‘My ambition was to lead Ireland to a tournament’
But Nations League failures put paid to Kenny’s dream
THE return to Amsterdam next Saturday is a far cry from the Republic of Ireland’s last visit for a qualifier 23 years ago. Then, manager Mick McCarthy and his players were embarking on a World Cup campaign and a gritty 2-2 draw was a positive start against the De Boers, Van Bronckhurst, Kluivert, Cocu and Co – even if Roy Keane berated his team-mates for blowing a 2-0 lead.
How Stephen Kenny could have done with an enforcer like Keane to rally and rouse the troops in the trenches over the past four years, to ensure Ireland kept a grip on the high ground.
Might Ireland have won away in Serbia, where they led 1-0? Possibly. Might they have won in Portugal, where they also led 1-0, deep into the second half? Possibly.
But Josh Cullen and Jayson Molumby, two of Kenny’s midfield mainstays since 2020, are not a patch on Keane.
Kenny can reflect on the ifs, buts and maybes of his watch, as he did on Thursday at FAI headquarters, but it won’t change his record.
Over four campaigns, and a Euro play-off semi-final, embracing 28 competitive games, Ireland won six times – twice against Gibraltar, and once against Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Scotland.
That’s a grim return and Kenny, to his credit, acknowledged there had been ‘some flaws’ on his journey.
He knows too, there is no way back. The autobahn to Germany next summer is closed off, through front door and back.
‘The ambition would have been to lead the team to a tournament. To be at a major tournament would be a huge thing, that wasn’t the case. But definitely, it’s incredibly special (being manager).
‘I don’t want to see myself not as Ireland manager. That may happen next week, I don’t know. We have had a lot of great matches but the results are something we have to contend with,’ he said.
How costly Ireland’s third-place finish in a four-team Nations League group involving Ukraine, Scotland and Armenia last year, has proved.
Coming second, well within Ireland’s reach, would have guaranteed a play-off next March and led to far fewer references from Kenny about being in the group of death with the Netherlands and the France.
As to why Ireland are third seeds, look no further than this time three years ago when Ireland’s failure to beat Bulgaria at home in the Nations League dropped them out of second seed status for the 2022 World Cup draw.
They’ve been paying for that lapse ever since. Kenny has two games left as manager, starting with the Netherlands on Saturday, followed by a friendly in Dublin against New Zealand where the send-off will be generous, for he remains popular with the Irish supporters.
That will complete 40 games as Ireland manager, the same as Eoin Hand and more than John Giles (36 games) and Brian Kerr (33 games).
Only Martin O’Neill (55 games), Giovanni Trapattoni (64 games), Mick McCarthy (78 games) and
Jack Charlton (95 games), have managed Ireland for more matches – all four led the team to a major tournament.
Kenny’s remit from the FAI was to follow those successful managers, and he was given license to do so in a way he felt was
necessary, by introducing a new way of playing, and a new wave of players.
Many observers still believe Kenny was right to be bold and brave, and refuse to chide him for going where no other Irish manager had gone before.
Others take a more pragmatic view – that results matter more than romance.
On Thursday, Kenny stood over his vision. ‘I still don’t accept that the players aren’t good enough that we can’t play that way,’ he said.
‘Our style of play has changed a lot. Have we been punished for that as well? Yeah we have, because the goals we conceded against Greece and Holland, when we were 1-0 up, have been on the counter-attack.
‘We were in the ascendancy when we conceded on the counter-attack against Greece and Holland at home. That’s because we’ve been committing players forward.’
As the clock ticks down to a phonecall from the FAI later this month, Kenny reflected on his time in charge, and also contemplated what lies ahead.
‘Some of it wasn’t easy. We had empty stadiums for the first year and a half and I didn’t feel fully like the manager then. It was a bit surreal, the whole experience,’ he said.
There was also flak, which surfaced as the team struggled to deliver on Kenny’s vision.
This paper was one of the first to query where Kenny was taking Ireland.
Kenny felt some of the analysis was ‘personal’ and ‘crossed the line’.
‘Some of the criticism can be quite personal at times and very unwarranted that’s for sure,’ he said.
‘Some of it can be settling scores but I think from my point of view, I’ve always been resilient.
‘I understand criticism is part of it, a lot of it crossed the line in the last while but international management is a harsh environment.’
Kenny has been a manager for almost half his 52 years, and has no intention of doing anything else, whatever the future holds.
‘I was a manager for 20 years before I came to the FAI. Between the 21s and first team, that’s nearly five years. I have that level of longevity.
‘I’m hungry to do well. I won’t be taking a break, I’ll be either managing Ireland or working again. I want to be on the grass.
‘I’m running most days. I’m feeling good and I’m fitter than the lot of you,’ he quipped to journalists in the FAI boardroom on Thursday.
Kenny is football-daft and can reel off player data and stats, the latest trend in coaching, to beat the band.
‘You have to constantly evolve and learn. The game is evolving at a rapid rate and I’ve learned all of the trends. You’re constantly looking to improve. I’m always looking to get better.’
Sadly for Kenny, Ireland are no better now than they were when he became manager – dropping into the bottom half of Europe’s 55 teams last month was an unwanted first.
Even so, when he departs, he will, he points out, leave a decent ‘pool of talent’ with ‘a bit of depth’ for the next manager to tap into.
Until that change happens, Kenny is in charge and ‘will fight for everything this week’.
Kenny can reflect on the ifs and buts but it won’t change his record