Depleted Dutch defence offers Stephen Kenny hope of ending competitive reign on a high
For some unknown reason, the roof of the Johan Cruyff ArenA will be closed on Saturday night but for months the walls were moved inwards to smother Stephen Kenny’s Ireland reign.
Temperature at kick-off is forecasted to be a crisp six degrees yet the chills have been cutting into the Ireland boss since his team froze five months ago in Greece.
His tactical flaws prolonging for the October defeat to the Dutch ensured the feeling that his tenure was trapped in a cryotherapy chamber unable to shake off the shivers.
Ultimately, the cold reality is that the hastening of his departure from the job was executed by two failed Premier League managers, Gus Poyet and Ronald Koeman.
Whether Kenny gets the chance to test himself in that landscape has been damaged by his failure. Not much that happens against a Dutch side depleted in defence will colour those credentials but at least his final rodeo can be fondly remembered.
Thursday’s win for Slovakia over Iceland finally extinguished that desperate backdoor route to the Euros via the playoffs he clung to when the Dutch came from behind two months ago in Dublin to win 2-1.
That hasn’t stalled the revisionism nor the fanciful hypothesis of what might be, had certain moments fell differently.
Realising his fate will be decided by the FAI board on November 28, Kenny has taken to predicting big things for the generation he’s blooded.
“There’s been quite a radical shift over the last couple of years and I’ve been criticised for using too many players, too soon,” he asserted.
“In my view, they were the players with the greatest potential at that point and I think that will prove to be the case going forward.”
Alan Browne, who flanked Kenny at what will be his final pre-match briefing for a
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