Stephen Kenny

[Yard of Pace]

Could Robbie not be offered a roving ambassador role - to schools, schoolboy clubs - anywhere the game needs promoting? He seems very affable and kids love him - and we're not overburdened with legends. Would he accept such a role? It would look bad for him if he didn't - taking 250k per annum, doing bugger-all and saying no to kids.

This is an excellent idea. A friend who worked as a volunteer at the U-17s tournament said Robbie was really polite, nice, charming, funny, no aloofness at all.

There is no end of good things he could be doing. When poor Alan McLoughlin died the Guardian's cartoonist immortalised the time when he was a youngster and McLoughlin presented him with a skills certificate or something of that nature. Obviously he didn't become a professional but he certainly never forgot.
Sadlier's book has a photo of him being presented with a medal by Andy Townsend. Big Mick came to my club to present medals. Unforgettable.

And, quite honestly, I have no shame in admitting that even now, I'd be absolutely thrilled to get any kind of certificate from Robbie and I went to my first Ireland game before the Berlin Wall came down!

He should be doing something if he isn't.

[paul_oshea]

"The attacking three that have come into the team, Aaron Connolly, Adam Idah and Troy Parrott, still have it all to prove but they have a lot of potential and give us more options.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2021...f-on-portugal/

He's still banging on about how great we were in games we lost or drew. You can't be claiming moral victories all the time.

[pineapple stu]

He really doesn't do himself any favours in those press conferences. "Serbia should be at the Euros. They're probably a last-16 Euros team, with the players they've got" for example - but they lost to Scotland in the play-offs. They lost 5-0 away to Ukraine in qualifying. They probably do underachieve relative to the players they have, but in that case we played against that underachieving team, not against the team it could be.

"I thought we were absolutely brilliant against Serbia away" - yeah, no. We played a bit of ball at times, but in reality we were way off the pace for large parts of the game.

There's other bits in it that I'd take issue with - "We've got a balance of youth and experience" for example. I mean, technically it's true, but I don't think we have a good balance of youth and experience.

I generally try and ignore those sort of press talks, but like I say, he doesn't really help himself with what he comes out with.

[tetsujin1979]

The full interview is here: https://www.rte.ie/radio/radioplayer...#/2fm/11318074
Starts at 2:34, goes on until 24 minutes
for a manager with a reputation for attention to detail, saying that he doesn't know of another country that had to drop players due to close contact COVID rules is surprising

[OwlsFan]

The anthem thing isn't new, it's not a stick I'd use to beat Kenny when there are so many more substantial ones to hand. Colin Healy and Ian Harte are two players who I remember preferring to stare moodily into the distance while the anthem played.

Yes but he is the only one who prepared a motivational videos for the players. There is nothing more motivational in my opinion than belting out your own anthem especially in a foreign field. Nearly everyone does it now. It's not a new problem I agree but it is one which can be tackled. I think it shows great pride in your country by singing it.

[OwlsFan]

Interesting article on how the Welsh bed in their non-natives to the team: https://www.theguardian.com/football...-welsh-players

[Bielsa´s irish]

Portugal gone may be good for us. Maybe a new coach. Dont think Pepe nor Cristiano would hang up their boots for international footie yet.

They were appaling yesyerday bar the last 15 minutes when chasing for an equalizer

[Diggs246]

Portugal gone may be good for us. Maybe a new coach. Dont think Pepe nor Cristiano would hang up their boots for international footie yet.

They were appaling yesyerday bar the last 15 minutes when chasing for an equalizer

Ronaldo is an ego manic, if he had scored and broke that record yesterday, and they still lost, i think he would have retired, but who knows now

[paul_oshea]

I think he just loves football. Football and records. He'll stay while he thinks he can do something

[NeverFeltBetter]

No way Ronaldo retires from internationals with a World Cup only 18 months away. That's a more natural end point for that portion of his career.

[pineapple stu]

And when he needs one more goal to make history.

Which will surely be against us now...

I think he'd have played on to the next World Cup even if he had scored yesterday

[NeverFeltBetter]

Ah, it'll be nice to be part of history.

More seriously, is there a feeling that Ronaldo has no regard for playing for his country or something? He always struck me as someone who took that very seriously, whatever about his character flaws, real or imagined.

[John83]

I wonder if RTÉ could wheel out Dunphy for one last time to tell us how Ronaldo is all sizzle and no steak, a fancy dan with no end product?

[seanfhear]

I wonder if RTÉ could wheel out Dunphy for one last time to tell us how Ronaldo is all sizzle and no steak, a fancy dan with no end product?

He was at the same thing about Michel Platini in the 1980’s ~ Dunphy made a career out of taking pot shots at very successful footballers and then doing a time filler ( cheap television ) for Rte backing up / arguing his nonsense. Only in Ireland would such a nobody ( football wise ) get away with the daft stuff Dunphy got away with.

[paul_oshea]

I wonder if RTÉ could wheel out Dunphy for one last time to tell us how Ronaldo is all sizzle and no steak, a fancy dan with no end product?

That's what happens when you copy and paste.

His recent comments on England winning and/or beating Germany was funny though.

[paul_oshea]

No way Ronaldo retires from internationals with a World Cup only 18 months away. That's a more natural end point for that portion of his career.

I think if he is still going strong at league level wherever that is, he will continue to play past the World Cup for Portugal. Ronaldos the kind of guy I think who will find not playing very difficult.

[EalingGreen]

Ah, it'll be nice to be part of history.

More seriously, is there a feeling that Ronaldo has no regard for playing for his country or something? He always struck me as someone who took that very seriously, whatever about his character flaws, real or imagined.

Talking about "history", I was in Porto for Ronaldo's 100th cap (v NI).

There was a huge celebration/presentation before the kick-off, as you'd expect.

Anyhow, CR spent the first 30 minutes attacking our LB, Ryan McGivern (yes, him!) from the right wing, but no joy. Then spent the next 30 minutes attacking our RB, Aaron Hughes, from the left wing - same result.

Finally he resorted to roaming wherever he wanted, demanding the ball every time and taking increasingly hopeless pot shots from all angles and distances.

Meanwhile, Portugal only scraped a draw with a late, scrambled equaliser, the point being that CR was treating the game as a chance to celebrate his efforts, not the team's. And it was clear that the manager, who was sacked soon after, had no say in how or where he played.

All that said, when he came to Windsor for the return game a few months later, he scored a terrific hattrick, while clearly only half fit!

My guess is that he is genuinely committed to Portugal, both because it provides him with another stage on which to display his greatness (cf Porto), but also because it's his country and he's a proud Portugese (cf Windsor).

And in that respect, I imagine he'll want to continue using the NT to put daylight between himself and Messi, whose international record is clearly not so great.

[seanfhear]

In fairness to Ronaldo he has never failed at any club and he has had a good number, and has done well for Portugal. Messi has done outstanding at one club and reasonably ( considering his ability ) good for Argentina.

Ronaldo's legs seem to be gone ( not surprisingly ) but he still managed one or two gi-normous jumps at the Euros.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Duffy will keep Ronaldo in his pocket!

Just on Kenny, watching Denmark do so well shows just how far we have gone backwards since he took over. It's common now to paint us as also rans prior to the Kenny reign. There was some dreadful displays but we absolutely battered Denmark in the 1-1 draw in the last game of the group having already drawn with them 1-1 in Copenhagen. From going really close to qualifying for the Euros in a group with Switzerland and Denmark to being knocked out of qualifying for the World cup by Luxemburg.

[Bielsa´s irish]

Ditto this. Kenny is like that Leslie Nielsen doctor in Airplane! Dr Rumack kind of spoofer