Cult of Stephen Kenny

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100682#Comment_121100682

He's an LOI man. Simple as that. Hamann and MON are spot on with the slack he is been given here.

boccers

I have never been to a LOI match and maybe watched 2 in my life. I have no team near me and have no connection to it but the fact that Kenny came from LOI seems to be a stick ppl are beating him with and almost comes across as an anti-LOI sentiment especially when you call him LOI Boy. Kenny didn't get the job because he won a load of LOI titles. He got it because he did very well with Dundalk in Europe relative to the squad and budget they had at the time. He followed this with some success with our U21s so at the time it looked a promising appointment. Things haven't worked out but it seems like a lot of people are delighted he is failing. This comes across with some in the media too including Brian Kerr, Richard Dunne, Damien Delaney etc who seem to have been particularly put out by Kenny's initial comments on how he would change Irish football. These comments were very ill advised at the time and look foolish now but they all seem to have taken it as a slight. In fairness to Mick McCarthy I found him very fair when he was commenting on Sky immediately after being let go by the FAI.

Curse These Metal Hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100714#Comment_121100714

But yet they are excited to see the English under 21s manager to take over.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100731#Comment_121100731

An Ex Ireland international.

Hopefully he will at least be able to string a coherent sentence together for the players.

erlichbachman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100731#Comment_121100731

There’s hardly a list of top managers queing up for the job, but with that said Carsley, Lennon, Keane and Hughton all make Stephen Kenny look like a Sunday league manager, that’s where we’ve been for the last few years.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100078#Comment_121100078

We have been ranked a lot higher and a lot lower over the years. Two teams with almost equal ranking, it makes sense for the bookies to make the home team slight favourites. But the people who know nothing about football just assume we will beat Gibraltar and Greece home and away, and get two draws or two wins in the games against France and Holland. People who know about football would have called the results we got so far, and they would have made a small bit of money from the bookies.

We have had those higher and lower rankings mostly based on the quality of players available. The manager can't buy better players. We are one of those countries like Scotland and Norway who can go for decades without getting to tournament finals. No other manager would have done better with the current crop.

Curse These Metal Hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100767#Comment_121100767

But I thought hiring inexperienced managers is a massive mistake? There are many who say Kenny should never have been given the job due to his credentials, but are excited about Carsely.

Curse These Metal Hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100767#Comment_121100767

But I thought hiring inexperienced managers is a massive mistake? There are many who say Kenny should never have been given the job due to his credentials, but are excited about Carsely.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100812#Comment_121100812

Hmm not sure whether I would consider Carsley as inexperienced. In fat I think he'd get a job in PL or championship without issue if he were interest and the right job came along. Kenny shouldn't be in the KDSL at this stage.

osarusan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100786#Comment_121100786

We have had those higher and lower rankings mostly based on the quality of players available. The manager can't buy better players. We are one of those countries like Scotland and Norway who can go for decades without getting to tournament finals. No other manager would have done better with the current crop.

Any competent manager would have avoided the results we've had against Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, and Qatar, with the current crop.

Even considering the limited pool of players we have, Kenny has had us consistently punching below our weight.

Tombo2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121098227#Comment_121098227

Funny, John Giles doesnt think so but what does he know.

There is no argument that says this manager has underperformed with the group of players he has at his disposal.

Its like whingeing about the Meath manager because they didnt get to an all Ireland final.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100786#Comment_121100786

Horseshit.

Curse These Metal Hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100825#Comment_121100825

Well, if the Premier league is just around the corner it makes no sense for him to take the Ireland job.

Tombo2001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121099142#Comment_121099142

Why would Roy Keane take this job.....honestly.

There is no obvious candidate her at all.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100836#Comment_121100836

He has an opinion like the rest of us.

osarusan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100836#Comment_121100836

There is no argument that says this manager has underperformed with the group of players he has at his disposal.

Failing to beat Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, and Qatar at home is the very definition of underperforming with the players he has at his disposal.

Stanley 1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100714#Comment_121100714

McCarthy was an out and out Delaney fan, he still needed his pay off and there was a bonus scheme in place from which he stood to gain very nicely, not going to rock the boat, there was always talk his contracts were so generous, Delaney could have been his agent or may have gained financially somehow.

Gusser09

https://www.balls.ie/football/eamon-dunphy-stephen-kenny-criticism-570033

This lad absolutely slated Trap , MON, Charlton and Mick. What a joke the irish media, himself and Giles really are.

Anything for them too to stay relevant after getting removed from RTE I suppose.

boccers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100825#Comment_121100825

He's inexperienced at senior level. As in he has no experience. I am excited to see if he does become our manager as he seems to be very highly thought of but he has only worked as a coach and underage manager so he is not experienced in terms of men's football.

Saying he would get a job in the most valuable league in the world without issue kind of sums up what we are dealing with here.

Sunny Disposition

Every Irish manager gets severe criticism. Even Jack Charlton during the year we reached the last eight in the world.

To me it looks like Kenny hasn’t installed a winning mentality. That said it’s a very average squad and we’re not way behind where we should be at best. There was no shame in the two recent results.

orangerhyme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100467#Comment_121100467

Scotland have much better players than us. They've a core of excellent players playing PL and CL.

Not to diminish Steve Clarke's achievements.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100825#Comment_121100825

Interesting point about Kenny. His stock has probably gone down after the Ireland job, not upwards. It would probably be very difficult for him to get a job outside the LOI now.

Everlong1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100847#Comment_121100847

Because he's been banging on for years about the culture of celebrating failure and lack of professionalism in Irish football and now has a chance to put his money where his mouth is and show us all how it should be done?

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100672#Comment_121100672

Who are these best players coming through though? Ferguson has been around for like 3 matches. We have Collins and O'Shea who are doing ok but they're not really anything special so far, our full backs Coleman and Doherty almost done. Our midfield is diabolical by all measures. Parrot, Obafemi, Idah... none of them are really working out.

It's a terrible squad, Scotland have a much more solid team.

Gusser09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121101153#Comment_121101153

We have decent player available to us that should be beating Luxembourg , Armenia and Azerbaijan twice. However you are correct in your assertion that at the moment we don't really have game changers available.

That's the exact reason why we need a manager to come in a get the best out of this bunch. And tika taka 50 passes 30 meters from our own goals isn't it.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100825#Comment_121100825

There's no way he'd be taking the Ireland job if PL or Championship clubs were looking for a manager - he's gone around a few clubs, and acted as caretaker, without getting the gig. But his main track record is in underage teams. Kenny has far more experience.

From talking up the players, now we're down to talking up the alternatives? Out of the realistic options, he's probably my pick, but "not Kenny" does not equal the next coming of Pep!

gormdubhgorm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121100825#Comment_121100825

Even if Carsley wanted the Ireland job and would take a pay cut etc. I would not be sure on him at all. He has only managed at underage level - the crop of players he had at u21 for England was exceptional.

I know people will be screaming Kerr got the Ireland job - similar etc. True.

But I would counter that with Kerr had an experienced senior squad, grizzled pros - plus he brought Roy Keane back. Leaders all over the pitch.

This current crop of Ireland players are really inexperienced, there is no stand out 'leader' except Coleman and he is always injured. So the only only hope is leadership from the sideline - needs to be a shouter, vocal, driven, a thick skin, experienced etc That is the type of manager Ireland is crying out for.

Plus a manager who can spot tactical changes where needed. It was pointed out second captains podcast by Damien Delaney and Ken Early that Kenny did not seem to spot that Holland changed to a four even post match!

https://www.secondcaptains.com/2023/09/11/episode-2736-you-say-you-want-an-evolution-ireland-1-2-netherlands/

The Irish manager needs to react quickly tactically be more aware, Kenny always seemed poor tactically.

The podcast was also noticeable in that Eoin wanted Kenny to stay on because he felt sorry for him. It was as if they were talking about a dog they were going to put down - talking of dignity! Sadlier said he tried that approach but there comes a tipping point - also it is a senior international team not some junior club.

Gusser09

We keep coming back to the obvious thing here. Kenny has utterly failed in terms of results. Who can get the most out of the group of players? Can these players handle the key targets which are set for them? (Being in contention for a playoff or automatic spot going into the last 2 or 3 games of a group). Or are these players comfortable now with Kenny and no real expectation being placed on them from the management other than not playing direct ball.

boccers

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121101274#Comment_121101274

One thing I always wondered and I presume it is the case but would managers have someone up high in the stands to send down messages? Very hard to see anything on the sideline or on a screen.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121101275#Comment_121101275

I do believe that a really good manager can improve any bunch of players. You'd have to say that Kenny is seriously underachieving at this point (look at the Greek result. A good manager could certainly improve our results and see us picking up points.