UNFORTUNATELY, THE writing appears to be on the wall for Stephen Kenny.
No senior men’s Ireland manager has ever survived failure to qualify for a major tournament on three separate occasions.
Multiple reports have suggested that the embattled coach needed points from this September window following the morale-sapping loss to Greece in June.
Netherlands’ classy display amid a come-from-behind win in Dublin on Sunday has killed off any realistic hope of qualification from the group.
Ireland might still have a chance to reach Euro 2024 via the backdoor route of the playoffs, but it’s wing-and-a-prayer stuff at this point.
Moreover, even if this opportunity does arise, the thought of Ireland winning back-to-back playoff matches seems fanciful on current form, given that they have lost four out of five games, albeit in an admittedly nightmare group.
If it does prove to be the end of the road for the former Dundalk boss, on results alone, Kenny will be remembered as one of the least successful Irish managers in recent history — in competitive fixtures, his record now reads, five wins, eight draws and 13 losses.
However, despite a poor run of form, many fans still have an affinity and respect for Kenny.
There was a smattering of boos at the final whistle, but it was far from unanimous.
The opening 10 minutes when Ireland had Netherlands on the ropes were as loud and excitable as the Aviva Stadium has been for the past decade.
It did not have the feel of the end of an era, in contrast with the culmination of the Giovanni Trapattoni and Martin O’Neill reigns, when it seemed patently clear amid the stark negativity that their time was up.
And for all the disappointing results, Kenny has rekindled people’s love for the Irish team.
Average attendances have improved since he took over, while the team are younger, less predictable and more exciting to watch.
Ireland are playing the type of progressive, modern football that has been conspicuous by its absence arguably for decades before the Dubliner took charge.
There is a positivity to the way the manager speaks about Irish football that is in stark contrast to O’Neill’s regular laments about Ireland’s lack of “a young Robbie Keane” and Trapattoni’s “we are Ireland” and “there is no league” quips.
Sinclair Armstrong’s late introduction meant Kenny has now given debuts to 20 players during his reign.
The emergence of young footballers of African descent like Adam Idah, Gavin Bazunu and Festy Ebosele is another reason why the side are connecting with the public in a way they had not before, with the squad’s increased diversity more reflective of Irish society at large.
These notable positives should not render Kenny immune from criticism or excuse the bad results, nor should they be overlooked or dismissed in the rush to judgment that will inevitably transpire in the coming days.
The goodwill he has built up as a result of this refreshing philosophy and the general manner in which he conducts himself is something future Ireland managers can and should learn from.
The worst decision the FAI can make at this juncture would be to replace Kenny with a manager who is solely results-focused, when in reality, the job is much more wide-ranging and responsibilities must include preserving the long-term health of Irish football as opposed to merely chasing short-term gains.
Ireland cannot go back to the style of ultra-direct football favoured by O’Neill, Trapattoni and Mick McCarthy to an extent. It was plain by the end of the O’Neill era that the approach was hopelessly outdated when even sides such as Northern Ireland and Georgia were coming to the Aviva and outplaying the hosts.
The message across the country at underage level is invariably to ‘learn to love the ball’.
Pep Guardiola-era Barcelona had an enormous impact on coaching all over the world to the extent that so many at underage level seek to emulate the Catalan boss’ style.
In children’s matches, goalkeepers are encouraged to play out from the back rather than kicking it long.
This evolution has extended to Ireland, and plenty of hard work has been put in, to the extent that the country’s underage sides now have a very similar style and attempt to play in a specific, conjoined way.
Ireland still struggle to produce the type of technically exceptional players who are key in the modern game, particularly in midfield, a problem that needs fixing. The losses to France and the Netherlands in recent days were a potent reminder of this conspicuous flaw in the system.
But there is some cause for optimism that Ireland are starting to produce top players again — Brighton wonderkid Evan Ferguson being the most obvious example, but even the development of two players, Nathan Collins and Andrew Omobamidele, who were sold for fees in excess of €20 million this summer, should be cause for celebration and an indication that the underage system is improving, even if the progress is not occurring at as rapid a rate as supporters would like.
Kenny is undoubtedly aware of all these factors and has done a good job overhauling a stale philosophy while building a platform for change and starting a process that was always going to be long and painstaking.
Should Ireland choose now to revert back to a long-ball, results-first, play-the-percentages approach, not only would it be thoroughly misguided, but it would be a spit in the face to every underage coach in the country valiantly trying to play the game the right way.
