Kenny harks back to Cyprus, Wales and Macedonia to colour abject record
Stephen Kenny has once again tried to cite previous regimes to apply context to his disastrous Ireland reign that limps to an end tomorrow.
The FAI board will next week endorse a recommendation from the Director of Football Marc Canham to seek a new boss after the country’s worst qualifying campaign for 50 years.
Saturday’s defeat in the Netherlands dabbed a sixth loss in eight on Ireland from their European qualifying series. Their six points from 32 were extracted from a Gibraltar side whacked 14-0 by France on Saturday.
Kenny has been in the job three-in-a-half years and his previous third place finishes in the two Nations League groups and World Cup qualifying laid the foundations for an abysmal record of just six wins from 29 competitive games.
Despite the Dutch mauling Ireland in terms of possession and chances, Kenny resorted to his trademark positive spin by plucking historical defeats and flinging them the conversation.
Macedonia’s 3-2 win sent Mick McCarthy’s Ireland into a playoff for the 1998 World Cup that they lost against Belgium, Steve Staunton’s reign was floored by losing 5-2 in Cyprus while a 4-1 humbling at the hands of Wales was the nadir of Martin O’Neill’s final year of 2018.
"Listen, we played Holland the other night, one of the best teams in Europe,” he began at today’s pre-match press conference. “People will have their own opinions on it but I thought it was a good game of football. No question, Holland were the better team. We fought to the end of that game, we didn't create enough, we know that, and we defended for our lives when we needed to.
“It wasn't like we lost 4-1 to Wales or got hammered in Cyprus or Macedonia the other night, it was a tight game in Holland that we lost 1-0 and
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