STEPHEN KENNY IS preparing to take charge of a game at Aviva Stadium for the first time since his departure as Republic of Ireland manager in November 2023.
The St Patrick’s Athletic boss had last season’s FAI Cup final on his radar as the perfect occasion to return.
Instead, their Premier Division opener against Bohemians on Sunday offers a novel start to 2026.
A crowd in the region of 20,000 is expected at Lansdowne Road as Bohs return to Dublin 4 to kick off their campaign for the second season in a row.
A record League of Ireland attendance of 33,208 was set 12 months ago and while that figure won’t be reached again the weekend’s Dublin derby will comfortably be the highest crow of the season.
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Unless, of course, someone follows Bohs’ lead and seeks to switch one of their home games to the Aviva.
The venue continues to hold a special place for Kenny but sentiment won’t count for much at the weekend.
A disastrous final two months of last season saw the Saints lose their FAI Cup semi-final clash with relegated Cork City and slump so badly in the Premier Division that they finished outside of the European places.
“I don’t think anyone is tipping us for the league this time,” Kenny said, citing how he felt his squad has “gone under the radar” this time around.
The 2025 campaign was the first time in Kenny’s career as a manager that he didn’t qualify for Europe during a full season with the same club.
It led to a period of reflection over the winter. For example, he informed his wife that the family holiday they had planned was scrapped.
He spent a week with former Ireland No.2 Keith Andrews at Brentford’s training ground and then went further north in England to do the same with John Eustace at Derby County.
The Englishman may only have had a three-month spell on the Ireland staff before being lured away for the head coach role at Birmingham City, but the pair’s relationship is clearly positive and those environments helped provide some clarity.
“I went to John and Keith and realised… in my head I came from a scenario of winning four more or less doubles [with Dundalk],” he said, in reference to the league and FAI Cup but also the old League Cup victories.
“I went into the Ireland job, came out… I’m not going to settle for mediocrity. I’m very driven.”
Kenny reckons “the dial has moved incredibly so in terms of transfer fees” and says that “obviously we have got to do things differently.”
Pat’s earned small enough amounts for Brandon Kavanagh (Drogheda United) and Conor Carty (Waterford) that pale into insignificance compared to the initial €1.9 million Tottenham Hotspur paid for Mason Melia.
His departure has also played a part in Kenny’s decision to rejig the Pat’s set up and prioritise 3-5-2.
“We relied too much on him last season in the end, so now he has gone everyone else is going to have to step up and show their collective quality. We can’t just have a one-for-one replacement. We’ve got to play differently. I’ve looked at it and said, ‘we are not going to get anyone better than him, we have to think differently about how we are going to approach this season’. We have to have a collective determination.”
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It’s a similar sentiment for his opposite number in the Bohs dugout on Sunday. Alan Reynolds lost captain Keith Buckley to newly-promoted Dundalk over the winter as he veteran midfielder opted for regular football at Oriel Park.
Reynolds hailed the Dubliner’s influence but senses that in his absence others will now emerge.
Dawson Devoy already wore the armband last season and between him, fellow former Ireland U21 international Ross Tierney, midfielders Adam McDonnell, Niall Morahan and utility man Jordan Flores, there is a leadership group aged between 24 to 30 that are primed to
“They all have to step up to this and fill that and I think they have embraced it since we came back in December. I notice a difference in them and I think they recognise they need to step up and be those leaders.”
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Stephen Kenny rejuvenated at St Patrick's Athletic - 'I’m not going to settle for mediocrity'
STEPHEN KENNY IS preparing to take charge of a game at Aviva Stadium for the first time since his departure as Republic of Ireland manager in November 2023.
The St Patrick’s Athletic boss had last season’s FAI Cup final on his radar as the perfect occasion to return.
Instead, their Premier Division opener against Bohemians on Sunday offers a novel start to 2026.
A crowd in the region of 20,000 is expected at Lansdowne Road as Bohs return to Dublin 4 to kick off their campaign for the second season in a row.
A record League of Ireland attendance of 33,208 was set 12 months ago and while that figure won’t be reached again the weekend’s Dublin derby will comfortably be the highest crow of the season.
Unless, of course, someone follows Bohs’ lead and seeks to switch one of their home games to the Aviva.
The venue continues to hold a special place for Kenny but sentiment won’t count for much at the weekend.
A disastrous final two months of last season saw the Saints lose their FAI Cup semi-final clash with relegated Cork City and slump so badly in the Premier Division that they finished outside of the European places.
“I don’t think anyone is tipping us for the league this time,” Kenny said, citing how he felt his squad has “gone under the radar” this time around.
The 2025 campaign was the first time in Kenny’s career as a manager that he didn’t qualify for Europe during a full season with the same club.
It led to a period of reflection over the winter. For example, he informed his wife that the family holiday they had planned was scrapped.
He spent a week with former Ireland No.2 Keith Andrews at Brentford’s training ground and then went further north in England to do the same with John Eustace at Derby County.
The Englishman may only have had a three-month spell on the Ireland staff before being lured away for the head coach role at Birmingham City, but the pair’s relationship is clearly positive and those environments helped provide some clarity.
“I went to John and Keith and realised… in my head I came from a scenario of winning four more or less doubles [with Dundalk],” he said, in reference to the league and FAI Cup but also the old League Cup victories.
“I went into the Ireland job, came out… I’m not going to settle for mediocrity. I’m very driven.”
Kenny reckons “the dial has moved incredibly so in terms of transfer fees” and says that “obviously we have got to do things differently.”
Pat’s earned small enough amounts for Brandon Kavanagh (Drogheda United) and Conor Carty (Waterford) that pale into insignificance compared to the initial €1.9 million Tottenham Hotspur paid for Mason Melia.
His departure has also played a part in Kenny’s decision to rejig the Pat’s set up and prioritise 3-5-2.
“We relied too much on him last season in the end, so now he has gone everyone else is going to have to step up and show their collective quality. We can’t just have a one-for-one replacement. We’ve got to play differently. I’ve looked at it and said, ‘we are not going to get anyone better than him, we have to think differently about how we are going to approach this season’. We have to have a collective determination.”
It’s a similar sentiment for his opposite number in the Bohs dugout on Sunday. Alan Reynolds lost captain Keith Buckley to newly-promoted Dundalk over the winter as he veteran midfielder opted for regular football at Oriel Park.
Reynolds hailed the Dubliner’s influence but senses that in his absence others will now emerge.
Dawson Devoy already wore the armband last season and between him, fellow former Ireland U21 international Ross Tierney, midfielders Adam McDonnell, Niall Morahan and utility man Jordan Flores, there is a leadership group aged between 24 to 30 that are primed to
“They all have to step up to this and fill that and I think they have embraced it since we came back in December. I notice a difference in them and I think they recognise they need to step up and be those leaders.”
The Aviva on Sunday is a great place to start.
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2026 league of ireland alan reynolds Bohemians League of Ireland loi 2026 Soccer St. Patrick's Athletic Stephen Kenny