Irish soccerball nil - That boy Bazunu will save us (Part 1) šŸ

Sport
6392

I know Paul Kimmage divides opinion on this forum, but whenever I hear people talk (the off the ball gimps) about Stephen Kenny being spoken about as this great revolutionary of Irish soccer, I refer back to this interview Kenny did with Kimmage when Kenny got the job earlier this year.

I canā€™t help but be baffled by Kenny, this is your chance to stick it to kimmage, to get a good cut off him and his journalism. But Kenny comes across as a complete spoofer being honest.

PK: No, seriously, where were you in 2002?

SK: I honestly donā€™t know where I was. . . Iā€™m giving you the impression now that Iā€™m completely disorganised, amnā€™t I?

PK: You are. In fact, Iā€™m starting to worry that weā€™ve made a catastrophic mistake by appointing you as the next manager. Itā€™s unbelievable! You canā€™t remember anything! Youā€™ve no fucking opinions on anything! Why would I want to play for you?

(He looks at me, wounded.)

PK: That was a joke, obviously.

SK: Itā€™s wrong to say I havenā€™t opinions on stuff.

PK: You were managing Bohemians in 2002.

SK: Was I? Yeah. That was a great (Ireland) team, and I loved watching (that World Cup). Obviously, to lose the penalty shoot-out was very disappointing. How good would we have been with Roy in the team? I donā€™t know. Itā€™s all . . .

Iā€™d imagine Big Mick, Martin Oā€™Neil, Roy keane, and even Trapp would have got out of this easy trap set by kimmage with ease.

From this interview and the media fawning over Kenny, Iā€™ve been left completely underwhelmed by Kenny.

Why would Matt Doherty give a fuck about playing with Ireland if this is the sort of fuckery Kenny comes out with.

I hope these games were just Spock trying to figure out what players can play in his system. But I will reserve judgement for another little while. He just sounds like another Brian Kerr being totally honest.
Please god I am wrong on this as Iā€™d love to see Ireland play a good expansive game of football and go toe to toe with teams again.

6393

I think Kenny thought his defence would be solid because they were previously when guarded by a couple of midfielders and felt he could throw in a few attacking midfielders and get after the game. I think thatā€™s more easily fixed than the sheer lack of any attacking plan for 70mins. Were we meant to be getting deep and swinging in crosses? Or were we meant to be giving Connolly and O Dowda runners at their full backs? Iā€™d be firmly of the opinion that he should be playing his best players. Not picking lads he likes for an intricate system which might work in the future when everyone is on the same page. Anyone playing even semi regularly at a high level needs to be in the squad. Doherty provides guile nobody else does. Surely he could work with Coleman? It hasnā€™t actually been tried very often. If Doherty has an attitude problem surely a manager can sort that? Long and Obafemi should be coming on if not starting. Get your best players out there and play a system that works for them.

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6394

Okay lads heā€™s had about 4 training sessions with the team. Letā€™s give him time

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6395

Fixed that for you

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6396

Out! Out! Out!

6397
6398

He probably hasnā€™t even broken a hurley off the door of the dressing room yet.

6399

He rambles on like a boring priest at a wedding. It might be unfair to judge him on his media utterances but it is a huge part of the job and the optics are important. It is a huge failing of his, he simply isnā€™t comfortable or natural at it. Staunton-esque

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6400

I couldnā€™t watch that being honest. I know Iā€™m probably being unduly harsh, but I hope these two games were a smokescreen, with a big game coming up against Slovakia knowing they would be watching, maybe he was just testing lads, to see how they would react.

But so far Iā€™ve been underwhelmed, as you say ā€˜like a boring priest at a wedding.ā€™ A father trendy figure, a la Ger Loughnane.

6401

I always think itā€™s concerning when a team plays absolutely shit, looks shambolic as a unit in attack and defence and the coach comes along and tries to sell it as ā€œwe just didnā€™t take our chancesā€. As if to say the general display was fine. Itā€™s like heā€™s kidding himself.

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6402

Its a bit early to start calling out his team in public though. Heā€™s not Stevie G.

6403

He doesnā€™t have to do that either. A bit of nuance like. I was taken by his long pauses mid sentence as he grasped with what words to use. Itā€™s not dissimilar to that Kimmage interview someone referenced. Itā€™s like heā€™s so focused on not saying the wrong thing that heā€™s coming across as jittery and unsure of himself.

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6404

Trying to defend Kenny, he played his second choice midfield today and his key players have let him down so far. Key men just arenā€™t fit. What good footballers do we have?

Thatā€™s me playing devilā€™s advocate.

6405

Strikes me as very nervous there. Probably realises thereā€™ll be more scrutiny on what he says in this job than any heā€™s had previously.

6406

Didsy is a good footballer. Good first touch, smart. Moves it quick.

McCarthy is a good player. Reads a game. Can move it quick. Tackles. Needs games.

Doherty is a tidy player with the ball at times.

After that we havenā€™t much

Jack Byrne is a very clever player. He can play between the lines and can split a back 4. But I donā€™t know has he the minerals for it

6407

I think its moreso that he doesnā€™t know his first choice midfield than that he played his second choice today

6408

I think Browne is definitely worth a look on the right of the midfield three. He has a massive engine. Heā€™s fairly limited but heā€™d do a job there. He can be no worse than Hendrick anyway

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6409

What you see is what you get
Youā€™ve made your bed, you better lie in it
You choose your leaders and place your trust
As their lies wash you down and their promises rust
Youā€™ll see kidney machines replaced by rockets and guns

And the public wants what the public getsā€¦

Ah yeah, the off the ball and Newstalk generation reckoned Trappatoni was a grumpy old fart who knew fuck all. The system was the problemā€¦

Martin Oā€™Neill was a dinosaur who just repeated stuff some aul lad called Clough thought him years ago.

Expansive footballā€¦whatever that means. Look how Dundalk playedā€¦the 21ā€™s are showing how to do it.

Dundalk? U 21ā€™sā€¦

Itā€™s Senior hurling now ladsā€¦

6410

Is that drone Kerr involved

If soā€¦forget it.

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6411

Listening to his post match interview ā€¦ the man sounds ill already. Job is too big for him.

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