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Eamonn Sweeney's article in the Indo suggests
Kenny not getting deserved recognition as Dundalk close in on record-breaking title
http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-31505307.html
I am not sure that this is actually true in the context of LoI supporters. With the possible exception of Jonathon Roche and the Rovers board I suspect that his abilities and achievements are well recognised and acknowledged by those following LoI
Stephen Kenny for Republic of Ireland manager? A nice thought alright.
Has any LOI manager ever got deserved recognition? We live in a country where people call Henry Shefflin a world-class athlete with a straight face, a domestic football manager is never going to get his due.
Ya I don't think anyone in LOI circles doesn't think Kenny is doing a great job. Barr his stint at Rovers I think he has been top class. I always felt at time with Rovers there were too many egos in the dressing room but obviously that's looking from the outside in. Something was never right though.
Brian Kerr is as good as it got really. And despite the fact he's got the highest win rate of any Ireland manager in history and was desperately unlucky in two qualifying campaigns, he's deemed a complete failure.
I didn't think Kerr was unfairly treated. Kenny has certainly done a remarkable job at Dundalk. But he'll probably have to leave the league or else win several more titles before he gets much more recognition than currently.
"Kenny remains one of the most underestimated personalities in Irish sport. GAA managers have only to win a single All-Ireland for the suggestions that they are 'world class', the self-praising interviews and the chat show appearances."
LOI fans know what Kenny has achieved, but success in the LOI tends to be a footnote in Irish sport.
What was it last year, either Dundalk were nominated for Irish Team of the Year or Kenny for Manager of the Year on RTE?
Michael O'Neill doesn't seem to be doing too bad with Norn Iron.
Would people have rated him higher than Kenny within the LOI?
O'Neill's achievements include qualifying for the Group stages of the Europa League. That would place his record ahead of Kenny's at Dundalk.
However, against that you would have to consider that Kenny's success at Dundalk was created by mostly taking unfancied players to a club that survived relegation by a whisker and was on the brink of bankruptcy. In addition, the style of play at Dundalk is more entertaining than that produced by O'Neill's Rovers.
The other side of the coin being that while Kenny hasn't got much media credit for his achievements, he also received zero scrutiny following the Wellvan Derry City fiasco... very hard to believe he didn't know things were wrong there.
That team that were almost relegated were a bit of an anomoly though. Dundalk wasted a lot of money that season on players everyone in the league knew wouldn't work out, so the finances were available to brign in higher quality players.Quote:
Originally Posted by White Horse
The Irish job would be strangely similar to the job he has done at Dundalk. Irish players are generally unfancied and the FAI always to appear to be on the brink of bankruptcy. The playing style can't be called entertaining either.Quote:
Originally Posted by White Horse
Not quite everyone in the league - Sean McCaffery believed they were superstars! and Simon Madden wasn't good enough for Dundalk and a player who never kicked a ball in Ireland due to visa issues was a 'Rolls Royce' of a player....Quote:
Originally Posted by El-Pietro
Dundalk didnt have the money to waste EP and McCafferys appointment was a bargain basement appointment. Finances improved when the former owner was gone along with vanishing income streams. Good job a clubs Lotto fundraiser wasnt won for a certain period...
Within the league, he surely is getting the respect he deserves, I would have thought.
Outside the league, he'll be largely unknown, like most things in LOI.
In fairness, compared to LOI, GAA is World Class in terms of achievement. All sports will do the same. If Katie Taylor can be called a sporting legend, then it's only fair that we can use the same for other athletes. Stephen Kenny is a good Boss, has put together a good team now at Dundalk, and he could possibly do a good job with an International team, though not Ireland. I would hope he would have too much sense for that, then again, he did jump into Rovers with both feet!
Aye we built all we have on paymaster whores and a few quid we got from Maxi.Well El pee etro would have you believe that anyway ;) Not a shilling spent in Cork since the Phoenix club rose!Quote:
Originally Posted by Nesta99
It is very impressive how he can improve/spot players who are not rated by other managers (even fans).
I suppose the comparison is made with Pat Fenlon; "best manager in Ireland" and "streets ahead of everyone in the LoI" are some of the comments heard in the media.
I don't think you can compare a LoI manager with the top GAA coaches, you are operating at a different level; 80k crowds etc. Interesting that former Harps manager Charlie McKeever will be in charge of Tipp minors next day, and of course the (former?) Shamrock R trainer is playing for the Dubs. For such a small country there should be more of a cross-over between the codes. St Pats could do with maybe bringing Davy Fitz for a few weeks.
was it for both charlie?Quote:
Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin
There is huge disparity between the Counties. 80k crowds from the semis unless there is a particularly spicy Provincial or qualifier tie. As for profile can any one name the Leitrim manager of the top off the heads or the Louth manage (by non louth people) Waterford football and so on. Dundalk get similar crowds weekly that Louth get for their annual 2 all-Ireland games. What you say may be true W88 but only if you are at the top table in Croke Park. Louth dont even have a county ground and the club ground that is nominated is pathetic!Quote:
Originally Posted by wonder88
To be fair though, it's not the manager's job to worry about finances. And hard to pin him down over the dual-contracts craic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr A
Whilst I wouldn't mind Kenny as national manager, the fact that he didn't do well in Scotland would put many non-LoI fans off.
Maybe, although at most clubs the manager has a close interest in budget allocation. But have the media even asked what he knew and what he didn't? I and indeed some people I've spoken to that would have been a lot closer to the situation find it very hard to believe Kenny knew nothing. Maybe he really didn't. But it's a bit mad no one asks.
He claimed he knew nothing. Same as the players claimed they didn't know what they were signing.
The board took the entire blame.
Besides though, we were going bust anyways, so didn't make much difference.
Its hard to reconcile the perception with the reality of Derry selling a few players for decent money, just short of winning the title with good crowds up to the last day and a run in Europe with plumb draws like PSG and going bust regardless!
Spending stupid money on players adds up really.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nesta99
But then again, some things never change.
Indeed I know how it can happen, the extra income usually clears the whopping overdraft! But to get the guts of 800k to 1mil additional income over a particular period and still go bust is impressive even by LoI standards. Maybe my memory is off on the players sales money of McCourt, McGinn, McClean etc. Europe would surely have accrued 300k then?
I might save this post for a few years down the line when Dundalk are going bust and everyone is asking where the Euro money and Towell's transfer money went ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Nesta99
Stones in glasshouses I know!