Stephen Kenny

[Diggs246]

Exactly?? That's my point

[Trequartista20]

The narrative from the Kenny lobby used to be 'our former managers did us down, we do have the players and are capable of playing good football'. After a string of poor results and performances this stance has dramatically shifted to 'we don't have the players, we're s**t, so why should we expect any better?'

Thus leading to the inevitable question: why the ardour for Kenny?

If we really are quite so awful - so lacking in quality - it really oughtn't to matter who is in charge. Our situation is hopeless in any case.

[Trequartista20]

Randolph is an older sub keeper for his club, hardly a disaster if we replace him with a younger sub keeper... some including me think it should happen anyway

Are you talking about our next-in-line, Kelleher?

Kelleher has made one league appearance in his entire career, and is yet to make a senior international appearance.

I think it reasonably uncontroversial to suggest Randolph has made made rather more league and international appearances than that and that his non-availability would be very significantly to our detriment.

[nigel-harps1954]

Why wouldn't Duff just say "i miss club football " I'm going to Barcelona or home farm or whatever .... i think he has quit tbh

He's already involved in club football too. He's Shelbournes under-17 manager.

[Charlie Darwin]

Why wouldn't Duff just say "i miss club football " I'm going to Barcelona or home farm or whatever .... i think he has quit tbh

Well I don't think anybody is arguing that he's quit. That's kind of what the press release is announcing.

[Diggs246]

I mean he is leaving without securing another job

[Charlie Darwin]

He has a job already, and I'm not sure what anyone can glean about potential other jobs because he's said nothing.

[Diggs246]

He isnt leaving the rep of Ireland set up to concentrate on shelies u17s.!

[elatedscum]

"No reason has been given for Duff's departure, although it is understood he was unhappy at an investigation launched into a video shown to the Ireland players before their friendly against England at Wembley in November last year." - RTE.ie

He was unhappy that there was an investigation and didn't want to work with the FAI or he was unhappy at the results of the investigation? I'm assuming it's the former?

Maybe Duffer was the person who put the video together

[seanfhear]

"No reason has been given for Duff's departure, although it is understood he was unhappy at an investigation launched into a video shown to the Ireland players before their friendly against England at Wembley in November last year." - RTE.ie

He was unhappy that there was an investigation and didn't want to work with the FAI or he was unhappy at the results of the investigation? I'm assuming it's the former?

Maybe Duffer was the person who put the video together

All that Hoo Ha Ha about that Video seemed to be greatly exaggerated by elements in the FAI ~ ~ Did any head roll for those manipulations = = Pretty Sure No ~ This is Ireland after all !

Sometimes the elements within are the most insidious !

[Olé Olé]

Just on videogate, Roy Barrett addressed the matter for the first time in public last week and admitted the whole thing was overblown: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.the...n2021/%3famp=1

Little insight on this in the Indo today from Dan McDonnell but that "it's believed attempts by Kenny and (sic) during the week to change Duff's mind proved fruitless."

Further into the paper, Aidan Fitzmaurice makes some pretty baseless implications and offers plenty speculation. He has some phantom quote from some unknown player that sounds good, offers little insight and could easily be made up: ""It won't last," was the comment by one former ex-international when Duff was added to the Kenny ticket last year."

Fitzmaurice also says that "Kenny is said to have relied heavily on (Keith) Andrews for counsel and also listened to Ruaidhri Higgins, a long time associate going back to his Derry City days, leaving Duff with an undefined voice." Again, this all read fairly thin to me. None of it makes much sense to me when you consider Duff's body of work as a player and a coach compared to the other pair. I just can't see it. Shoddy journalism in my opinion.

[seanfhear]

Where does Duff go from here ? He is 40 ~ If he is going to be a manager then surely he must start now.

[Razors left peg]

Are you talking about our next-in-line, Kelleher?

Kelleher has made one league appearance in his entire career, and is yet to make a senior international appearance.

I think it reasonably uncontroversial to suggest Randolph has made made rather more league and international appearances than that and that his non-availability would be very significantly to our detriment.

Yep, I've said for a while that if Kenny wants to implement the style of football he's been trying he needs to replace Randolph and Duffy.

People thought Guardiola was mad when one of his 1st decisions at City was to get rid of Joe Hart. England's 1st choice at the time but he was a disaster with ball at his feet. I can't even remember who he replaced him with until they eventually signed Ederson. It was all about setting up the passing game from the back.

I wouldn't find it a shock to see an up and coming keeper like Kelleher replacing a guy who's now just happy to pick up a paycheck at his club.

[John83]

I wouldn't find it a shock to see an up and coming keeper like Kelleher replacing a guy who's now just happy to pick up a paycheck at his club.

It would be very welcome if he does. It will be less so if we're forced to call on him before he's ready. The signs have been promising, but that's no guarantee in football.

[tetsujin1979]

Strangely, Duffy had one of the highest pass completion rates in the squad from the Nations League games

[Razors left peg]

Strangely, Duffy had one of the highest pass completion rates in the squad from the Nations League games

He was on the ball a lot but he played a lot of very poor passes that put us under pressure. We never once looked at those games and thought Duffy was becoming the new Beckenbauer

[Olé Olé]

FAI's handling of 'Videogate' led to Damien Duff's exit from Irish backroom staff https://the42.ie/5320946

Gavin Cooney has gone all out and written a piece to state that videogate has caused his departure. He uses some very interesting quotes from Duff that I hadn't read previously about how Duff didn't want to work for the FAI only for Kenny's involvement.

[Trequartista20]

Yep, I've said for a while that if Kenny wants to implement the style of football he's been trying he needs to replace Randolph and Duffy.

People thought Guardiola was mad when one of his 1st decisions at City was to get rid of Joe Hart. England's 1st choice at the time but he was a disaster with ball at his feet. I can't even remember who he replaced him with until they eventually signed Ederson. It was all about setting up the passing game from the back.

I wouldn't find it a shock to see an up and coming keeper like Kelleher replacing a guy who's now just happy to pick up a paycheck at his club.

I'd throw the kids in too to be honest. Such is our situation that we've little to lose.

But we need to drop the pretence that the the composition of our World Cup draw opposition matters and that we have any sort of realistic chance of qualification. Or that the the futile re-incorporation of the likes of Arter into the set-up and making Horgan a first-team regular makes any sort of sense.

[tetsujin1979]

we were fourth seeds for the last world cup and we still made the play offs. We were third seeds in the draw this time do we should be aiming for the play offs again as a minimum

[pineapple stu]

Play-offs "as a minimum"?

I mean, we can aim to win the group by taking each game as it comes, but topping the group ahead of the reigning European champions isn't a realistic target. This isn't 1994 any more...