Larry Ryan: Stephen Kenny divided us and brought us together

So, is it really a results business?

Of course it is. Stephen Kenny will be clearing out his desk in the next few days. His three-year innings as Ireland gaffer up, run out by lack of results. This is, to misquote Lloyd Cole, his last weekend in a hotel in Amsterdam. Although even Kenny’s sourest critics might be getting cold feet with every new list of bookies’ favourites to replace him.

Still, results or not, we’d do it all over again, wouldn’t we? He hadn’t the oratorical flourish of a Billy Graham, but we needed Stephen Kenny’s evangelism, his positivity, his conviction that we were exceptional at times against Armenia. 

We needed Steo to keep track of every unbeaten run, every possession stat that showed us in a favourable light. Who else was going to do it for us?

He wore, to go back to misquoting Coley, his heart on his sleeve like a stain. He promised us the sun, moon and new stars. He might have come up short on delivery but he gave us the likes of Chiedozie Ogbene and we definitely needed him.

There was even something neat about the failings, the way they were packaged tidily, our downfalls coming in patterns and memes. Conceding off every shot from downtown, conceding before we'd returned to our seats, losing a coach every few weeks.

In the end, he even gave us fresh appreciation for plainer experiences, had some people pleading for the rare exotic treat of knocking it into the mixer onto Shane Duffy’s head.

Go even further and look at this a different way. If the FAI could wipe all our minds right now, and God knows this is a superpower the FAI could use, would they appoint Kenny all over again? Would they happily live this three-year rollercoaster of hope and disappointment and reprieve and despair and