Stephen Kenny rails against football politics as dream job ends in failure

He lost too many matches but Stephen Kenny didn’t lose his dignity in the manner of his farewell from a job whose magnitude ultimately overpowered him.

Nowhere he goes after this – and at 52 employment avenues will become available – replicates the status of being Ireland manager.

Damien Delaney had a point on Virgin Media by branding it the most important job in Irish life outside of the Taoiseach.

Kenny had his time, plenty of it in fact, over 40 matches to prove he was the right man but, like many of the youngsters he leaned on along his ‘radical shift’, potential didn’t upgrade to progression on the pitch.

Hanging on for a draw against New Zealand before a nervous crowd on Tuesday typified his tenure but his post-match analysis indicated an acceptance of what awaited last night and the realities of international football.

He had referred to next Tuesday’s scheduled board meeting as the juncture for D-day but in a belatedly wise switch, that virtual summit was brought forward to within 24 hours of the anticlimax.

Nothing in the last eight weeks was going to shift the position executive leads Marc Canham and Jonathan Hill, the chief executive himself under strain.

Six defeats in eight Euro qualifiers, the wins only coming over Gibraltar, complemented a failed World Cup qualifying series, two Nations League campaigns and a Euro 2021 playoff semi-final defeat.

“Following a meeting on Wednesday evening and a presentation to the board by CEO Jonathan Hill and Director of Football Marc Canham, the FAI board decided that Kenny’s contract, which is set to conclude following the end of the unsuccessful Euro 2024 qualification campaign, will not be renewed,” read the FAI statement released at 6.41pm.

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