Stephen Kenny’s Ireland era – the good and bad
HAPPIER TIMES: Stephen Kenny during the early days of his Ireland reign. Pic Credit ©INPHO/Evan Treacy
Home-grown Ireland managers are a rarity – Eoin Hand, rather than Brian Kerr, was the last LOI boss to join the FAI with the top job guaranteed – demonstrating domestic success can form a springboard.
His failed reign could close that route for the time being but Damien Duff’s profile is soaring as a result of the yields he’s extracted two years into his Shelbourne stint.
Whatever about John Delaney’s motivation for presenting two managers in late 2018, Kenny spending a year working with the U21 team provided a close insight of what talent was emerging.
Several of his players such as Adam Idah and Liam Scales have spoken recently of Kenny’s impact on them at underage level. Promoting coaches, not just players, through the ranks is a phenomenon across Europe.
Lionel Scaloni perfected it for World champions Argentina.
Saw Doctors sang about Winning Just Once and Kenny will always have that warm afternoon from June 2022 when the sun seemed to shine through every sinew of Irish football.
Neither Troy Parrott nor Michael Obafemi were among Kenny’s list of senior debutants but both had figured for him on the U21 stage.
Together, they ripped the Scots asunder in the Nations League by sharing the goals and pointing towards a better future straight after the ignominy of losing in Armenia.
All too frequently, Kenny chose to select historical comparisons to trumpet his own strides but that’s not only disingenuous but silly when the results don’t afford the high moral ground.
Clearing out long-standing backroom members like chartered physio Ciaran Murray and others was unwise and it was mirrored on the pitch by leaving the 1992-born trio of Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady on the bench for the opening World Cup qualifier in Serbia.
Liam Brady argued Kenny was trying to make a statement with his selections.
Opinions are welcome but delusionary takes sow seeds of doubt. To cling onto the Covid excuse when every other national team was affected smacked of desperation.
For example, in Kenny’s most important match of 2020, the Euro playoff, Slovakia lost a raft of players, including two Serie A stars in Stanislav Lobotka and Milan Skrinar, due to the pandemic whereas Ireland’s absentee from the starting line, Aaron Connolly, was entirely self-inflicted.
Nobody bothered to prevent him breaking distancing rules by switching seats on the flight. The wild views only worsened.
Judging international managers in clear cold terms tends to revolve around qualifications and rankings. The latter influenced the former by determining pots in draws and Ireland’s malaise under Kenny restricted them to third seeds every time a draw came around.
From a position of 34 in FIFA’s rankings when he succeeded Mick McCarthy, Ireland have dangerously plummeted. The next set of standings, due to be unfurled within a week, will show Ireland on the verge, or hitting, the 60 mark.
That burdens Ireland with more to do to avoid being demoted to fourth seeds, rather than push for a second spot in time for the 2026 World Cup draw late next year.
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