NO STYLE AND NO SUBSTANCE
It’s eleven hours with no goal for Kenny’s charges
ACHILL wind is swirling through the damaged reputation of the Republic of Ireland which nothing can disguise, not even the new possession-based style as championed by Stephen Kenny.
Even allowing for all the disruptions and upheaval he has had to cope with since September, the evidence points to an Ireland team that is regressing.
Should Kenny somehow shape a meaningful 2022 World Cup challenge next year, it will be the work of a master escapologist. At the moment, Ireland are tied up in knots and not enough crosses.
Out of form, low on confidence, they j ust about survived the Nations League relegation battle and avoided relegation to Europe’s third tier by keeping Bulgaria’s battlers at bay at a windswept Aviva Stadium.
But the absence of urgency and guile on a night when a possible jump in the World Cup seeding from Pot 3 to Pot 2 hung in the balance made this difficult viewing. As it is, Ireland have dropped into the third bracket and must await their fate in the qualification draw on December 7.
What was going to be a difficult assignment with only 13 teams to go through, has just become that more treacherous. The World Cup seeding woe follows the Euro 2020 play- off pain i n Slovakia l ast month while the Nations League return of three points from a possible 18 was way below expectations.
Under Kenny, Ireland have fumbled in their pockets for coppers and come up empty-handed.
Eight games, no wins. Eight games, one goal. Eleven hours, no goal.
This is the first time since 1971 that the Republic of Ireland have failed to win a game in a calendar year. Even more so when the opposition included such ordinary teams as Finland and Bulgaria twice. Kenny has four months to reflect
on what’s not worked since he became manager and how he can fix it for a likely World Cup triple-header in March.
The spotlight is very much on him for he was hired by the FAI, with unprecedented responsibilities as director of international football, to bring the senior team to a better place.
There was little evidence of that last night in a game of modest quality which reflected the status of two humdrum teams.
This was bog- standard poor fare as the basement boys from B4 huffed and puffed like two light-weights on the National Stadium under-card.
All around Europe, many of the big guns were in action in League A, such as Italy, England, Holland and Belgium.
There was a time not all that long ago, when Ireland were good enough to give those sides a bloody nose with an uppercut or two. Not now.
A much-changed Ireland team, which included new cap Ryan Manning as one of five changes from the team that lost to Wales, began as if they were unfamiliar with each other.
Early on, the three central midfielders were all ahead of the ball in Bulgarian territory which provoked alarms when the visitors countered. Giovanni Trapattoni would have apoplexy had it occurred on his watch.
There were bouts of defensive sloppiness too as Shane Duffy and Jason Knight were guilty of giving away possession in dangerous areas. Fortunately for the culprits, Bulgaria did not have the sufficient artfulness to capitalise, for they too are on the crest of a slump
Not that they didn’t have their moments. Winning his 50th cap, Darren Randolph had to dive to his left to thwart a shot from Dmitar Ilev just before the half hour, while a poor touch by the same player soon after when bearing down on goal, was another reprieve.
Bulgaria also had a couple of corners which rattled the Irish defences. Ronan Curtis headed the first one over his own crossbar, before the lumbering Kristian Dimitrov muscled in front of his marker, only to mis-direct his header.
The half-hour mark completed 10 hours without an Irish goal and it was ironic that Ireland’s two first chances came from deflections off Bulgarian defenders, one of which worked the keeper.
Before the break, Kenny’s frustrations were evident after James Collins headed over the bar after good work from Daryl Horgan, prompting the manager to hold his head in anguish.
There was a wee spark after the half-time cuppa, as Collins swept into the side netting, before Knight and teed up the unmarked Curtis, who snatched wildly and missed the target.
At the other end, Randolph was guilty of over- elaborating and was almost embarrassed by Bozhidar Kraev. It was the second clear-cut error in four games from Ireland’s established No1.
Moments later, he was grateful for Shane Duffy’s lunge to deflect Dimitrov’s close range shot behind for a corner after the Irish defence went missing.
Past the mid-way point of the half, Robbie Brady shone a light into the Stygian gloom when he cut inside and let rip with a leftfoot rasper that rattled the bar.
Sadly for Brady he pulled up not long after clutching his hamstring and was substituted by Jack Byrne.
Ireland could still have pinched i t when Conor Hourihane’s inswinger from the left seemed destined for Knight, but a sliced Dimitrov clearance took the ball beyond him.
Deep into stoppage time, Ireland had men over on the counter but Troy Parrott drifted inches off-side. What a story the teenager might have given us.
Instead, the grim narrative is becoming all too frequent. It’s been a year to forget.
‘Bulgaria did not have the artfulness to capitalise’