Kenny thinks it's 'inexcusable' not enough players are progressing through youth system
After lamenting a couple of sublime finishes that demoted Ireland’s campaign to disaster, Stephen Kenny admitted this is likely the finish for him.
Wout Weghorst may have been tipped by his critics to trip himself up while charging 50 yards with the ball on Saturday night but his drive into the top corner sent his Dutch to Germany next year.
Likewise, Aurélien Tchouaméni showed his execution prowess by unleashing a left-footer with little backlift to set France on their way to a comfortable 2-0 win in September.
Of course, regardless of the top two’s strengths, losing both fixtures to fourth-seeds Greece constituted the real reason why Ireland failed to be part of the Euro qualification frame from Group B within three months of a ball being kicked.
Kenny was cornered once Gus Poyet had his number on the sultry night in Athens and the long goodbye will finalise next week when the FAI board accept the recommendation of Football Director Marc Canham to hand responsibilities to a new supremo.
“The best teams obviously have an element of continuity and you're working towards that,” he said yesterday when it was pointed out 25 players had started the eight qualifiers.
“People say I’ve had three years in the job but it's a ten games per year sort of situation.
“It sounds like an enormity of time but that's the reality. Success is important and everyone wants to qualify for tournaments. We all want that.
“If we don't, then people aren't going to wait for you. I get that as well. Patience is a virtue, and I understand that.”
Kenny was renowned for his candid briefings before being promoted to his dream job in 2020 and the clock ticking on his tenure always spiked the likelihood of bizarre takes filling the void vacated
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