Cult of Stephen Kenny

If I recall Ireland played quite direct at times under Kenny but they have tried also to retain possession when they can. Posters here are referring to the "good old days" when we would have 20% possession in a game and scrap a 1-0 win or 1-1 draw.

There is a balance yes and we are getting there

A number of Wales players played for the senior team had international caps before they played with their clubs. Thats a player development plan happening at senior level. Its a lot harder now as friendlies are generally no longer friendlies but getting young players caps is essential to their development and the teams.

For a start Irish players can no longer move to the UK at 16/17. What i'm talking about in terms of development is getting young players into the squad and playing them at a younger age. Look at the game last night. How many of those young lads would MON or Mick started if they were in charge? It also has to be a collective effort. For too long the FAI relied on the UK to develop Irish players. That cant and wont happen anymore so that has to happen here on this island.

Develop the players before the reach even the stage to go to England. Its win at all costs in schoolboy football and recently I read that irish boys that are going over to English Premier league clubs are at least 2 years behind their peers in S&C. There is no plan in Ireland. And how many Irish players make it when they going over to these big clubs and how many return broken.

With regard to Kenny, he got the jobs on the back of his success with Dundalk and their success in Europe also. It is an added bonus he is Irish and geniunely has a passion for it unlike other managers just dialing it in. But yes in an ideal world we would be hiring a top world class manager but Kenny is on league 1 manager wages and thats where the FAI are. If ireland do not compete to qualify in the next qualification group, yes he should go, but hopefully an upgrade with a similar outlook is hired not an Allardyce type

Footballs about level's, LOI is Kenny's level no shame in that ,

In the end of the day I agree give him the Euros campaign & then we can all move on and the Cult can not say he wasn't given a chance,

Maybe they should go to an outfit in the UK, Delay Ltd, for advice.

Thats just absolute ignorance and disrespect for the LOI. Kenny has proven he is a good manager and deserved a go at the senior job. The majority of people are enjoying the style of football and othet like me have said he should be given time and also get the Euros.

To say Stephen Kenny supporters are then part of a cult is just nonsense. A cult is a minority of people and that appears to in this case people like yourself who never gave him a chance and put him down at any opportunity.

I was under the impression that Rowett, Van Bronckhorst and Farke are currrently employed. Anyway, when it comes to managing Ireland or any other similar job enjoying good luck is a major factor in ensuring success. A fortunate break of the ball. Look at Wales. They were exceedingly lucky to beat Ukraine and now they've gone and lost four in a row and will likely be slaughtered at the World Cup.

Over a year ago this thread was active, but the cult is still there! Some diehards are still holding out.

Only the excuses have became something different, more nuanced instead of 'in Kenny we trust' the vibe is he is trying things the 'right way' but he is also pragmatic and has been 'unlucky'

March 2023: after France (Home)

Paywall removed:

https://12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.the42.ie%2Fthe-biggest-myth-of-the-stephen-kenny-era-was-exposed-last-night-6030646-Mar2023%2F

From the above article in the 42- by Paul Fennessy

"There is of course no doubt that Ireland’s style of play has developed under the Tallaght native — there is far more emphasis on positivity and playing out from the back. There is much more trust in the players than had been there previously.

Arguably not since the Eoin Hand era have Ireland been more focused on the technical side of the game, rather than the physical, route-one approach implemented by Jack Charlton and replicated to a degree with diminishing returns by every subsequent Irish manager before Kenny.

But the tone of some of the commentary and criticism in relation to Kenny unfairly intimates he is some sort of naive idealist, too romantic and in love with beautiful football to succeed at the top level.

Ireland might have ultimately lost, but last night was still a strong counter-argument to that misguided perception.

You don’t get to the level Kenny has reached by being someone who is purely interested in the aesthetics of the beautiful game, at the expense of everything else.

You don’t win multiple league titles and guide an Irish club to unprecedented heights in Europe without having more to your management style than an ability to inspire pretty football.

And you don’t take the best side in Europe to the brink if you are out of your depth at international level.

Last night was all about fine margins. Ireland could so easily have drawn or potentially even beaten a side who were a penalty shootout away from winning the World Cup, if Mike Maignan had not pulled off a last-gasp wonder save to stop Nathan Collins’ header, or had Josh Cullen’s pass in the lead up to Benjamin Pavard’s fantastic strike been slightly more accurate.

Even in the recent past, the Boys in Green have got better results while playing worse against the top sides. Yet for 95% of Monday’s game, they looked relatively comfortable. It was a stark contrast with, for example, the home Serbia World Cup qualifier under Kenny where Gavin Bazunu had to pull off a string of superb saves to earn a 1-1 draw.

Ultimately, there was a pragmatism about Ireland last night that so nearly led to a fantastic result, a characteristic that has been a recurring feature of Kenny’s career, but one that does not fit the simplistic narrative that has dominated discussion of his Ireland tenure."

--

Paul Fennessy again after the loss to France (away)

8th September - head line is 'Kenny's Tenure seems doomed'

But again we are spun positives in a wistful manner.

"The Dubliner’s reign has been characterised by hard-luck stories and despite all the positive aspects of his time in charge — the encouraging home attendances, handing debuts to 19 mostly young players and overseeing a much-needed squad overhaul, encouraging a more progressive playing style than previous managers and his general decency as an individual that has made fans route for him arguably more than any previous incumbent — the succession of unfortunate results are increasingly difficult to ignore."

Again no real blame was put on Kenny.

===

Eamon Dunphy on Buzz.ie right 7th September 2023

From the article above -

"Yet Kenny was brave.

He introduced young, talented, skilful players to the side. You think of someone like Andy Reid or a playmaker like Wes Hoolahan who were ignored during the Trapattoni era.

And then you look at what Kenny has attempted to do - getting them to play the game in a bright, attractive fashion - and you wonder, why isn’t he receiving more praise?

The public back him.

That’s clear.

Look at the crowds in the stadium when Ireland play. They are full to capacity. They have connected with this team. They share Kenny’s vision. They have tired of long-ball tactics, which were outdated even in Charlton’s time, and are just stone-age stuff now.

So the public is getting what it wants, a team they can relate to, football they are entertained by."

Not one mention from Dunphy of the disastrous results Kenny had for Ireland, he laughably just blamed the FAI, did a Charlton comparison saying he had better players than Kenny etc

But some previous cheerleaders have only now started to waiver - Newstalk OTB. And the previously very vocal support/hype from Lisa Fallon for Kenny - in the newspapers and RTE studio has quietened down a lot.

At the time of writing OTB are questioning whether Kenny will still be in a job after France (Away) and before Netherlands (Home)

A change from the previous doubt on the 21st of June 2023

To the realisation before the France game (away) that Kenny was in trouble. Now OTB were scrambling for scenarios as to how Kenny could manage to get another campaign, only two days ago.

Gone are Lisa Fallon's cheery newspaper articles

November 2021 we were told by Fallon that Kenny captured 'Hearts and Minds' mixed in with a statistical spin on matches putting Kenny in favourable light - four clean sheets in a row etc

To a change in June 2021 where Fallon stated -

That Kenny's 'Project' might take years.

Fallon then switched back in 11th March 2022 - exulting the benefits of the patience Kenny received.

Fallon has not commented on Stephen Kenny in an article, since that date.

Sell out in the Aviva tomorrow night, id be surprised if there are more than 10% league of Ireland fans at the game, seeing as most soccer fans in Ireland are not league of Ireland supporters. So its definitely not just league of Ireland fans who are his supporters.

Maybe just more people like Kenny or something and think he is sound. I don't know? But likeable people are given more of chance than those who people don't take to.

As you and others have said it can't be just LOI fans, but for whatever the reason people really brought into this 'project' idea and forgave Kenny loads of poor results.

I can't think of another manager who was given that time for Ireland - Eoin Hand was in real hard luck a few times. as was Giles. But even they were shipped on. The stuff Toshack did for Wales throwing in a load of young players and waiting for 5-6 years (2004-2010) forgetting about qualification - focusing on youth.

It is the only comparable thing I can remember. But Toshack did not seem to venerated as manager like Steohen Kenny was/is for Ireland. Even though Toshack was a Welsh legend. Toshack gave out about his side as well when needs be. Something Kenny would never do.

Probably because they never got over being runner up behind Kenny's Dundalk so many times.

How much time would you give Kenny? Another five/six years?

How is Irish soccer going to be fixed in that time?

Ireland have have had Technical Performance Director - Rudd Dokter for eight years

What good did it do? He only annoyed the schoolboy clubs- which were nothing to do with the FAI.

Another Dutch fella Koovermans had the gig before him in 2008

Ah they couldn't be that bad, most picked play in England. Plus many LOI of fellas crossed over to England Paul McGrath, Kevin Moran, Shane Long. Kevin Doyle, Seamus Coleman, Daryl Horgan, Ogbene etc etc

I keep hearing people saying Stephen Kenny deserves more “time”.

Time to do what exactly? The whole thing has been a failure since day 1. What the FAI are waiting for is beyond me. He should have got the bullet 2 years ago. Apparently him handing 19 players their debut in his time is something he should be congratulated for. I’m delighted lads have been capped, but I’d say 15 of them aren’t good enough in the first place and are never going to be up to the level we actually need them to be.

the LOI fanboys when Ireland fail : “ he hasn’t got the players “

If he and Ireland were to succeed : “ Look, told ya, Kenny is a great manager “