STEPHEN KENNY WAS defiant when asked he if he believed he would be a successful Irish manager in the wake of yet another defeat in which Ireland couldn’t score.
Wales were 1-0 winners in Cardiff this evening, marking Ireland’s third Nations League defeat of this campaign. That they failed to score means the side’s goalless stretch now stands at six games, the longest in Irish football history.
Asked after the game whether he believed he would be a success at senior international level, Kenny responded defiantly and looked to the World Cup qualifiers next March, citing his abnormally bad run of luck with injuries and unavailabilities.
“Yeah, I have no doubts I will be a success. Absolutely no doubts. We have a clear vision of what we want. Between this camp and the previous camp, we have been in quite unprecedented circumstances, in modern times anyway. Certainly, it’s quite unprecedented. Nevertheless, the players have come out against a good Wales team today and put in a good performance overall.
“We didn’t create a load of chances, but you’re not going to against a good Wales team. We probably had the better chances up to the last five minutes, when they had two on the break.
“That’s how I see it. We have to dust ourselves down and get ready for Bulgaria. And for the World Cup campaign we will have Seamus Coleman, Enda Stevens, John Egan, and attacking options like Aaron Connolly, Alan Browne, an emerging Troy Parrott coming into what we have. James McCarthy as well.
“That will give us a lot of encouragement.”
When asked about his goalscoring woes, Kenny pointed out that he is using these Nations League games to give experience to teenage striker Adam Idah, now clearly his first-choice striker in the wake of David McGoldrick’s retirement.
“One of the things we have done is given players an opportunity with the World Cup qualifiers in mind”, said Kenny. “Adam Idah, I know he’s not scoring, is showing he is a different type of striker than we have had recently.
“He isn’t the finished article, nor would we claim he is, but he is someone with real potential.”
As for tonight’s result, Kenny said, “we’re very disappointed to lose the game. I thought the players showed a real level of intensity that was impressive in the circumstances. They gave everything of themselves and we’re disappointed to lose.”
Kenny’s run of bad luck won’t clear in time for Wednesday’s Nations League game with Bulgaria, with Jayson Molumby and Jeff Hendrick both suspended for that clash. Their unavailability means Kenny is without 10 of the 26-man squad he originally named for the game.
“Yeah, it’s hard to believe really, both players are suspended now. Jeff is doing really well at the moment. Jeff has shown a better range of passing, a more ambitious range of passing, has shown an ability to drive forward with the ball in space, and he is putting in an unbelievable shift in terms of kilometres clocked up. That central midfield role probably suits him better than playing higher up the park. He will be a loss.
“Jayson is still finding his way, he is in the infancy of his international career. He has a lot of really good attributes. He is quick around the park, a good range of passing and quite aggressive. We will have to adapt.”
Ireland must adapt quickly: they fly back to Dublin tomorrow morning, with Bulgaria due in town on Wednesday evening. Ireland in need of three things: a draw to avoid relegation; a goal to end this historically bad run of form; and something concrete to take into those qualifiers next March.
