Cult of Stephen Kenny

But what about his bad points ? 🤪

You focused on the rankings but the main point is the 6 major failures. The huge drop in rankings are as a result of them.

First, let's deal with the lies from Kenny supporters. We have not been awful for years. We've had some awful performances and results but also some brilliant performances and results. Under Martin O'Neill and Trappatoni, we qualified for major tournaments. We only ever qualified for 4 prior to Trappatoni so they are excellent achievements. At Euro 2016, we had a very good tournament, drawing with Sweden, beating Italy and giving the hosts France a great game in the last 16.

Under both these managers we got famous wins. Away to France, away to Austria, home to Germany, the playoff win against Bosnia, away against Wales. Some really good draws as well. Kenny supporters would have statues erected if he achieved any of this. Instead, he has a competitive win ratio of only 19%, under half of what was achieved under Trappatoni and O'Neill. Even McCarthy, with a worse squad than Kenny, had a record of played 10, won 5, drew 4 and lost 1. So overall, we haven't been brilliant for years but we've been far from awful. That's until Kenny arrived. Let's look at the 6 major failures:

Failure 1: Had a great chance to get a new manager bounce and qualify for Euro 2020 but lost to a depleted Slovakia team.

Failure 2: Only scored 1 goal and nearly came bottom of his first Nation's League group coming miles behind Wales and Finland.

Failure 3: Got effectively knocked out of World Cup qualification after 2 matches by losing to Luxembourg, came miles behind Serbia and Portugal.

Failure 4: Struggled past Armenia at home after losing away to avoid coming bottom of his second Nation's League, way behind Scotland and Ukraine.

Failure 5: Got effectively knocked out of Euro 2024 qualification after 2 matches by losing to Greece. Sitting just above Gibraltar, miles off the top 3.

Failure 6: Previous results, especially his second Nation's League have made it almost impossible to get a playoff for the Euros.

He has achieved these 6 major failures in 3 years of managing Ireland. He has had 1 good win in that time but also some of the most depressing, awful performances we've ever had. And let's not forget, the only times we've had good performances under Kenny is when Barry or Eustace have been looking after the team formation, set up and tactics for him.

You may not care about the rankings but they are hugely important in what draws we get going forward. So, it's not only the 6 major failures but the drop in rankings have huge ramifications for future managers. It will take a lot of hard work to recover from the damage caused by Kenny. He's been an unmitigated disaster. No amount of lies, revisionism or throwing our players under the bus will change that fact.

Don’t agree with all of this post, particularly the bits about O’Neill and Trap, but well said nonetheless.

Observing this discussion has been interesting. I really don’t understand why people take such extreme views and project some sort of hidden agenda or stupidity on those who make the opposite point. Debate and discussion is dead on the internet and in much of life. It’s just two opposing views trying to shout the other one down.

I didn't read the rest of your post. Ooooo that makes you a liar so. Liar liar pants on fire.

See how very silly the liar stuff sounds.

Look, you hate Kenny, accept that others don't. And many of us will gloss over the post after post after post after post after post after post after post in which you confuse opinion with facts.

I don't hate Kenny, that's another lie. And again, you refuse to even attempt to argue against all the points I raised. Why is that?

Just to remind you in case you pretend you didn't see it again.

6 major failures.

Falling way down the rankings.

Others had to look after formations and tactics for him.

Let's start with those 3.

You care. Very much.

How many times have you posted about Kenny here?

Were you banned from the soccer forum for your posts about Kenny?

🤣 I just find it amusing how much squirming you're doing that's all.

Let's try again. Kenny's had 6 major failures, I've quoted them below as apparently you missed them the first time. Any argument against those?

You don't sound amused. Calling people you don't know "liars" just because they have a different opinion sounds more like angry.

Now, speaking of squirming, we'll try again. Were you banned from the soccer forum for your posts about Kenny?

I'm actually very amused! 🤣 Your posts are basically like that leave Britney alone guy:

Leave Kenny alone!!!! 😂

You've failed to refute any of the points I've raised against Kenny. You're clearly part of the cult. I'm getting second hand embarrassment from the squirming you're doing, I'm sure others are the same. So I'll do you and everyone else a favour and put you on ignore. I don't have to pretend not to have read your posts! 😸

I can see why this poster was banned from the soccer forum.

Posters can be for or against Kenny. But the tirade of abuse, the "you're all liars and in a cult and my opinion is a fact so there" stuff is just so lame.

Once we qualified for tournaments?

We didn't really. We never qualified at all until Charlton. He had some world class players, played an ugly but effective style, and it worked well. Since then it's been diminishing returns, the headlines in 2002 were all off the field, 2012 was a disgrace. In fairness 2016 was good, young players, some great moments. Why O'Neill took that and went back to Trap hoofball is a mystery.

Who do you think would be good enough to take this bunch of players onwards and upwards?

I've just started a new thread on the soccer forum:

It would be interesting to get opinions and then start a poll.

The three previous managers before Stephen Kenny brought Ireland to major international tournaments - tournaments we all celebrated in qualifying for, enjoyed the build-up to whilst experiencing the highs and lows.

It is a total joke for anyone to refer to 2012 as a "disgrace". The achievement was in the qualification and we ended up in a group with the two eventual finalists (one of them the then holders of both the World Cup and the Euros and the other the winner of the Wrold Cup just 6 years previously) and Croatia (an international football team of considerable pedigree and players).

We are a country of 5m (less when qualifying) where football comes a distant fourth in terms of funding. Who da fook do the SK fan club think we are? Brazil 1970 in disguise?

It is also a complete disgrace for our so-called "fans" to denigrate the achievement of qualifying for major tournaments in order to protect Stephen Kenny from his disastrous reign as manager. You people are not supporters of Ireland.

And you are perfectly entitled to enjoy the pints and the build up and the craic and not care that we were getting hammered on the field. Or justify it with your "Croatia are great but we're only a small country of 5 million" (though you might want to check the population of Croatia). I didn't enjoy it, or the record breaking defeat against Germany that you overlook, or the subsequent campaign with watching Traps pets hoofing the ball anywhere. I thought it was a disgrace, you loved it, we differ, I wouldn't say it makes you some Irish superfan though.