John Fallon: FAI delaying Kenny sacking risks recovery scope for Ireland team
Whenever he does depart the chairman’s seat, Roy Barrett’s advice about removing the emotion from football debates should be transposed into distilling the noise around the main position at the FAI.
Stephen Kenny currently possesses that job of senior men’s team manager, one we’d argue is the most high-profile of any in Irish sport.
His control of it has irretrievably slipped from another prematurely doomed campaign and all that will blur the end date is the prevalence of emotion.
Eight weeks and four games of purgatory await until the international year concludes with the friendly on November 21 against New Zealand.
The only guarantee during the final stages of the long goodbye is the consistency of questions towards players about the manager and likely the consistency of platitudes.
As distinct from the women’s team, who for whatever reason collectively declined to back Vera Pauw’s claims for a contract extension, male players will undoubtedly lean on Kenny in his time of need.
Several, as the manager continues to remind us, were introduced to the senior scene by him and the gratitude is understandable. Many first encountered him during his year as U21 boss.
Player interviews are bland at the best of times but none will stray into ambiguous territory when the easy answer is stay safe.
James McClean might have been so inclined at one time but the stalwart was pragmatic during his musings on Friday’s Late Late Show that such a decision is out of players’ hands.
How could we forget Robbie Keane’s pleas on the same platform for the FAI to stick with Steve Staunton as the blade was being sharpened in 2007” The inevitable axe that soon followed didn’t seem to damage the Ireland captain’s relationship with John Delaney.
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