STEPHEN KENNY HAS hit back at criticism of his decision to call Irish U21 captain Andy Moran up to his senior team.
RTÉ pundit Dietmar Hamann called the decision “inexcusable”, saying it was wrong to take Moran out of two important U21 qualifier matches for senior games for which there was nothing on the line. Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 were over before the final game against Netherlands on Saturday, while Tuesday’s game against New Zealand is a friendly match.
“Stephen Kenny is employed by the FAI”, said Hamann. “He’s got to do what’s best for the FAI. Every decision he makes, he’s got to make in the best interests of the Irish football, not for his personal interests.”
Speaking at Monday’s pre-match press conference, Kenny made reference to Hamann’s comments without naming him.
“Andy is an important part of the squad”, said Kenny of Moran. “We had five players with scans last week who played in different positions. He was called into the squad and is a versatile player. He’s someone who deserves to be. I heard it said that it was ‘inexcusable’ that I called him in to the seniors.
“What’s inexcusable is the fact not many players were progressing through the Irish system for eight years. Now we have a system that’s aligned from the U15s right to the U21s where all the managers are working together to promote the ultimate goal of getting players in the senior international team. We’ve seen that. Andy is a really good prospect who we want to progress. If it’s not me after this campaign, then the next manager. He was in the senior squad because he was the next best player to come in in that position.
“He was rewarded for his good performances. Okay, other players were preferred on the night [against Netherlands]. You don’t know what will happen, you have to react and make decisions on that basis. But he was a good option as an attacking No eight or someone who can possibility play wider off the left. He was a good option as he will be [against New Zealand.] He’s in because he’s the next best players available at the moment on merit. You have to be rewarded with that as a player. That’s how I view that.”
Kenny called for perspective in the criticism levelled against his team in the wake of Saturday’s defeat, contrasting it with ignominious defeats for Ireland under Mick McCarthy, Steve Staunton, and Martin O’Neill.
“It wasn’t like we lost 4-1 to Wales or got hammered in Cyprus or Macedonia the other night, it was a tight game in Holland that we lost 1-0 and deserved to lose”, said Kenny. “It was one of those games, I think a bit of perspective on that, you know?”
Kenny retreated slightly from those comments when he was asked a subsequent question, admitting, “You can add one or two of mine onto that for sure.”
Kenny was also asked about criticism from some of his predecessors, with Brian Kerr and Martin O’Neill high-profile critics of Kenny across his tenure. On this topic, Kenny demurred. “Criticism from Brian Kerr or anyone else, it’s not something I really want to get into here and now”, he said. “I understand the question, but I think today is probably not the day for that.”
This has been a painfully long goodbye for Kenny, with tonight expected to be his final game in charge as it is the last under his current contract. Kenny says he sought assurances over his future from the FAI ahead of this window, and was told his reign would be assessed as part of an end-of-campaign review by Director of Football, Marc Canham.
There is little expectation he will be retained, however, which has left him in a deeply invidious position over the last couple of months. At one point at the pre-match press conference, James McClean, sitting beside Kenny, was asked if the Irish manager should be Irish, given the widespread expectation that there would be a change.
Kenny interjected to say, “I don’t think that’s a fair question while I’m still in the job, to speak about the next manager. I don’t think that’s fair, the decision hasn’t been made.”
He earlier acknowledged any potential successor, saying, “regardless of what decision is made and if there is a new manager to come in after me, I’ll wish them well, and I’ll wish the team well moving forward, and I’ll always support Ireland.”
This was excerpted and tweeted out by the FAI’s official account on a graphic accompanied by a green-coloured loveheart emoji, a post which gave the impression that this would be his farewell. The post was subsequently deleted.
