Baku or bust: Another staging post on Stephen Kenny’s road to redemption

Not since facing Cyprus during Stephen Staunton’s sole campaign 14 years ago have Ireland failed to overcome a country of such lowly standing across two group games. Azerbaijan are 117th in the world rankings.

Manager Stephen Kenny during a Republic of Ireland training session at the Olympic Stadium Training Pitch in Baku, Azerbaijan. Picture:/Sportsfile

Another international window brings another night of reckoning for Stephen Kenny and this time there can’t be any excuses.

Every Ireland game this autumn has descended into a referendum on the manager’s future, a situation he can’t crib about given the disastrous run of results.