Stephen Kenny

**liamoo11** · 22/01/2023, 12:30 AM

Eoin Kenny scored for ireland school's today against. Australia. Is there a genuine desire there I wonder on his part yo be in the northern Ireland system?

**elatedscum** · 24/01/2023, 12:40 AM

Did anyone see the rabona that he his the post with? Absolutely ridiculous

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnwsR...d=MDJmNzVkMjY=

**ontheotherhand** · 24/01/2023, 5:32 AM

Originally Posted by elatedscum

Did anyone see the rabona that he his the post with? Absolutely ridiculous

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnwsR...d=MDJmNzVkMjY=

So he has no left foot?

Seriously though, that would have been a puskas contender. Unreal technique. A rabona lob? A lobona?

**ifk101** · 24/01/2023, 9:39 AM

https://www.the42.ie/anthony-barry-4-5977369-Jan2023/

No return for Barry.

**JR89** · 24/01/2023, 10:17 AM

With Martinez walking into the Portugal job he's got a better job lined up already if he fancies double jobbing. He's also someone that could well move into management this summer.

**BOOMSHAKALAKA** · 24/01/2023, 11:16 AM

Why would he come back as number 2 if you think about it? So Kenny could try to claim the credit again for moderately improving our performances? The FAI top brass are trying to claim they've changed and things are run better now but sitting on their hands over this issue is not a good reflection on them. Chasing after Barry or Carsley or whoever should have been done by now when the opportunity was there. Who knows what circumstances those candidates will be in when the inevitable happens.

**paul_oshea** · 24/01/2023, 12:30 PM

I'd be concerned those in the FAI in power now wouldn't really be relevant in terms of running a footballing organisation. Is there anything available publicly about the board and their backgrounds? Other than quotas and outside influence on the board what's the experience?

**zero** · 21/02/2023, 5:55 PM

It occured to me earlier that we all - or nearly all - have our head in the sand re kenny, we are so desperate for him to succeed. It's only when he is bounced out that we'll realise what a mess his time in charge has been. We're kicking the can down the road as long as he is at the helm unfortunately.

I would suggest though that unless he pulls things together in short order this is his final campaign. I hope he manages it.

**SkStu** · 21/02/2023, 5:58 PM

I think everyone feels the same at this point.

**Razors left peg** · 21/02/2023, 6:14 PM

Originally Posted by zero

It occured to me earlier that we all - or nearly all - have our head in the sand re kenny, we are so desperate for him to succeed. It's only when he is bounced out that we'll realise what a mess his time in charge has been. We're kicking the can down the road as long as he is at the helm unfortunaltey.

I would suggest though that unless he pulls things together in short order this is his final campaign. I hope he manages it.

I think theres no doubt that hes in the last chance saloon. And this has already been massively over discussed, but what constitutes pulling things together in this campaign is what a lot of the debate is really about at this point.

**Eirambler** · 21/02/2023, 7:02 PM

Originally Posted by zero

It occured to me earlier that we all - or nearly all - have our head in the sand re kenny, we are so desperate for him to succeed. It's only when he is bounced out that we'll realise what a mess his time in charge has been. We're kicking the can down the road as long as he is at the helm unfortunately.

I would suggest though that unless he pulls things together in short order this is his final campaign. I hope he manages it.

In fairness quite a few of us have been of that view since about the second game of the World Cup campaign.

I think in time his supporters will seek to frame his legacy around how many players he brought through, and there's merit in that to be fair. But, other than a short stint at the end of the last campaign - which may or may not have been more to do with Barry than Kenny - and the Scotland home game - which always felt like a bit of a one off derby game - it has largely been a complete mess.

**samhaydenjr** · 22/02/2023, 2:39 AM

Originally Posted by zero

It occured to me earlier that we all - or nearly all - have our head in the sand re kenny, we are so desperate for him to succeed. It's only when he is bounced out that we'll realise what a mess his time in charge has been. We're kicking the can down the road as long as he is at the helm unfortunately.

I would suggest though that unless he pulls things together in short order this is his final campaign. I hope he manages it.

To paraphrase Glengarry Glen Ross: "The good new is: You're Fired! The bad news is: you've one campaign to win your job back"

**tetsujin1979** · 22/02/2023, 7:13 AM

Originally Posted by Eirambler

In fairness quite a few of us have been of that view since about the second game of the World Cup campaign.

I think in time his supporters will seek to frame his legacy around how many players he brought through, and there's merit in that to be fair. But, other than a short stint at the end of the last campaign - which may or may not have been more to do with Barry than Kenny - and the Scotland home game - which always felt like a bit of a one off derby game - it has largely been a complete mess.

I've been saying for a while now that the players he gave a debut to may very well be his legacy, but I'm hardly a supporter

**Eirambler** · 22/02/2023, 8:22 AM

It's true in some respects, but it's always felt to me like he brought through "his" players first and foremost. Mainly the ones he worked with and favoured at Under 21 level - O'Shea, Molumby, Knight, Parrott, Idah etc.

He was a lot slower to bring through the likes of Cullen, mostly ignoring him during the first NL campaign in favour of Arter or his absolutely off the wall notion that Hourihane could be a deep lying midfielder for us (which of course he tried again to similarly disastrous effect more recently against Armenia). Similarly McNamara as mentioned has been completely ignored despite two seasons of good form for Millwall that has brought EPL interest and most of our other right wing back options being the wrong side of 30. Also with Manning at left wing back, he's never been given a fair crack I don't think. He has also been slow to bring through Smallbone, who wasn't one of his preferred players at Under 21 level (when asked about him in a press conference once he chose to turn the conversation to another Southampton player at that time, Will Ferry, instead).

It just feels to me that, once he brought his own favourites in he shut the door a bit for others that have come along since - Evan Ferguson excepted. So, for me, any praise of his blooding of players will always be caveated by that to some extent.

**elatedscum** · 22/02/2023, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by Eirambler

It just feels to me that, once he brought his own favourites in he shut the door a bit for others that have come along since - Evan Ferguson excepted. So, for me, any praise of his blooding of players will always be caveated by that to some extent.

Andrew Omobamidele, Gavin Bazunu, Michael Obafemi and Nathan Collins say hello

**Eirambler** · 22/02/2023, 1:11 PM

I think there would have been grounds to dismiss him on the spot if he didn't bring those lads in - those four plus Ferguson are probably our five best prospects for the next 10 years!

**nigel-harps1954** · 22/02/2023, 2:43 PM

Originally Posted by Eirambler

I think there would have been grounds to dismiss him on the spot if he didn't bring those lads in - those four plus Ferguson are probably our five best prospects for the next 10 years!

But it completely contradicts your previous statement.

**elatedscum** · 22/02/2023, 3:33 PM

Originally Posted by Eirambler

I think there would have been grounds to dismiss him on the spot if he didn't bring those lads in - those four plus Ferguson are probably our five best prospects for the next 10 years!

i don't see the players who he hasn't called up really.

Smallbone did his cruciate as a 20 year old when he was probably on the cusp of a call up. Last season, he played 228 minutes across all comps (excluding u23s) and watching him play for ireland's 21s, he didn't really look right until June (it didn't help that Crawford played him on the right wing sometimes). Got a loan move and regular game time this summer and got his first call up in November.

Apart from him, from the 2000/2001 class, Conor Coventry is the only other person you could make a case for - but I don’t think he’s played enough until his loan move in January to be a viable contender. Certainly possible he’s called up in March and he has been called up as an injury replacement in the past.

The 2002 kids, Festy Ebosele got a call-up as a 19 year old (when he couldn’t get into Jim Crawford’s 21s team) - didn’t play but got his first call up and made the bench. Signed in Italy a few weeks later and stopped playing football.

Joe Hodge could have been called up in November, I would have called him up - I’d also probably not call him up for March, based on his lack of playing time. He’s a guy who had another incredibly serious injury and only made his first senior club appearance in October.

As for the 98/99 lads, I’d have called up McNamara by now, I’d also have used Connor Ronan (who is definitely in the list of ‘Kenny favourites from his 21s days’)

I agree that Cullen wasn’t used as quickly as he should have been - but in fairness, Harry Arter was a regular for the team that won the championship that season. If we’re going that old, there’s also the likes of Ogbene and McGrath to consider who were probably given call-ups and playing time over expectation.

So you’re talking about nitpicking a handful of players when probably close to 20 lads have been brought through

**BOOMSHAKALAKA** · 22/02/2023, 6:01 PM

It went so bad for Kenny that his supporters can only point to him calling up some of our most promising players in decades as his only positive contribution.

Even McCarthy called up Parrott and Connolly and he was actually competing to qualify for a major tournament!