One of the unwanted side-effects of modern
technology – social media in particular – is that every talking point seems to
be part of a wider ‘Culture War.’ Your side is already decided – it’s what you
feel in your gut. There’s enough information out there to wholly validate your
fears, your revulsion, your righteous indignation, your hatred of the ‘other’ –
regardless of how paranoid, extreme, illogical, deluded or nonsensical those
feelings are. Normal, reasonable people can transform into zealous ideologues on even the most trivial of issues.
It’s hard to be a hopeless romantic, or even a
cautious optimist, these days, in a world of online discussion where it’s often
more creditable to be negative, suspicious, and cynical. Even if you’re 100% wrong, it’s still better than the risk of appearing naïve.
In 2020, a new culture war emerged, which
turned every Irish international football match into an unpleasant referendum
about the manager’s suitability for the job.
From Day One, Stephen Kenny was always going to
have his critics. The manner of his appointment was an immediate bone of
contention, with Mick McCarthy and his backroom staff effectively being forced
to stand down, rather than get a shot at finishing the qualifying campaign for
the 2020/1) Euros. With a creditable enough performance against Denmark in the
final group game, McCarthy may have earned the right to finish what he started
– but the playoff itself had been a strange, default, backdoor route, somehow
earned from the 2018 Nations League under O’Neill – it had nothing to do with
McCarthy’s achievements. Furthermore, everyone could see that an enormous
rebuilding job was on hand, and needed to be undertaken sooner rather than
later. Under Mick, Ireland had performed atrociously home and away against
Gibraltar, and were utterly outclassed in Georgia against a team ranked 95th
in the world. There needed to be a way forward that went beyond stale, often
ineffective hoofball, and Stephen Kenny’s early pronouncements of progressivism
gave some hope that Irish international football could finally be dragged – albeit
kicking and screaming – into the 21st century.
The Irish footballing public was clearly weary
of hoofball. The entire culture of the team needed changing, and had done for
some time; fans were sick of players hiding from the ball, sitting back against
minnows, and launching the ball for isolated centre-forwards to chase their own
flick-ons. We could look to Wales and Northern Ireland, who seemed entirely
capable of playing constructive, modern, entertaining football, even with
lower-tier players. There were clear examples to aspire to.
One question remained – was Stephen Kenny too
‘small time’ for such a massive undertaking? In front of a camera, he seemed
awkward, muddled and generally uncomfortable – especially when compared to
McCarthy’s charm and folksy Barnsley banter, or the precise, confident
articulations of Ireland’s national and provincial rugby coaches. Could he
communicate his ideas effectively to millionaires with significant top-level
experience? Could he command the respect of the dressing room?
Unfortunately, the Nations League campaign in
2020 was an almost-unquantifiable exercise, with games played in front of empty
stands, devoid of atmosphere; and players dropping like flies because of
quarantine, positive Covid tests, and in some cases, disobeyed social
distancing arrangements on the bus. The games were played at a lethargic pace,
and two concerns were obvious about Kenny’s new-look Irish team; a complete
lack of cutting edge up front (one goal in six games), and the players’ obvious
discomfort playing from the back; very often, it seemed like passing for the
sake of passing, with lots of go-nowhere possession, with the midfield looking
undermanned and vulnerable when the ball was given away. The playoff against
Slovakia, on the other hand, showed promise. Ireland enjoyed spells of good,
purposeful possession, creating a number of clear-cut chances, and were
desperately unlucky not to win, as Conor Hourihane inexplicably missed from six
yards. The penalty shoot-out loss ended Ireland’s Euro 2020 hopes, and proved
to be David McGoldrick’s swansong; he would prove difficult to replace.
Ireland generally employed a 4-3-3 formation in
these games, as Kenny had done with the U21s – but with no-one capable of
playing the #10 role to link things, Josh Cullen often isolated in the
defensive midfield position, Callum Robinson and Aaron Connolly uncomfortable
as orthodox wingers, and the defensive shortcomings of Doherty and Stevens
often exposed as conventional full-backs, an earlier switch to 3-5-2 would have
made more sense. Kenny would not bed in this formation until the first World
Cup qualifier, once Chelsea’s Anthony Barry had come on board as assistant
coach. The recruitment of Barry was a huge coup, offsetting the loss of Duff, who
had walked out following the bizarre ‘Videogate’ episode, when a pre-match
motivational video with supposedly over-nationalistic sentiments caused some
unspecified disagreement among staff after a friendly against England. Given
that Chelsea play with three at the back, Barry must be credited with
influencing Kenny’s thinking, and Kenny credited for listening to good advice
instead of allowing ego and stubbornness to overrule his judgement.
The switch to 3-5-2 would prove to be productive
in time, but it was not an overnight success. In Belgrade, Ireland scored a
well-worked opener through Browne, but old habits would die hard – Ireland sat
back, lost their way and allowed Serbia a route back into the game, eventually
losing 3-2. Ireland were denied a stonewall penalty with the score at 1-1 - like the Slovakia game, it
was a creditable performance, but no result to go with it. A hard luck story.
Then, of course, Luxembourg happened.
What should have been a routine home win ended
up being an utter embarrassment, just as cataclysmic as the draw with
Liechtenstein in 1995, or the 5-2 defeat in Cyprus in 2006. In retrospect, we
shouldn’t have been surprised; think back to Kazakhstan away in 2012, when
Ireland were 1-0 down in the ninetieth minute; or Gibraltar away, when a
wonder-save from Randolph denied the colonial outpost a famous draw. This appalling
result had been in the post for years – a final, damning denouement of the
FAI’s failure to develop Irish talent during the ruinous Delaney years. Kenny
picked a solid team, finally dropping the likes of Hendrick, Brady and McClean
after a succession of insipid performances. It just never clicked. James
Collins was toiling to no effect up front, as Ireland struggled to play through
the Luxembourg press. The sucker-punch came from
Gelson Rodrigues – tellingly, the only Champions League player on the pitch –
with five minutes to go. Ireland’s World Cup hopes were effectively in tatters
with only two games played.
After a humdrum 1-1 draw with Qatar, Ireland
went to Spain for a training camp, and took on Andorra. After fifty-two minutes
of huffing and puffing in the Pyrenean sunshine, the unthinkable happened –
Andorra took the lead.
At this disastrous point, it looked like Kenny was just
not meant for the job. As supporters, we can bemoan the fact that we no longer
have elite-level players at top-six EPL clubs – but surely a team of
Championship and lower-EPL players should be expected to comfortably beat a
team of amateurs? It looked irredeemable; the team was devoid of confidence or
proactiveness, with so many players seeming unwilling to take the initiative
expected of a modern footballer in a passing side. Thankfully, sanity was
restored by Troy Parrott’s impressive brace, and Ireland took advantage of
Andorran fatigue to win 4-1, but the first fifty minutes were very concerning.
Ireland would go away to Portugal in September, and despite a reasonably
respectable 0-0 draw in Hungary, all signs pointed towards a record defeat in
Ireland’s near future.
At this point, there was a sense of growing
unrest and bleakness among Irish fans. One win in thirteen games; just nine
goals scored – with four of them coming against Andorra. More or less out of
the running for World Cup qualification. Any goodwill from the competent
performances away to Serbia and Slovakia had been eroded by the Luxembourg
game. There were no green shoots to speak of; apart from Gavin Bazunu and Dara
O’Shea, none of the new faces had laid down a marker. Josh Cullen seemed isolated and vulnerable at times in midfield; Jayson Molumby was trying too hard, charging around the pitch as if his life depended on it; Aaron Connolly, Adam Idah and Troy Parrott were not living up to the promise of
their goalscoring underage exploits. Callum Robinson was the biggest disappointment;
constantly wasteful in front of goal despite some good performances for West
Brom in high-profile games.
Looking at the star-studded Portuguese line-up
before kick-off in Faro, facing an Irish team with one win in thirteen games
under Kenny, it seemed like a write-off. However, Irish teams are always good
for a solid, backs-to-the-wall performance when the chips are down, and a
youthful Irish side produced a display full of traditional grit and character,
as well as some fine, dynamic football - a long way removed from the timid,
passing-by-numbers fare of 2020. Ireland tore Portugal’s defence asunder on
several occasions with swift counter-attacks, many launched by the clever
passing of Cullen and industriousness of Doherty on the left. Bazunu produced a
magnificent save from a questionably-awarded Ronaldo penalty, and Ireland took
a deserved lead just before half-time, Egan heading in a corner from newcomer
Jamie McGrath. Ireland would predictably sit back and rely more on
counter-attacks after the break, but the defence was resolute, debutant Andrew
Omobamidele carrying on the good, aggressive, composed work from the injured
Dara O’Shea. The lively Aaron Connolly had a strong penalty claim after being
bundled over by Ruben Dias, but it wasn’t given.
Of course, then Ronaldo started doing Ronaldo
things, and Kenny was denied a famous victory, but it had been a very
encouraging performance; Ireland were not just committed and resolute, but tidy
in possession, superb in their shape and defensive organisation, and
refreshingly ambitious and willing to play it forward. It showed competent
management, and some signs that the project was finally beginning to click.
One step forward, two steps back. For the first
ten minutes against Azerbaijan at home, Ireland looked like running riot.
However, pressure couldn’t be converted into goals, as the forward line of
Connolly, Parrott and Idah toiled to little effect, their callowness showing
against the grizzled Azeri defence. After the promise of the Portugal game, it
was curious why the excellent Jamie McGrath was dropped, with Parrott certainly
not a like-for-like swap. Ireland were unbalanced in the final third, and when
they threatened, Idah proved to be an unreliable finisher. The young Norwich
striker had performed the target-man role with aplomb in Faro, but seemed to
lack composure when presented with clear-cut chances. The Azeris took a shock
lead, yet another speculative shot from distance finding the Irish net. In
the second half, Ireland employed some more traditional Route One tactics, and
after a long period of relentless crossing, a ball from Cullen ended up on the
head of Shane Duffy, as Ireland battled back to rescue a point. It was a very
disappointing result, and Kenny found himself under pressure once again. A
similarly passive performance against Serbia would surely render his position untenable.
Instead, there was another spirited display;
Ireland went behind in the first half to a clearly superior side, but battled
back in the second half, with an encouraging mix of sharp passing and
traditional aggression. Bazunu was again magnificent in thwarting the Serbs’
breakaway efforts, and the equaliser came from a comical own-goal, but Ireland
were worth a point. Omobamidele was excellent again, and almost raised the roof
when his last-minute long-range shot was tipped over by the Serbian goalkeeper.
Despite the positive display, and the genuine enthusiasm from the home crowd, Ireland
were mathematically out of the running, and the jury was still out on Kenny.
Anything less than two convincing wins away to Azerbaijan and Luxembourg would
most likely spell the end.
Kenny's men negotiated the first obstacle in October, blitzing the Azeris with a two-goal start in Baku, Robinson silencing
his critics with two well-taken efforts, and the lively Ogbene getting his first
international goal.
Ireland showcased their newly-found attacking
potential for an appreciative home audience in a 4-0 win over Qatar, with Robinson helping himself to a hat-trick
– the fourth goal constructed by a wonderfully patient passage of play, involving over
thirty consecutive passes. The Portugal game showed a steely side to this brave new Ireland,
competing manfully against an elite side with world-class players, who came to Dublin needing a result. It
showed that old-school Irish grit, courage and aggression did not necessarily
have to be sacrificed for the sake of ‘nice’ football.
With Kenny’s backside still somewhat perched on the bacon-slicer,
Ireland travelled to Luxembourg for a revenge mission. Against the backdrop of disparaging remarks
about Ireland’s ‘British style’ by their manager, Ireland set about their task
with a resolve and intensity that was missing from the March game; and a
hardy, confident and tidy Luxembourg side was eventually ground down by a
determined display. While it took a typically scrappy Duffy effort to put
Ireland in the lead, the following two goals, from Ogbene and Robinson, were
the result of clever movement, and intricate and incisive passing. It was a confirmation
of how far Ireland had come in just six months; vindication for the style
and personnel that had endured such nightmarish growing pains in the international
game. Kenny would live to fight another day.
To the denouement: should Kenny stay in the job
for the Euros?
The naysayers will point to the Luxembourg and Azerbaijan results at home - and not without justification, as they represented a nadir for Irish football, comparable to Cyprus/San Marino under Staunton.
Could Kenny have done better? Of course. In 2020, he wasted a lot of
development time bedding in a 4-3-3 formation, which would eventually be
scrapped. Ireland were still getting used to the new Barry-influenced 3-4-2-1
system, ironing out the kinks, for the first two qualifiers – and six vital
points were lost as a result, giving Ireland an insurmountable deficit to claw
back. For the draw with Azerbaijan, Kenny put too much faith in youngsters
Parrott, Idah, Connolly and Molumby – their lack of experience and composure
was telling, as pressure failed to translate into goals. Kenny’s record stands
at two wins in fifteen competitive games, which is something that clearly needs
to improve in the upcoming Nations League – transition and ‘development’ can
only justify poor results for a limited timeframe. That time is now up. Playing progressive football and giving youth its head will only earn a certain amount of
goodwill before fans and media start to turn nasty, and Kenny must be fully
accountable now. He’s lost a coach who seemed to be an influential figure behind
the scenes, and integral to Ireland’s tactical improvement since 2020, and the choice of replacement must not be taken lightly. June
2022 is a huge month for Kenny, and the improvement of late has to be sustained and significantly built on if Ireland are to take Ukrainian and Scottish scalps.
On the other hand, you have to be wilfully ignorant or utterly deluded to ignore the clear positives from the last six months. For the first time since possibly the autumn
of 2004, Ireland were easy on the eye, and looked like an actual 21st
century football team. The goals finally started to come. Kenny unearthed gems
like Jamie McGrath and Chiedozie Ogbene to deliver more subtlety and raw pace
in the final third, and figured out how to get the best out of Callum Robinson’s
talents. Even Jeff Hendrick and James McClean started to look like effective,
accomplished international footballers. Shane Duffy had a renaissance. Josh
Cullen went from strength-to-strength, and continues to improve as a midfield
fulcrum with every game – his accurate passing and hunger for the ball, and
ability to break up play, is a genuine pleasure to watch, particularly after
eleven years of Glenn Whelan. Matt Doherty has come of age as an international,
offering good link-up play and dynamism on the flanks. Gavin Bazunu, Caoimhin
Kelleher, Jason Knight, Andrew Omobamidele, Nathan Collins and Dara O’Shea look
like they’re on the road to long, fruitful international careers. This time
last year (as I said here), it all looked unbearably bleak. Now, there are tangible
reasons to be optimistic.
Furthermore, if competitive results are the be-all and end-all, it’s worth remembering what came before.
O’Neill in 2017: Played 8; Won 2 (against
Moldova and Wales), Drew 4, Lost 2; Scored 6, conceded 8.
McCarthy in 2019: Played 8; Won 3 (against
Gibraltar x2 and Georgia), Drew 4, lost 1; Scored 6, conceded 5.
Kenny in 2021: Played 8, Won 2 (against
Azerbaijan and Luxembourg), Drew 3, lost 3. Scored 11, conceded 8.
It’s largely accepted that both MON and Mick
had better, much more experienced squads to work with, and were playing a more
pragmatic, ‘win ugly’ style which could only be justified if we were significantly
overachieving. MON kept his job for another year, and there was a fair amount
of discontent, particularly from ex-players, when McCarthy was let go early.
Yet, for the want of a single goal in any of
the drawn or lost games in 2021 (which may have come if McGoldrick was still around,
or if Robinson had got his vaccine, or if we hadn’t been denied stonewall penalties
in Faro and Belgrade), Kenny’s record would be almost identical to his
two predecessors in their last full years in the job. There's not much to separate them in terms of pure results.
But unlike many of his
predecessors, Kenny hasn’t alienated, ignored, or stubbornly refused to pick
international class players, to the team’s detriment. Team selections have not
been as absurd or senseless as the worst days under O’Neill, Trap and Staunton.
Pretty much all of the starting XI and subs are justifying their place. The players look
like they know what they’re doing, and seem clear about their roles on the
pitch. We are able to create chances and defend as a team. The atmosphere in
the squad seems positive. The manager is not stubbornly wedded to rigid tactics,
and he’s shown evidence of flexibility and adaptability, while maintaining a reasonably
settled side. These are all positives, especially when you consider what went
on under previous managerial teams, who were much better-paid, came with bigger
reputations, and had actual Champions League/top-half EPL players to work with.
There is a
clear way forward for this Irish team, with some exciting players coming
through the youth system. Kenny and his coaches have shown that even modest Irish teams are actually capable of competing with the top seeds without
resorting to hoofball, and capable of dominating those tricky, banana-skin
games against lower seeds, and winning well. With a glut of options at centre-back, and no great wide
attacking options, the 3-4-2-1 formation makes perfect sense. If the results in
June are as poor as those in 2020, Kenny will probably have to fall on his
sword – but whoever takes over should not, under any circumstances, regress to the
outdated caveman football of his predecessors. The revolution must continue. If
Kenny leaves this footballing culture change as a legacy, he will have done his
country a service.
