Commercial reality may force FAI’s hand to arrest Ireland malaise under Stephen Kenny

Companies favour being linked to brands lifting the public, not deflating them, and Jonathan Hill, the FAI chief executive recruited last November primarily for his track record in attracting blue-chip partners, is finding the pitch a hard sell

Shane Duffy reacts to a missed opportunity against Azerbaijan at the Aviva Stadium. Ireland are on the worst competitive run of their 100-year history.  Picture: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

When he took the manager’s job in 2020, Stephen Kenny spoke about a year like no other that Ireland faced.

“It’s an incredible year ahead really; unprecedented. We have got the 2020 Euro play-off against Slovakia, six games in the Nations League and also World Cup qualifiers.”