Stephen Kenny

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Oh get over yourself will you. I’ve better things to do with my life than address every sentence you write. I didn’t ignore Mick’s tenure for any tactical purpose, it was because it wasn't relevant. And I forgot we were utter drivel twice against Georgia.

"Should" we have qualified ahead of Denmark? Really?

In general there’s of course a degree of truth in what you’re saying. Everyone sees the flaws in Kenny and the general direction but you don’t help yourself with the sheer hysterical degree to which you’re making these points and the disingenuousness with which you engage.

Fwiw (using a mobile in a cafe so not easy to navigate) I’m around the same as SkStu and - I think - Osarusan (if I understood his point above right).I think the steps forward were encouraging (Scotland, Ukraine away, Portugal away, two away wins with some really good goals, in Luxembourg in particular) but the steps back have been too frequent and too large to have any confidence. We’ve wasted some good opportunities to go the full hog and do a real root and branch rebuild. The last window made O'Neill look experimental. He should have used Ebosele last year imho.

But there were mitigants at times to the first third of his tenure: Covid, empty stadia, Hourihane’s miss (Jesus Christ…how? And subsequently his gift of a goal to Armenia), Randolph’s inexplicable mistake in Helsinki when we were doing just fine. The U21s were doing well so it was arguably right to leave them be. And subsequently Idah’s injury, Connolly’s everything…

I think we’re behind where we should be after 3 years but I maintain that what Kenny started/tried to start should be finished. I don’t care by whom.

Yes we should have qualified ahead of Denmark! You can rewatch the last match against them if you'd like. Mick's tenure is hugely relevant because Kenny took over right after. Mick set the bar at a height and it wasn't that high really. To have come nowhere near that height really shows what a dreadful job Kenny has done. You of course want to ignore or deny how close we got to qualification because it rubbishes your argument that Kenny has made any progress. You also want to ignore the role of coaches to set up formation, tactics etc for Kenny.

You are also using excuses for Kenny but none for McCarthy. It's ok to admit you've got it way wrong. Kenny has dragged us into the gutter. Stop making excuses for him and trying to defend the indefensible. His record is shameful and what's worse is him putting his self interests above the development of our players.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

I didn't. We were shyte against Gibraltar and Georgia twice. Brushed aside by Switzerland away. A good point in Denmark, all down to - yes - a late Duffy goal. If a Duffy goal is good enough for Mick then it should be good enough for Kenny.

Worse resources? Are you sure?

See above. Swinging the ball into Duffy made us competitive against Denmark.

Yes, as I've said previously, Mick's reign was nothing spectacular and very poor in places. But compared with Kenny's reign.......

I see nothing wrong with pumping a ball into Duffy! It's the Kenny fanatics who like to talk about the cultured football we play under Kenny who want to ignore that Duffy is one of his top goalscorers and an oft used tactic. And also that some of the dullest, most depressing performances ever by an Ireland team have come under Kenny.

Yes, both had very similar squads to begin with and then Kenny has had Bazunu, O Shea, Collins, Molumby, Cullen improving hugely at Anderlecht, Knight, Obefami coming back and a good few more all assisting the squad strength.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

slovakia wasnt a failure by any measure. drawing the game and losing on pens is hardly a disgraceful outcome!

Well if covid excuses have been used above for Kenny, then surely a depleted Slovakia because of covid should be taken into account? You expect a new manager bounce but no, it was the first of Kenny's failures.

[mypost]

He should be sacked because he has had 4 miserable failures already. Slovakia, nations league 2020, world cup qualification, nations league 2022. Your cherry picking just won't cut it. It might be alright for you to give up all chance of qualifying for things just because you've backed Kenny and can't admit you backed a donkey.

For most of us, we want to qualify for major tournaments. Saying we might as well give up before starting a group with Serbia and Portugal or France and Holland is not on. We haven't done that for at least 30-40 years. We need to get a manager who is capable of implementing modern tactics. Not someone who needs his coaches to do it for him, can't read a game, fails to make any impactful subs and struggles to put a cohesive sentence together.

Of course we want to qualify for tournaments. Even San Marino want to qualify for tournaments. Doesn't mean they're capable of getting to them, or holding their own when they get there.

You haven't come up yet with one alternative name, of someone who wants to do this job in an environment, where regardless of the result, people want him to be sacked. Maybe there is no alternative, until we allow someone the time to do the job and not getting all hysterical about losing friendlies, or not winning 2 games in a row. That is something we as fans, can do.

You tell us that Slovakia was a miserable failure. It was a draw against a team that went on to the Euros. Of course, if the man before Kenny was good enough to win one of the two games he had beforehand, we would have had a home Euros to look forward to, rather than a trek to Slovakia during a pandemic instead.

Everyone knew before a ball was kicked that there was no chance of us qualifying out of a WC group with Portugal in it, and we didn't. After the start we had, finishing third after the luxury of consecutive 3-0 wins away from home, was a decent finish to the group rather than a miserable failure. Then came the NL, where we picked up our first win in it and 7 points from the last 4 games. It was much better than our record in it in the past, not the miserable failure you say it was. We won half our home games this year, for the first time in years. So that's not a miserable failure either.

Instead of acknowledging the progress made, the response of course was to call for the manager's head. It doesn't make any sense, but that's the way it is with this fanbase unfortunately. The grass is always greener with someone else, even when it isn't.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Of course we want to qualify for tournaments. Even San Marino want to qualify for tournaments. Doesn't mean they're capable of getting to them, or holding their own when they get there.

You haven't come up yet with one alternative name, of someone who wants to do this job in an environment, where regardless of the result, people want him to be sacked. Maybe there is no alternative, until we allow someone the time to do the job and not getting all hysterical about losing friendlies, or not winning 2 games in a row. That is something we as fans, can do.

You tell us that Slovakia was a miserable failure. It was a draw against a team that went on to the Euros. Of course, if the man before Kenny was good enough to win one of the two games he had beforehand, we would have had a home Euros to look forward to, rather than a trek to Slovakia during a pandemic instead.

Everyone knew before a ball was kicked that there was no chance of us qualifying out of a WC group with Portugal in it, and we didn't. After the start we had, finishing third after the luxury of consecutive 3-0 wins away from home, was a decent finish to the group rather than a miserable failure. Then came the NL, where we picked up our first win in it and 7 points from the last 4 games. It was much better than our record in it in the past, not the miserable failure you say it was. We won half our home games this year, for the first time in years. So that's not a miserable failure either.

Instead of acknowledging the progress made, the response of course was to call for the manager's head. It doesn't make any sense, but that's the way it is with this fanbase unfortunately. The grass is always greener with someone else, even when it isn't.

Your post reminds me of North Korea in the world cup. They scored one goal and that's all that got shown on TV at home, they didn't show the 12 goals they conceded.

Battling it out at the bottom of groups with Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Armenia instead of battling it out to qualify is a miserable failure. Full stop, there is no debate.

From nearly qualifying automatically for Euro 2020 to nearly coming bottom in all our groups under Kenny, that's not progress, that's the opposite! Again, there is no debate here, this is all fact.

If it was up to Kenny and his supporters, we might as well not even participate in qualification to major tournaments, we just set up the possession world cup instead and see if we can win that. Lucky Kenny and his backers aren't in charge of Saudi Arabia, Morocco or any of the countries punching above their weight in this world cup.

[CraftyToePoke]

Barrys Belgium 0 - Morocco 2

Just saying

[mypost]

Your post reminds me of North Korea in the world cup. They scored one goal and that's all that got shown on TV at home, they didn't show the 12 goals they conceded.

Battling it out at the bottom of groups with Luxembourg, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Armenia instead of battling it out to qualify is a miserable failure. Full stop, there is no debate.

From nearly qualifying automatically for Euro 2020 to nearly coming bottom in all our groups under Kenny, that's not progress, that's the opposite! Again, there is no debate here, this is all fact.

If it was up to Kenny and his supporters, we might as well not even participate in qualification to major tournaments, we just set up the possession world cup instead and see if we can win that. Lucky Kenny and his backers aren't in charge of Saudi Arabia, Morocco or any of the countries punching above their weight in this world cup.

Well at least in North Korea, they would be happy to be at the WC and score in it. (It's not as if they can readily protest that their side isn't quite up to WC standard) We would call for the manager to be fired instead, and have done.

40 teams from Europe are not at the WC, most of them with far better players. Basically you have to have an outstanding qualifying campaign to get there, and we haven't had one in 20 years.

You list off all those teams we're battling it out with, as if none of them are allowed to win games, or even climb a table. Azerbaijan and Armenia have domestic teams getting regular group stage European football every year, Luxembourg have European Cup group stage players in their side. Ours are mostly stuck in the Championship or below, hoofing the ball 50 yards away playing to their strengths every week. Well that might be their strengths, but it's not strong enough to get to the WC, and that's not Kenny's fault.

One thing Kenny can do, is stop picking a goalkeeper who can't keep a clean sheet at any level, and concedes twice in every game he plays for us. We don't have the quality upfront or even Duffy, to score three goals all the time it happens. Even when we win he gets slaughtered, but Kenny needs as many wins as he can manage to try and help himself.

[JR89]

Barrys Belgium 0 - Morocco 2

Just saying

Shussssssh, clearly it's only ever Barry's *insert team name* when they win silly. Still take him back as part of the coaching staff and will likely be available again as the P45s are probably already written up for Martinez and Co.

[DCWA]

It’s a bit ambitious but if we are to get rid of Kenny I would like us to go for Alf Ramsey.

[CraftyToePoke]

Shussssssh, clearly it's only ever Barry's *insert team name* when they win silly.

Yeah

'' we need Anthony Barry back ''

& in the next breath

'' we need to be more like Morocco ''

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Well at least in North Korea, they would be happy to be at the WC and score in it. (It's not as if they can readily protest that their side isn't quite up to WC standard) We would call for the manager to be fired instead, and have done.

40 teams from Europe are not at the WC, most of them with far better players. Basically you have to have an outstanding qualifying campaign to get there, and we haven't had one in 20 years.

You list off all those teams we're battling it out with, as if none of them are allowed to win games, or even climb a table. Azerbaijan and Armenia have domestic teams getting regular group stage European football every year, Luxembourg have European Cup group stage players in their side. Ours are mostly stuck in the Championship or below, hoofing the ball 50 yards away playing to their strengths every week. Well that might be their strengths, but it's not strong enough to get to the WC, and that's not Kenny's fault.

One thing Kenny can do, is stop picking a goalkeeper who can't keep a clean sheet at any level, and concedes twice in every game he plays for us. We don't have the quality upfront or even Duffy, to score three goals all the time it happens. Even when we win he gets slaughtered, but Kenny needs as many wins as he can manage to try and help himself.

Your posts are hilarious! What manager have we sacked after a world cup? No manager was sacked after a European championship even. You are not very fond of facts.

Kenny hasn't just failed to qualify, he's failed to compete in any groups. Unless you count competing with the whipping boys. You're talking down our players and talking up players Azerbaijan, Armenia and Luxembourg.

I'm sorry, I get it now. You're parodying Kenny and his supporters. It took me long enough.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Shussssssh, clearly it's only ever Barry's *insert team name* when they win silly. Still take him back as part of the coaching staff and will likely be available again as the P45s are probably already written up for Martinez and Co.

Well Barry improved Ireland from the mess Kenny had them in. That's undisputed at this stage. It still wasn't great though.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

It’s a bit ambitious but if we are to get rid of Kenny I would like us to go for Alf Ramsey.

I'd take Ramsay Bolton!

[Stuttgart88]

Still?

Watch out Brazil and Belgium...

There goes Belgium

[Stuttgart88]

Yeah

'' we need Anthony Barry back ''

& in the next breath

'' we need to be more like Morocco ''

Ouch!

[mypost]

What manager have we sacked after a world cup? No manager was sacked after a European championship even. You are not very fond of facts.

I'm sorry, I get it now.

The public said Charlton should have walked after the American WC. 18 months later, they got their wish. The public called for McCarthy to be sacked after the last WC. 3 games later, they got their wish. 10 years and several coaches later, we finally got to another tournament. Were we remotely grateful? No, we wanted him fired after that as well. They only had to wait another 15 months to see him off. This happens after every single game, win lose or draw.

You tell us in every post why Kenny must go, but still haven't told me what manager in world football wants to manage Ireland in this environment.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Ouch!

Or "we don't have the players to compete"

Next breath

"Luxembourg and Azerbaijan have really good players".

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

The public said Charlton should have walked after the American WC. 18 months later, they got their wish. The public called for McCarthy to be sacked after the last WC. 3 games later, they got their wish. 10 years and several coaches later, we finally got to another tournament. Were we remotely grateful? No, we wanted him fired after that as well. They only had to wait another 15 months to see him off. This happens after every single game, win lose or draw.

You tell us in every post why Kenny must go, but still haven't told me what manager in world football wants to manage Ireland in this environment.

So no manager was sacked after the world cup or European championships.

I haven't had the chance to ask every manager about their interest in taking over but it's a well paid international job, we'll have no problem finding a replacement and let's be honest, it's almost impossible to do a worse job than what Kenny has done.

[SkStu]

Boomer - in the interests of arguing in good faith, who would you like to see in there? Who would you pin your flag to? Give us a name… and what would he have to do differently? In terms of team selection and on field tactics?

[CraftyToePoke]

Boomer - in the interests of arguing in good faith, who would you like to see in there? Who would you pin your flag to? Give us a name… and what would he have to do differently? In terms of team selection and on field tactics?

Agreed, in the interests of good faith in this conversation and I'd use that term very lightly around Boomers, the Mods should apply a time to this to be answered. Anyone can throw rocks and ditch hurl, let him bring something to the debate which progresses and furthers it as other have.