Cult of Stephen Kenny

He's won the LOI five times, the FAI cup three times, the League Cup six times. He is one of the most successful Irish managers ever in terms of trophies. He got Dundalk into the group stages of European football and they were the first Irish team to pick up points at that stage. He's won Manager of the Year awards from the PFAI, Philips and RTE (the last two are chosen from managers in various sports, not just football).

I know you'll come back running down the LOI but you really are an imbecile if you think winning an U-15 cup is the same (I'm aware you don't; but there's hyperbole and then there's just stupidity).

You haven't a clue what you're on about. You're showing yourself up to be a clown. You can be unhappy about results and want a change but if you want to be taken seriously, get a grip and offer some mature commentary. If not, do us all a favour and go back under your bridge.

And he has utterly failed as Ireland manager. He has done the one thing he shouldn't have done. Left the whole setup in a worse state than when he went in. That is true.

Bruce will be coming in because he wants a part time job for decent money I'd assume. But guys like that don't like failure. He will be better than Keny but that's not really setting the bar too high.

He has failed and someone else should come to see if they can do better.

It is interesting that players (you know, the ones who actually work with him and have to follow his instructions) are coming out speaking positively about him.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/67129639

It's also interesting that the players continue to play the way he asks them to. Clearly, they believe in him. There doesn't seem to be this 'losing the dressing room' or signs of players being unhappy and undermining him. Again, I can't remember stories of him falling out with players (though, I'm open to correction).

He tried something that the players seem to have bought into but it hasn't worked out. Give someone else a go but this idea that players are going to be traumatised from his term and that he's set football back is nonsense. A positive from his legacy will be all the young players he brought through.

He is a manager who earned his chance to get the top job but failed to make the most of it. I certainly don't buy that he was out of his depth. Too idealistic perhaps and not pragmatic enough and certainly the results are not good enough but I think people are going overboard in their criticism of him. Its not Staunton-level shambles.

The Irish Times today saying Lee Carsley is the FAI's preferred successor.

You are right you can't compare this reign with the previous couple of manager.. the other Irish managers you are talking about had better players ffs.... i dont get all this "it will take years to recover from his reign" - what does this even mean ? Thanks to the FAI our whole system is broken.. other so called poorer nations have caught up...

Kenny came in when the team was in serious transition..I doubt other managers would have made a huge improvement. The one silver lining is that he has blooded a lot of youth for the most part.

All this talk about Ireland being minnows... we are these days look at the squad...But I also have to say the our central midfield options are very very poor

How is it not worse than Staunton?

Not even looking at the win rate, Kenny's is worse than Stan's

One of the main arguments used for Kenny's tenure is that he 'blooded players'. At the time of writing I believe the number is around 20.

But Steve Staunton 'blooded' 24 players - in a much shorter tenure than Kenny by the way.

Of those 'hits' a large proportion 10/11 were kept on my subsequent managers after Staunton. Stephen Ireland for his own odd reasons opted out.

Such as the following players - Paul McShane, Anthony Stokes, St Ledger, Shane Long, Kevin Doyle, Stephen Ireland, Stephen Hunt, Stephen Kelly,  Daryl Murphy and Andy Keogh, Darron Gibson.

hes not worse than staunton come on now. kenny has been brutal but staunton had a team filled with PL starters. we nearly drew to san marino ffs

I've talked about Staunton above but when it comes to players: How do you reckon those players from the Staunton era would stack up against the players Kenny is working with?

Their level was mostly lower PL/upper Champ at the time. Kenny's latest squad is mostly Championship, some lower PL. Staunton still had Robbie Keane, Damien Duff, Shay Given, to name a few.

Nearly though. Staunton has a lot of similarities with Kenny in that both tried to throw in a lot of new players, both were terrible in front of microphone, both seem like poor motivators.

I realise the standard of player was better, but there was still a large turnover of players and a 'rebuild'.

But one of the reasons why Staunton gets slated more than Kenny is because it was an era of expectancy to qualify. Jayus Kerr had a great record (the best Irish manger on win ratio) and Kerr was still shafted after only one campaign before Stan.

Plus for some mad reason Kenny was dressed up as this 'saviour' led by the Irish media and brought into by gullible fans. That is how the media framed it.

Kenny was given chance after chance, after chance. Excuses were constantly made, 'positives' were spun whenever possible. But in contrast the media and fans turned on Staunton very quickly.

Staunton was never the media and fans darling, like Kenny was framed as. Staunton didn't stan(d) a chance it was his first managerial job with high expectations. Bobby was supposed to be the yoda figure - but illness stopped that back up. The Bobby/Stan ticket had looked good on paper. But it was then suddenly Staunton was on his own.

The FAI not having a pot to piss in was a big factor in hiring Kenny in the first, not sacking him and letting him run out his contract. In the 'good times', an LOI manager wouldn't have been considered. The money was splashed on big names.

I agree that he hasn't done a good job and you'd wonder why he doesn't quit but then he does come across as stubborn and maybe he truly believes he can turn things around.

I find it equally frustrating that people are pinning all the blame on him. One poster pointed out player's attitudes. More importantly, the FAI has been a disaster for years and the current state of Irish football has a lot to do with long-term mismanagement, it's only now that the results are.coming forth in how poorly the national team is being handled. LOI fans and others have known all about the FAI being a mess for years. That rot has finally spread to the jewel in the crown and people need to wake up to the reality.

Kenny isn't the cause; he's a symptom. Its great for the FAI that he's getting all the flak because they are the ones who are responsible.

God help us all. 😫