Stephen Kenny

**seanfhear** · 04/04/2023, 10:22 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

He'd be England manager right now if he hadn't left Brighton

Maybe yeah, good point.

**pineapple stu** · 05/04/2023, 6:12 AM

Originally Posted by osarusan

Don't see people like Potter or Rodgers having any interest in the Irish job. Firstly, it takes quite a while to demonstrate that you're making significant progress (6 competitive wins on the trot could take a year rather than a month) and as well as that, I'm not sure how much international success (with a team in Ireland's league at least) is considered evidence that you can cut the mustard in the EPL (any more evidence that already exists about Potter and Rodgers).

Potter's already been offered (and declined) the Leicester job; he'll get another gig out of the FAI's price range. And he'll want that to rebuild his reputation. Rodgers will get more money than the FAI are offering too. Plus we can't really afford to sack Kenny, which we'd have to do.

**osarusan** · 05/04/2023, 8:40 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Potter's already been offered (and declined) the Leicester job; he'll get another gig out of the FAI's price range. And he'll want that to rebuild his reputation. Rodgers will get more money than the FAI are offering too. Plus we can't really afford to sack Kenny, which we'd have to do.

Oh I know they are both miles outside of what the FAI can afford, but even if more money were not an issue, I don't think it's a job that would suit them right now.

**ontheotherhand** · 05/04/2023, 10:50 PM

People who think Rogers or Potter are realistic targets are delightfully optimistic about the current state of the FAI and Irish football in general. Fair play.

Hopefully the emergence of Evan Ferguson will help us become more competitive under Kenny or whoever comes next. We still need someone to supply him but maybe that's Smallbone or Moran who seems to be making the bench at Brighton here and there. For me, a large part of our problem is having no proper frontman or at least nobody who can be relied upon consistently. We've had false dawns / bright patches when one of our many erratic strikers has hit a bit of form (Robinson, Obafemi, Parrot) but nobody has really taken over the mantle from McGoldrick, let alone Keane. Both different players obviously but they offered something up front that we have been lacking. They knew how to play international football and lead the line. The team knew what they could do and we could play to their strengths.

I remember being really excited about the idea of Kenny trying to play a bit of football and having Aaron Connolly, Obafemi and Idah all playing around McGoldrick.....that completely fell apart. At least the 3 young lads are all back on the right road but now Evan has leapfrogged them all. We could still use a bit of experience up there with him I think. At the moment he comes across as the more intelligent and mature of the bunch and he's 18.

**pineapple stu** · 06/04/2023, 7:04 AM

Originally Posted by osarusan

Oh I know they are both miles outside of what the FAI can afford, but even if more money were not an issue, I don't think it's a job that would suit them right now.

Yep - it's kind of bizarre that we're even discussing it tbh. For lots of reasons!

**Yard of Pace** · 06/04/2023, 1:45 PM

Alright let's get more realistic:

Terry Connor.

Knows the lads, the set-up, is now 60, perfect age, can call on Mick for advice....

**pineapple stu** · 06/04/2023, 2:19 PM

Managerial career: 13 games and no wins.

Is he one of those who's much better suited to being a coach rather than a manager?

**CraftyToePoke** · 06/04/2023, 2:38 PM

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Managerial career: 13 games and no wins.

Is he one of those who's much better suited to being a coach rather than a manager?

Maybe get the sarcasm radar serviced there Pineapplers ?

**pineapple stu** · 06/04/2023, 3:28 PM

Was it? It can be hard to tell at times on here!

**John83** · 06/04/2023, 3:32 PM

I dunno. It sounds like the budget for a new manager is about two bushels of wheat and an ice-cream every other month. We might need the next manager to be independently wealthy.

**seanfhear** · 06/04/2023, 3:37 PM

Originally Posted by John83

I dunno. It sounds like the budget for a new manager is about two bushels of wheat and an ice-cream every other month. We might need the next manager to be independently wealthy.

George Soros ? !

**John83** · 06/04/2023, 4:24 PM

Maybe not quite that independently wealthy. Are we still paying Robbie Keane?

**Razors left peg** · 06/04/2023, 5:21 PM

Originally Posted by John83

I dunno. It sounds like the budget for a new manager is about two bushels of wheat and an ice-cream every other month. We might need the next manager to be independently wealthy.

I hear Steve Staunton has done quite well for himself

**ontheotherhand** · 06/04/2023, 5:50 PM

Originally Posted by John83

Maybe not quite that independently wealthy. Are we still paying Robbie Keane?

That's hard to read even as a joke.

**Fixer82** · 09/04/2023, 10:15 AM

Good to see him at the Dublin derby.
Wonder what he made of Graham Burke and Jack Byrne’s contributions

**Eirambler** · 09/04/2023, 11:33 AM

I think the door is closing on League of Ireland involvement in the senior squad for the foreseeable to be honest. There's just too much depth coming through at a higher level. Other than a keeper coming in as third choice cover or a few players coming in to train with the squad for experience, I can't see anyone from the domestic league being anywhere near the senior team anytime soon.

Are Jack Byrne's two cameo appearances in the Nations League the only competitive League of Ireland appearances for the senior team since the 1980s?

**elatedscum** · 09/04/2023, 1:16 PM

The outlier is perhaps a really really talented kid. Like if Ferguson hadn’t had a British passport, he’d have been in LOI until after his 18th birthday. So he feasibly could be playing LOI now before signing for Brighton in July (or having signed in January).

Obviously Ferguson may not have developed as quickly in LoI and it’d be a lot harder to justify calling him up.

But theoretically if a 17 year old Evan scored 30 goals for Bohs or Rovers last season - I could imagine people wanting a call up.

Right now, Ferizaj and Curtis followed by maybe McManus are the high profile examples of lads who have stayed around like that. But there’s a gulf in class between them and Evan.

**ontheotherhand** · 09/04/2023, 4:44 PM

Byrne is getting close to the levels he hit before and would be useful if he can get there again imop. Plenty will disagree but there's nobody like him in the team. Smallbone maybe the closest? How has Ronan been doing in the states? Moran maybe? Our set pieces would at least improve with Byrne. They were terrible v France. I'd like to have someone like that in the squad for teams who will sit in against us. He'd be well able to play against Gibraltar etc. I don't think Burke is anywhere close even if he was brilliant on Friday. He's a joy to watch at LoI level but I was surprised he got a call up even at his peak.

I'd say Kenny was more interested in Farrugia though to be honest. He's still only 23 and is looking like he could go play at a higher level now.

Overall I'd be shocked if we see a LoI call up in the near future.

**Eirambler** · 09/04/2023, 5:39 PM

Originally Posted by elatedscum

The outlier is perhaps a really really talented kid. Like if Ferguson hadn’t had a British passport, he’d have been in LOI until after his 18th birthday. So he feasibly could be playing LOI now before signing for Brighton in July (or having signed in January).

Obviously Ferguson may not have developed as quickly in LoI and it’d be a lot harder to justify calling him up.

But theoretically if a 17 year old Evan scored 30 goals for Bohs or Rovers last season - I could imagine people wanting a call up.

Right now, Ferizaj and Curtis followed by maybe McManus are the high profile examples of lads who have stayed around like that. But there’s a gulf in class between them and Evan.

Fair point. As an aside, I wonder would Ferguson have stayed around if he hadn't been able to go to England? Or would he have gone to continental Europe? Staying at home for a couple of years and getting first team experience might help some players, but someone at his level needed to leave Ireland at 16 to fulfill his potential to be honest.

**Eirambler** · 09/04/2023, 5:42 PM

Originally Posted by ontheotherhand

Byrne is getting close to the levels he hit before and would be useful if he can get there again imop. Plenty will disagree but there's nobody like him in the team. Smallbone maybe the closest? How has Ronan been doing in the states? Moran maybe? Our set pieces would at least improve with Byrne. They were terrible v France. I'd like to have someone like that in the squad for teams who will sit in against us. He'd be well able to play against Gibraltar etc. I don't think Burke is anywhere close even if he was brilliant on Friday. He's a joy to watch at LoI level but I was surprised he got a call up even at his peak.

I'd say Kenny was more interested in Farrugia though to be honest. He's still only 23 and is looking like he could go play at a higher level now.

Overall I'd be shocked if we see a LoI call up in the near future.

I'd call up Mandroiu or Azaz before Byrne at this point to be honest. Smallbone well ahead of all of them at the moment though and Moran will be an interesting one to watch in that position.