Who will take over from Kenny in Irish job?
Lee Carsley in action for the Republic of Ireland back in 2001. Picture: INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan
TO SAY that results did not go Stephen Kenny’s way is an understatement. A second defeat to Greece in this Euro 2024 qualification campaign left a bad taste with football fans, especially when it happened at home. And while the fatal blow to Kenny’s international managerial term may come in the wake of this Greek defeat, it is really a culmination of cuts across Kenny’s time in charge that sees his demise as inevitable.
The win against Gibraltar was never going to be enough to save the Tallaght man’s position and now it’s believed that a formal decision on Kenny’s future will be made when FAI director of football Marc Canham delivers an assessment of the European Championships qualification campaign to the board of directors on November 28.
Kenny will probably remain in charge for the final Euro 2024 qualifier against the Netherlands next month as well as the home friendly against New Zealand a few days later. But after that, the consensus is that the former Dundalk boss will exit the scene.
The desire among most Irish football fans will be that the process for finding a replacement will be fast and that we will have a new hand on the tiller before the new year. Offering an early start on shaping a new squad before starting a World Cup qualifying campaign.
In that respect, let’s look at some of the names in the mix to replace Kenny.
Big Sam will always be included in a bookies list for a vacant job. But Allardyce’s old record of saving sides from relegation has taken a bit of a hit in recent years. With him unable to offer his trademark miracle rescue in the last two clubs he took charge of.
Andrews is currently Kenny’s assistant in the national team setup, which can be argued as a bonus, as he would offer consistency to the squad and a familiar approach. But do fans really want a continuity of the Kenny era?
Not as outrageous as it might first seem. He has a track record of getting the most out of average players. But frankly Rafa may be seen more of a yesterday man, not up to speed with current tactics.
It would finally be the closing chapter on Saipan and would certainly raise the profile of Irish soccer internationally. But one can’t help fear he will never have the patience to deal with average players. Not to mind that he has honed a pretty good profile now with his puditry duties.
The former Irish and Liverpool player is just starting out in his managerial career but has done well earlier at Macclesfield and Lincoln City of late. The only problem is that this is a limited CV for an international position.
A legend of the green shirt and a fan favourite with plenty experience. Brought a lot of success to clubs he managed, most notably Brighton. Will he be willing to take on the role at 64?
The big surprise this week was that the manager that led Greece to victory over Ireland said he’d be interested in the Irish job. The Uruguayan seems unhappy with a lack of support for him among the Greek fanbase, apparently, and so may be happy to depart the scene. Whether he would be so enthused to leave if Greece should manage to qualify is the big question.
The former Northern Ireland player and Celtic boss brings a lot of success from his time in Scotland and would be loved by a big sway of Scottish football fans in Ireland.
: A man who will bring back memories of the good old days when Irish international sides were afraid of no-one. As a manager he has been a steady influence for Shels in the League of Ireland. But would that be enough experience for his selection. Especially coming off another League of Ireland manager in Stephen Kenny.
The former Irish player and current England U21 boss will be seen by many within the Irish game as the perfect fit for a job that sees a team in need of rebuilding, with a lot of young players coming through.
The 49-year-old led the England U21s to their first European Championship win since 1984, beating Spain in the final. With the team not conceding a single goal on their path to the final.
Reports have it that Carsley is the no 1 target for the job from the FAI. The only question being, can they tempt him back to Ireland when his success may see him in line for a plum club position in England or maybe even the English job after Gareth Southgate’s time in charge comes to an end?
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