KENNY’S NUMBERS COME UP TRUMPS
Two wins have believers of his creed brimming with optimism
AS a nation feverishly seeks the secret to the €19m Lotto jackpot, Stephen Kenny has come up trumps with his set of lucky numbers: 2, 5, 7, 13, 22, 25. Five weeks after Shane Duffy’s late leveller rescued Kenny from the brink against Azerbaijan, the Irish manager’s October quick pick has bought him time, and the most precious prize of all — credit with players, fans and the FAI. This was how Kenny cracked the code. TWO: Represented wins against Azerbaijan and Qatar, a first back-to-back for Ireland in two and a half years.
FIVE: The goals return of Callum Robinson as he equalled the 2013 feat achieved by the legendary Robbie Keane.
Seven: The number of Irish goals in the two games, also a first since 2013.
13: A first win in competition for Kenny at the ‘lucky’ 13th attempt.
22: The sum of the players Kenny used in both games, which must be an Irish record.
25: The number of thousands at the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday who enjoyed every minute of the 4-0 romp against Qatar.
Kenny doesn’t need to join the rest of us this Saturday in the queue for Lotto tickets. He’s already got his tucked in his pocket.
It means he is free to map out his visits across the Irish Sea for the coming weeks as he prepares for the final World Cup round-up against Portugal and Luxembourg.
The pressure building since September’s two point return out of a possible nine has been eased by wins which were embossed by a welcome hint of style, even swagger.
Those in harness to the Kenny creed are giddy with optimism that the October window can be a pointer to greater things.
To them, the noises around Kenny’s position before were irrelevant and that now is the time to make noise of a different kind. Pump up the volume, ‘cos we’re on the march with Stevie’s Army.
They may be right. Perhaps it’s time to light the bonfires on the Martello Towers and signal Ireland are a coming force in football again. Euro 2024, here we come and all that.
I’d rather hold off until Ireland have shown they can overcome teams of greater substance than the ones they played this week, and when more is asked of Kenny on the touchline in tighter games.
Azerbaijan, a beaten docket in the World Cup, and Qatar, are not in the same ball-park as Portugal or Serbia.
Playing their 16th game worldwide since the end of March, Qatar were like the Harlem Globetrotters at the tail end of a global tour — exhausted and lacking motivation.
Since September 1, the World Cup hosts have conceded 14 goals in four losses to Group A opponents, and also drawn 1-1 with Luxembourg. On Tuesday, the early deflection and penalty drained their meek resolve and they collapsed like a cheap suit.
As Ireland ran riot, sniffing out goals like porkers after truffles, not everyone was buzzing.
Aaron Connolly, Kenny’s first choice striker at the start of the World Cup campaign, was consigned to barracks, or rather the bench, once again.
Troy Parrott, who plays in League One, came on twice ahead of him, as did James Collins. As Ireland emptied the bench at the Aviva, even Harry Arter got a wee run.
If Connolly ever needed a kick in the backside to get his career back on track, this was surely it. At 21, he needs to knuckle down and start delivering at club level or risk slipping further into the shadows.
Having Connolly at his sharpest would give Kenny an extra foil in an attack which lacks a goal threat, Robinson excluded.
Adam Idah, for all his industry, does most of his best work with his back to goal. He’s not a sniper down the back alleys like Connolly.
If Connolly wanted evidence of a route back, Jeff Hendrick is the example. Dropped by Kenny at the start of the World Cup in March, he has since reclaimed his place and drew warm praise from the manager on Tuesday.
Hendrick has benefited from his return to a central role which followed Ireland’s tactical switch from a flat back four to three central defenders and wing-backs.
That subtle shift in approach followed the arrival of coach Anthony Barry in March. If it works for Chelsea, why not Ireland?
Half-way through his post-match press briefing, Kenny excused himself and left the Aviva Stadium conference room for a few moments.
It followed a series of coughs, for which Kenny required a sip of water and time to compose himself before he resumed his duties. ‘Take as long as you need,’ said a thoughtful colleague.
The comment struck me as being akin to the instructions issued by the FAI top brass to Kenny when he stepped up as manager in April 2020.
Because Kenny has needed every moment of latitude afforded to him by his employers in the 18 months that have passed since his appointment.
The Group A table is shocking from an Irish perspective and one win out of six is no cause for celebration, rather one for scrutiny and a serious review.
Ireland have mustered five points out of 18 and trail the Serbs by 12 points and Portugal by 11.
The gaps could even be wider when the gunsmoke clears on the night of November 14.
Is Kenny the man to bridge those gaps and make Ireland competitive for the Euro 2024 qualifiers? That’s the $64,000 question which the
FAI directors and CEO Jonathan Hill have to ask themselves next month. For all Kenny’s hints on Tuesday about delivering a play-off place via the next Nations League which starts next summer, he’s not quite in the posi- tion where a new deal is waiting to be inked.
What’s undeniable, is that a contract to continue in charge is not as far away as it was after 86 minutes against Azerbaijan.
Those final minutes of games, evident in day one when Duffy equalised in Bulgaria, have been crucial for Kenny.
“I’d hold off until
we play teams of more substance”