Stephen Kenny

[third policeman]

Only issue with Cullen as deep lying CM is his size.. he just seems so small, though maybe I am comparing unfairly against the giants in the Serbian team.

Might there be a case to push either Collins or Omobomidele into that position? A la Paul Mc Grath in the past?

Cullen is doing well there at the minute, but that also sounds like a potentially good option. They both look like they can play there, and we could end up with a surplus of talent at CB even if we are playing three at the back. Clark (remember him) played as a defensive CM quite a bit in his early club days.

[Diggs246]

Yes €540,000 a year (before bonuses) is hardly peanuts.


I would say if you were to add the salaries of every manager in the League of Ireland it would come to less then €540k

[ontheotherhand]

id say his "peanuts" is much higher than a lot of international managers

You can look that up (https://sportscriber.com/money/football-national-team-coaches-salary/) and it's a bit of a mess to be honest. Most teams at euro 2020 paid their managers more than that for example but Belgium paid Martinez around the same weirdly.

Its not peanuts but it's only about half what we had to pay McCarthy (and less than Keane got as assistant) and, at least from what I can see, about 2/3rds of the average wage for an English Championship manager which is said to be around (https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-soccer-england/soccer-spiraling-wages-and-pandemic-halt-lead-to-fears-for-efl-clubs-idUSL5N2CG5Y3)a million euro. I think Hughton was on similar to Kenny is now before he got sacked and the average is a bit skewed by some big earners but that's how I think of his wages i.e. it's about enough to coax an English Championship manager over but....maybe not a particularly good one. Not sure what the likes of Carsley would be on or indeed Barry at Chelsea. Tuchel gets 8.5m but can't find more than that.

[Colbert Report]

I would say if you were to add the salaries of every manager in the League of Ireland it would come to less then €540k

Yeah, but if you were to add the salaries of every manager in my pub league here in California up, it would come to more than 540k, and they're managing for free, on their own time, after work.

[Colbert Report]

New two year extension for Stephen Kenny. Fair play to him.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e370152e-2ebf-11ec-9657-60f46274c249?shareToken=dfe4f456646ed107931d1b36b8 72a9d2

[osarusan]

A torrent of seven goals in two games against Azerbaijan and Qatar, with none conceded, is not enough to convince the FAI top brass that they should act immediately to secure Kenny’s services should he receive an offer from elsewhere that he could not refuse, but nor are they in the mood to wait till his contract actually expires next July.

Not sure if serious. Jaysus.

[Olé Olé]

There's a piece whereby a few stories like this are helpful in terms of easing pressure before the final two games. My view is that we need to beat Luxembourg for Kenny to stay. However, is it helpful that it turns into a "do or die" game for Kenny and his staff? Maybe the pressure is deserved (due to previous results which have us in this situation) but the pressure might not help in providing a demonstration of where we actually are.

The "it's his gig to lose" narrative is helpful for everyone involved (players and staff and atmosphere created by supporters) and it may well be valid after the last few games.

[Diggs246]

We could Have offered him a contract on June 30th 2022 and we wouldn't have lost him to anyone else. What if Luxembourg beat us???

[Diggs246]

Sorry i misread the article its only after the Luxembourg game that he may get the offer

[TonyD]

Sorry i misread the article its only after the Luxembourg game that he may get the offer

Exactly. Reads like a speculation piece to me. I’d like to see him stay, as I think it’s worth persevering and giving him more time. I think the team is going to improve over the next couple of years, and I think we’ll be much more competitive in the next campaign.

[TonyD]

Not sure if serious. Jaysus.

Seeing as the writer seems to put himself in the Kenny-sceptic camp, I imagine he wrote that line with tongue firmly in his cheek.

[ifk101]

I thought this was a worth a read

https://www.the42.ie/shane-keegan-ireland-tactics-qatar-5576574-Oct2021/

And would highlight this


It may still be too early to definitively say that Stephen Kenny’s Ireland have turned a corner but what we did see this week was a superbly coached side who new how to get the job done with two very different game plans.

Whether you agree if the coaching is superb or not, it is clear coaching is improving the team. Can you say that about what's gone before Kenny? And to compare, look at the invention in our recent play and compare it to what Cardiff are doing at the moment. Cardiff are where we were; fixed structures and predictability, low percentage long balls, a reliance on set plays, and if not already - a bemoaning of the lack of players. All of which is resulting in lower morale and a team progressively getting worse.

[mypost]

sorry again I must speak up because we must avoid clouds , i am against Kenny and his continuity far from the EUROPA league of Nations but if the team gets victories vs portugal and lux away. .....of course Then I would accept it, his main purpose is to qualify for tourneys not developing that is the under 23 and younger teams .

Dont get too optimistic we have made the results it was supposed to be, at the moment he underachieved . He should have challenged port and serbia for 1st or 2 nd spot he was a disgrace on that quest. Moral victories my granny !!!

he did a few things good, but I think we need as Paul McGrath said a proven international manager with a certain success to make us as an impact team hard to get beaten and strong enough to cause havoc against any rivals

We have qualified for 2 tournaments in 20 years. We have won 12 games in the last 5 years. Not even 12 qualifiers, 12 games including the last 2. We've just won our first game at home in 2 years. 18 of those 20 years, Kenny had nothing to do with. Maybe your granny would be more successful at the job than that, but we haven't.

Since he left after taking 3 points from 12 against Denmark and Switzerland, McCarthy has been sacked from one job and is about to be sacked from his next. With that in mind, I appreciate the relative stability we have atm, where we are preparing new players, for the time when they are ready and able to qualify for tournaments, away from the constant demand to either qualify or be sacked the next morning.

[geysir]

We have qualified for 2 tournaments in 20 years. We have won 12 games in the last 5 years. Not even 12 qualifiers, 12 games including the last 2. We've just won our first game at home in 2 years. 18 of those 20 years, Kenny had nothing to do with. Maybe your granny would be more successful at the job than that, but we haven't.

Since he left after taking 3 points from 12 against Denmark and Switzerland, McCarthy has been sacked from one job and is about to be sacked from his next. With that in mind, I appreciate the relative stability we have atm, where we are preparing new players, for the time when they are ready and able to qualify for tournaments, away from the constant demand to either qualify or be sacked the next morning.
APOEL doesn't count, they average 3.75 managers per season.
Personally I'm positive towards SK as the Irish manager into the next campaign, but I'd wait until the last two games are over before offering the final review of this campaign. One thing I'm not comfortable with is his demeanor after a loss where he's bumbling words, a bundle of nerves babbling incoherently, blushing like a shy teenager and has an awkward defensive body posture, but after a victory he is the polar opposite, he is Stephen Kenny the supreme coach incarnate leading us into the places we have never been before. I prefer a bit more measured balance in a coach.

[Kingdom]

You can look that up (https://sportscriber.com/money/football-national-team-coaches-salary/) and it's a bit of a mess to be honest. Most teams at euro 2020 paid their managers more than that for example but Belgium paid Martinez around the same weirdly.


there was some discussion locally around Martinez last week in De Tijd and La Capitale. His salary isn't strictly correct, as he is on a separate contract for director of football at the RBBF also. not that I know what that is. I think I saw a poll where 57% of Belgians were unsatisfied with the results garnered over the last 3 tournaments (excluding NL).
Whether that accounts for the various factions in belgium, or just le population generale, I don't know.

[Kingdom]

There is absolutely no need for the FAI to do anything with Stephen Kenny, or his contract situation. His contract still has another 8 months to run, and he's going nowhere (to another job) regardless of the results.

this obsession with panicking over managers and contracts is bloody ridiculous. It's minnowism of the highest order.

[mypost]

APOEL doesn't count, they average 3.75 managers per season.
Personally I'm positive towards SK as the Irish manager into the next campaign, but I'd wait until the last two games are over before offering the final review of this campaign. One thing I'm not comfortable with is his demeanor after a loss where he's bumbling words, a bundle of nerves babbling incoherently, blushing like a shy teenager and has an awkward defensive body posture, but after a victory he is the polar opposite, he is Stephen Kenny the supreme coach incarnate leading us into the places we have never been before. I prefer a bit more measured balance in a coach.

None of that has anything to do with his ability to coach, positive or negative. Personally, I don't see the issue. If he wins games, nobody cares how he sounds. Charlton wasn't the world's best orator either. But he won games, so nobody cared.

I think anyone who is waiting for the Luxembourg result doesn't want him to stay on. He's been here long enough to assess over this campaign whether enough progress has been made, in terms of players, tactics and style, to go with the results. It really shouldnt be a demand of Beat Luxembourg or Go.

Like a number of those before him, McCarthy saw this job as a route to get him back into club management. Nicosia does count as he took the job. Cardiff also take the Jesus Gil approach to hiring and firing, so if he wanted patience and stability, he went to the wrong place. Again.

[geysir]

None of that has anything to do with his ability to coach, positive or negative. Personally, I don't see the issue. If he wins games, nobody cares how he sounds. Charlton wasn't the world's best orator either. But he won games, so nobody cared.

I think anyone who is waiting for the Luxembourg result doesn't want him to stay on. He's been here long enough to assess over this campaign whether enough progress has been made, in terms of players, tactics and style, to go with the results. It really shouldnt be a demand of Beat Luxembourg or Go.

Like a number of those before him, McCarthy saw this job as a route to get him back into club management. Nicosia does count as he took the job. Cardiff also take the Jesus Gil approach to hiring and firing, so if he wanted patience and stability, he went to the wrong place. Again.
Are you for real?
Managing a team is also about character under pressure. Kenny is like a frightened rabbit under pressure, you don't think that has an effect on his management? As I said, it's just one thing and I am overall in favour , but perhaps you missed that part, the most important part.

[pineapple stu]

Charlton was a great orator btw. When he spoke, everyone listened. Clear, articulate, witty, acerbic - everything Kenny isn't in front of the media.

[jbyrne]

Charlton was a great orator btw. When he spoke, everyone listened. Clear, articulate, witty, acerbic - everything Kenny isn't in front of the media.

but couldn't remember anyone's name or who the opposition were half the time! much easier for Charlton to face the press with confidence with his wc winners medal in his back pocket, the quality of squad he had available and the results that flowed from that.

SK performance in front of the cameras has improved greatly over the last few months. would be easy for him to go down the line that we don't have the players as previous managers have done. I admire the fighting spirit he shows in his interviews and the very public backing of his players even though in his heart he must know we have very limited playing resources available.

[pineapple stu]

They whys of it don't really matter - he was not at all comparable to Kenny in the speaking-to-the-media stakes as mypost has suggested.

[mypost]

Are you for real?
Managing a team is also about character under pressure. Kenny is like a frightened rabbit under pressure, you don't think that has an effect on his management? As I said, it's just one thing and I am overall in favour , but perhaps you missed that part, the most important part.

He's just pulled two big wins out of the bag under pressure from everyone. Pundits, fans, former players, possibly the FAI also, who want journeymen like Allardyce and Bruce in to get us back to hoofball, or as they call it "pragmatism".

There's been 18 months to assess his character, and almost as many games. Whether it's good or not, won't be suddenly changed by the result in Luxembourg. Either way, we're not going to the tournament, because the players are nowhere near the standard required at this time.

[SkStu]

He's not great in front of the cameras. And never has been from my recollection of his time at Bohs. But it doesn't actually matter that much or at all. It is just used by those with an agenda as another stick to beat him with when things don't go our way. No ole ole party times.

He cares a lot, he is passionate about his country and the potential of this team and he is likable. That matters a hell of a lot more.

[pineapple stu]

I'll disagree about the importance of the Luxembourg game btw. Beating Azerbaijan and Qatar so comfortably months after unconvincing 1-1 draws against them showed definite signs of improvement, tempered by a realisation of how rubbish the two sides were this month.

If we can beat Luxembourg equally comfortably, then there's a definite pattern of improvement starting to emerge. If we struggle against them and revert to the crap we were playing just last month at home to Azerbaijan in particular, then it's an indication that maybe this we were a bit fortunate to meet bad teams on off days this month.

You don't make a decision on the back of that one game, but it's definitely part of a larger pattern in whether he should be offered a new contract.

[Razors left peg]

I'll disagree about the importance of the Luxembourg game btw. Beating Azerbaijan and Qatar so comfortably months after unconvincing 1-1 draws against them showed definite signs of improvement, tempered by a realisation of how rubbish the two sides were this month.

If we can beat Luxembourg equally comfortably, then there's a definite pattern of improvement starting to emerge. If we struggle against them and revert to the crap we were playing just last month at home to Azerbaijan in particular, then it's an indication that maybe this we were a bit fortunate to meet bad teams on off days this month.

You don't make a decision on the back of that one game, but it's definitely part of a larger pattern in whether he should be offered a new contract.

Id agree with this tbh and I'm a big Kenny backer. I think we need a good performance against Portugal and need to beat Luxemburg to continue the momentum that has been build in last 2 games and keep the positivity going. If we dont beat Luxemburg I think there will be a cloud back over the squad going into the Nations League and there will be questions about Kennys contract all the way through the winter.

[Diggs246]

Squad announcement must be out soon? anyone know

[JR89]

Probably won't be until this time next week.

[Diggs246]

Scott Hogan doesn't seem to be on kennys radar. Technical question is that because Hogan is suited to a 4-5-1 or the trad -4-4-2 with Niall Quinn beside him!

[third policeman]

Scott Hogan doesn't seem to be on kennys radar. Technical question is that because Hogan is suited to a 4-5-1 or the trad -4-4-2 with Niall Quinn beside him!

I get a sense that once Kenny has taken a view on a player, he’s in no hurry to change his mind. Clark and Obafemi seem to be equally distant figures in his calculations.Hogan is a way better option than some of the strikers we are picking at the minute, many of whom are desperately short of minutes and actual goals.

[Razors left peg]

I get a sense that once Kenny has taken a view on a player, he’s in no hurry to change his mind. Clark and Obafemi seem to be equally distant figures in his calculations.Hogan is a way better option than some of the strikers we are picking at the minute, many of whom are desperately short of minutes and actual goals.

Arent we all guilty of that. Everyone has their favorites and guys they dont like. Yeah as the manager he needs to be more flexible in his opinion but I havent seen Clark and Obafemi do anything to make him change his mind

[third policeman]

Arent we all guilty of that. Everyone has their favorites and guys they dont like. Yeah as the manager he needs to be more flexible in his opinion but I havent seen Clark and Obafemi do anything to make him change his mind

Clark is playing regularly in the Premier League and can cover three positions. Obafemi has at least scored a goal or two since regaining fitness.

[Razors left peg]

Clark is playing regularly in the Premier League and can cover three positions. Obafemi has at least scored a goal or two since regaining fitness.

Just playing doesnt mean they are doing anything to change his mind.

[JR89]

Clark is playing regularly in the Premier League and can cover three positions. Obafemi has at least scored a goal or two since regaining fitness.

Plays for the second worst defence in the league and could find himself looking for a new club soon with Howe coming in, and if so he'll have to drop a level imo. Also bar one game in 15/16 it's ten years since he played games in midfield. Be like claiming Ryan Manning is an option up front because he played up front.

[Snapshot]

Plays for the second worst defence in the league and could find himself looking for a new club soon with Howe coming in, and if so he'll have to drop a level imo. Also bar one game in 15/16 it's ten years since he played games in midfield. Be like claiming Ryan Manning is an option up front because he played up front.
Ciaran Clark has been playing well at a desperate, loose-cannon club. Kenny has treated him appallingly. I applaud the occasional poster here who challenges Clark's de facto sacking at the hands of a manager riding the glorious crest of one competitive victory. The post quoted above is classic fanboy Kennyism.

[Bielsa´s irish]

I like Clark and should be in the squad because if Egan and Duffy get a double miss of action for whatever situación. Weve got youngsters and Doherty

[Stuttgart88]

Ciaran Clark has been playing well at a desperate, loose-cannon club. Kenny has treated him appallingly. I applaud the occasional poster here who challenges Clark's de facto sacking at the hands of a manager riding the glorious crest of one competitive victory. The post quoted above is classic fanboy Kennyism.Wow, Ciaran Clark is now the stick we are beating managers with!

[Snapshot]

Wow, Ciaran Clark is now the stick we are beating managers with!
The only stick is his record.

[Razors left peg]

Wow, Ciaran Clark is now the stick we are beating managers with!

Not exactly Wes or Andy Reid is it?

[third policeman]

Not exactly Wes or Andy Reid is it?

Probably played more PL games than either of them. It’s just a strange omission. What’s he done wrong? I’d still have preferred to see him coming on as a left back replacement than McClean.

[Razors left peg]

Probably played more PL games than either of them. It’s just a strange omission. What’s he done wrong? I’d still have preferred to see him coming on as a left back replacement than McClean.
Yeah Clark is a bit of an odd one but I think we have more than enough cover there. Hes not a stand out player.

Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady prob have more PL games than Wes or Reid too but I know who I would rather have in the squad. I just dont think that you should be automatic just because you are in PL

[Fixer82]

Hogan scored again today

[Diggs246]

I wonder why kenny doesn't like him. If troy had his record in the championship we would be demanding him to start

[third policeman]

[QUOTE=Diggs246;2093876]I wonder why kenny doesn't like him. If troy had his record in the championship we would be demanding him to start[/QUOTE

It’s obvious that there are certain players that Kenny favours and some who will probably have to work miracles to get into the squad. Once a player has been overlooked, it becomes increasingly difficult for the manager to change their mind, which implies they may have been wrong. It’s been a trait with Irish managers over the years, but as a small nation we really can’t afford capricious and stubborn managers. There’s a parallel tendency to make completely random selections to demonstrate their superior judgement and discernment - Horgan being a case in point.

[JR89]

I wonder why kenny doesn't like him. If troy had his record in the championship we would be demanding him to start

Hogan is ten years older than Troy, of course we would demanding for a 19yr old in his second season to start. But yes I think Scott Hogan should have been considered over James Collins. If you're looking for a big man that might get you a goal you've got Will Keane that's more versatile in attack than Collins.

[Fixer82]

Hogan is ten years older than Troy, of course we would demanding for a 19yr old in his second season to start. But yes I think Scott Hogan should have been considered over James Collins. If you're looking for a big man that might get you a goal you've got Will Keane that's more versatile in attack than Collins.

Collins is out and O'Dowda is in

[John83]

Lightweight analysis of how Chelsea line up which seems a bit relevant to us with Barry's contribution in coaching coinciding with the increased use of the same formation.
https://www.football365.com/news/opinion-tuchel-debunking-wing-back-myth-chelsea

[liamoo11]

https://www.the42.ie/analysing-all-20-ireland-games-of-the-stephen-kenny-era-5495168-Nov2021/ review of kennys games

[CraftyToePoke]

Looking like an extension which covers Euro qualifying is in the offing. Fair play to him for achieving that from where he once found himself and good luck to him also, delighted for him.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/arid-40765401.html

[weldoninhio]

Looking like an extension which covers Euro qualifying is in the offing. Fair play to him for achieving that from where he once found himself and good luck to him also, delighted for him.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/arid-40765401.html

"Achieving it" - You've gotta be joking. Literally the worst manager the FAI have ever employed.

[Diggs246]

Is there any significant downside to waiting until the end of June and see how he gets on with teams deemed our level ( nation's league 4 games). It seems strange to me. If he does well then great news but if he does poorly and we have him for the euros?.i could understand if they were worried they could lose him to a club..but that isn't going to happen in this case