. “His achievements have merited this opportunity.”

Those feats should also command his privacy to be respected. Rare are the occasions that Ireland managers reside in the country, Kerr being the last, and their closeness to the fanbase isn’t nalways cordial, especially when the pressure is on.

“Where I’m living in Co Louth will be easier than being in other parts of the country, but I’ll try live my life as best I can,” is his intended approach.

Maybe I’ll go back to the beaches of Inishowen for peace, or even to Italy.

His latter comment, spoken in jest of course, referenced Giovanni Trapattoni’s time as Ireland boss a decade ago.

Were Kenny to pop over to Milan for some advice during the 20-month transition countdown, while he wouldn’t expect to be recognised by Trap, he’d still want to be respected.

Some things will never change.