Damien Delaney: 'Kenny has everything he wants. There are no more excuses'

Delaney refuses to be disillusioned by the paucity of Irishmen in the Premier League he once inhabited ahead of this weekend’s kick-off, adamant the quality of the Championship most of Kenny’s players operate in lends itself to a solid international team.

Thu, 04 Aug, 2022 - 08:05

John Fallon

Damien Delaney insists the pressure remains on Stephen Kenny’s shoulders, with no excuses tolerable for any more mishaps by the Ireland manager.

The former Crystal Palace defender refuses to be disillusioned by the paucity of Irishmen in the Premier League he once inhabited ahead of this weekend’s kick-off, adamant the quality of the Championship most of Kenny’s players operate in lends itself to a solid international team.

Moulding those components is the responsibility of the manager, with the June defeat in Armenia convincing Delaney that Kenny is still learning on the job.

The Ireland boss recovered enough ground in the latter part of the World Cup campaign from a defeat to Luxembourg and home draw against Azerbaijan to earn a contract extension in February.

Corkman Delaney, who won nine caps, felt the draw against a second-string Belgium side and late win over Lithuania in March delivered further evidence of a corner being turned until what he observed in Yerevan.

Ireland slumped to a 1-0 defeat against the nation ranked 92nd in the world, losing by the same scoreline at home to Ukraine a few days later.

Those back-to-back defeats obliterated Kenny’s stated target of topping their Uefa Nations League group, yet the subsequent win over Scotland and draw against the Ukrainians on neutral ground of Poland regained respectability.

The manager’s contract renewal runs through next year’s Euro 2024 qualifiers – the opposition for which will be discovered on October 9 – but the FAI hedged their bets by inserting a limited severance clause after the current series concludes away to Scotland and home against Armenia in late September.

Virgin Media pundit Delaney reckons Kenny has used up his quotient of lives over his two-year tenure, reasoning an upturn on his record of just three wins from 19 competitive matches at the helm is overdue.

“Pressure is absolutely still on Stephen’s job and he’s not out of the woods yet,” said the 41-year-old.

“I can’t think of another Irish manager that would have survived the results Stephen has had. He’s had an enormous amount of goodwill. Not only has he survived but people are rooting for him.

“We all want Stephen to do well but he’s had too many of those bad results. Displays against top-tier nations are good and well if you’re taking care of the matches that should be won like Luxembourg, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“It’s difficult to build foundations when you keep getting set back. We’ve all tolerated it because of Covid and injuries - excuses have been made for him.

“However, you can’t be ultra-optimistic all the time. Stephen needs to start showing signs of serious improvements in the games that matter. Eradicating results like losing to Armenia is the starting point.”

What particularly perplexed Delaney was the set-up in Ireland’s Nations League opener. His analyst role entailed him covering Scotland’s trip to the Republican Stadium two weeks later and the contrast was stark.

“I was flabbergasted by the approach Stephen adopted in Armenia,” he stressed. “I was curious to see had he learnt from facing the likes of Luxembourg and Azerbaijan because we had mixed it up in Baku, spinning passes down the channels to Adam Idah which helped wear them down.

“But the tactics were a mistake from kick-off. We were very open, giving them what they wanted. Armenia just sat back and the tempo of the game slowed down.

“There was an element of believing we’d go to Armenia, enjoy ourselves and pass them off the park.

“I’m not saying punt the ball long all the time and sit in. Rather we should be using our power and bring urgency to the passing. Scotland looked like Brazil by the end of their 4-1 win out there. The pressure they applied resulted in Armenia having two players sent-off.”

Ending the year on a high is achievable once the appropriate selection and structure is implemented, according to the ex-Cork City defender.

Nathan Collins, Séamus Coleman and Matt Doherty are the three non-goalkeepers expected to figure in the top-flight but the decisions of Jeff Hendrick, Troy Parrott, Shane Long and Robbie Brady to step down from that sphere into the Championship are conducive to an improved Ireland unit.

“The Championship is no joke – the overspill from the Premier League makes it an outrageous standard,” noted Delaney, who experienced that level with Hull City, QPR and Ipswich Town.

“It’s not the shitshow that it was when I was there – a survival of the fittest.

“Look at the amount of foreign managers and players in that division. Tactically and technically, it’s visually brilliant.

“Money brings quality. If a Championship club can pay more money than a Belgium team, it attracts players. There’s some seriously talented youngsters on loan from Premier League clubs too and we have plenty of Irish lads getting regular games over a 46-match season.

“Stephen has everything he wants to push on to finish the Nations League campaign strongly.

“It’s all at his disposal, including strength in depth, and he must figure out a way to put it together.”