It’s fair to say that the Football Association of Ireland have firmly put their trust in Stephen Kenny as manager of the national team. Kenny is a figure who has divided opinion since taking over from Mick McCarthy in 2020.
The loss to Slovakia in the Euro 2020 play-offs represented a disappointing start to his tenure, before a largely disastrous World Cup 2022 qualification campaign saw Kenny come in for plenty of criticism.
Those in the 50-year-old’s corner will point to the last two years being a transition period, and not a bid to become favourites among those who bet on football. Kenny was brought in with a view to changing the way Ireland play — exhibiting a more attractive brand of football compared to the reigns of McCarthy, Martin O’Neill and Giovanni Trapattoni before him.
There’s no denying that Kenny has Ireland playing nicer football, but at times that has been to the detriment of the team’s results. Even the Nations League campaign, which got underway in the summer, has seen Ireland struggle somewhat. Successive defeats to Armenia and Ukraine were not what the doctor ordered, although Kenny’s men made amends by thrashing Scotland 3-0.
It’s been a period of mixed fortunes for irish bookmakers not on Gamstop, but Kenny’s sole focus will be ensuring the team is in tip-top shape for the Euro 2024 qualifiers, which get underway next year. That has always been the rough blueprint for Kenny’s reign — building a squad that has a chance of reaching the Euro 2024 finals in Germany, and then kicking on from there to try and establish Ireland as a force in international football.
“The ambition is obviously to go to Germany and qualify for the European Championships,” Kenny said back in March. “I realise it’s a big ambition, a big dream, to go back to where Ireland started in the European Championships. “That’s the big dream for Ireland and no stone will be left unturned attempting to do that. We have to do everything to get there with this team.”
“We have rebuilt the team and the support has really connected with the players. It’s been a radical change really. We’ve brought 15 players through our own system over the last year or so, which is quite a radical shift. The supporters are identifying with the players and the team is playing in a style that people can really get excited by and relate to. It hasn’t been straightforward, of course, and we’ve had to come through a difficult period.”
Kenny will be hoping that the most difficult times are behind him as he seeks to lead Ireland into a bold new era. There is much to be optimistic about, namely the energy his young side has shown at different points during his tenure, and the potential this side has to develop as a group. But there are still question marks over the quality and experience within Ireland’s ranks. There was once a time when Ireland’s team would be filled with players operating at the highest level in the Premier League, but Irish footballers have become less represented at England’s biggest clubs. Nowadays the bulk of the Irish squad is made up of Championship players, and it remains to be seen whether Kenny has the capabilities to turn his squad into a side capable of competing at international football’s top table.
