Stephen Kenny: ‘I want to build a team that really exhilarates Irish football people’

Kenny has asked the Irish public to keep faith with his blueprint for a side which he still believes can impress with the quality of its football while making it count on the scoreboard

Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Tuesday night’s friendly against the 2022 World Cup hosts in Debrecen, 230km east of Budapest, is likely to be as close as the Republic of Ireland come to experiencing anything Qatar has to offer after an abortive start to their qualifying campaign.

Four points from six was the unstated but accepted ambition for the trip to Serbia and Luxembourg’s visit to Dublin. Three points, courtesy of a win in that latter tie, was considered a non-negotiable base line.