Filling the void left by Kenny’s departure
IT has taken the ten days since the news of the appointment of Stephen Kenny as manager of the Republic of Ireland under-21 team broke for Dundalk supporters to come to terms with the reality that the man they have come to regard as their Messiah won’t be guiding them to the promised land of yet more trophies in the coming seasons.
It is also obvious that while the appointment of Mick McCarthy as senior boss for the next two years with Stephen Kenny taking over in July, 2020 has been called bizarre by many shrewd observers, it is also clear that the FAI were fortunate to get McCarthy and Kenny on board for the out of work former Ipswich manager was always anxious to have a second crack at the Irish job whereas Kenny has harboured a driving passion for some time to be in a position to change the way our national teams play.
That fervour for the top job in Irish football manifested itself in the manner in which the former Dundalk manager spoke at his press conference in the Aviva on the day of his appointment and in later interviews, mostly notably on the Marian Finucane radio show on Saturday morning.
For many in Dundalk that clarity and sense of belief with which Stephen Kenny spoke is not new, for townspeople have listened to him frequently enough at local level and have read his thoughts on many occasions in his well considered programme notes that were no means confined to football matters.
But for others, his national audience, his views on the game in Ireland and his capacity to speak succinctly on the social issues of the day, were a breath of fresh air and have already stored up a bank of public goodwill that will sustain him in the years ahead.
Unfortunately it also brought home to many - not the ardent Dundalk fans - that the club have lost a very special figure from the helm of the club, and one that will be difficult, if not impossible to replace.
Last week a prominent sports writer in Ireland penned the following “there is an absolute in the argument; modern professional team sports are all about coaching. You can go a long way with a good coach, but even further with an exceptional one”.
The writer of those words was Neil Francis the former Irish lock, who was making the argument that the IRFU and the media could spin it however they liked but no one could ever replace Irish rugby coach, Joe Schmidt who announced on the same day that Stephen Kenny was appointed that he was returning to New Zealand at the end of next year’s World Cup next year.
Schmidt, according to Francis, is a miner of talent, a persuader, a man with integrity, resilience and resolve. A man with a burning desire who embraces hard work, a man who insists that you buy into him before you buy into his vision.
Substitute Kenny for Schmidt and you could be talking about the same values that drives both men.
If Schmidt is irreplaceable in the Irish set-up, does the same not apply to Dundalk and Stephen Kenny’s departure ?
You need to replace quality with quality to continue.
Ireland have chosen to appoint from within, with Andy Farrell taking over, and reports would indicate that Dundalk may be going along the same lines with assistant manager and coach, Vinny Perth getting the unqualified endorsement of his former boss.
A problem remains however in that Perth does not have the necessary UEFA qualification coaches badges to take over, and that, in the surface appears to be a major obstacle.
Stephen Kenny’s departure and the unexpected problem over the accession process has created a major dilemma for the American owners, Peak6, and one that will prove to be a severe test of their commitment the club in the longer term.
It was easy to sign up to the deal to take over the club at the start of last season with Stephen Kenny at the helm for he was, as his record in recent seasons has shown, the outstanding manager/ coach in the League, and with the resources at their disposal to acquire new players to strength an already strong panel, Peak6 could be reasonably comfortable in the knowledge that the European qualification, which brings the cream on the season’s earnings, was guaranteed.
With Stephen Kenny continuing at the helm, and given his European experience with teams, and the panel at his disposal, there was always the prospect with added bonus of a seeding in the European Champions League next year, that Dundalk could hit the same jackpot as they did in the 2016 campaign.
All that has changed with Stephen Kenny’s departure and no successor of his calibre on the horizon.
Fortunately a month of the close season remains to find a successor, and if Vinny Perth is not eligible to take up the job, and outsider, most likely from outside of the country, will have to be brought in.
That prospect is fraught with risks because of the time it will take to get to know the players at the club and the League, while valuable time will be lost in recruiting the few quality players to strength the panel for the domestic and European campaign with the re-signing of Robbie Benson now a major priority.
That is the unwanted situation facing the new owners and many are predicting that their response will be a acid test of their long term ambitions for the club.