It's the Stephen Kenny Thread

The fact that in years gone by a decision would have been made based on the previous campaign and that was it. I think the board would give him another campaign straight up. If they're going to use the nations League as a failsafe there's no reason why Kenny and his representatives wouldn't insert something for themselves. Negotiations aren't a one way street.

If we finish 2nd I'm guaranteed a new contract. 

If we top the group I'm guaranteed more money or some lucrative bonus going forward.

The fai can't have their cake and eat it. There has to be some downside for them only offering Kenny a short-term contract.

The NL doesn't matter. As has been already posted, we're pretty much guaranteed a Euros playoff however it ends up. Again. 

But if it was me, and I was told that I'm only getting a 6 game Euros preparation campaign to prove myself, I would walk. It's effectively a vote of no confidence in him and his team. Imagine Trap or MON or Mick offered the same terms. They would abandon ship asap, and rightly so. He has done enough on and off the pitch to get as far as the next Euros, and he should insist on nothing less than that. 

We are not guaranteed a playoff however it ends up. If we come third we might not get one. If we come fourth we definitely won't.

MON and Mick would walk on those terms because, unlike Kenny, they would have somewhere else to go and even if they didn't, they are loaded anyway.

Again, Kenny has virtually no bargaining power here. If they offer him 2 years at €500k a year he takes it. If they offer him 8 games for €150k he takes it. He doesn't get to specify new contracts or bonuses or anything else here. Barring a complete low ball offer under €150k p.a. he takes what he's given and the FAI know that.

I'm not sure how him saying that changes the fact that just 1 win will make it our best ever NL campaign.. 

Look, I agree he should get the 2 years now as I see the Nations League as part of the next campaign. But I just completely disagree with the two notions:

A - That the Nations League is irrelevant, it isn't. We need to be doing well in it.

B - Stephen Kenny has any real sort of bargaining power in negotiations. He doesn't. It's his dream job, he is getting a salary over triple times the amount that he would get in any other job he would realistically be offered. If he were to walk as some people are quite delusionally saying he should, he would be back in the League of Ireland within the year. He is not a manager in demand.

There isn't a slither of a chance that he walks. The FAI set the terms here. They are in complete control. People may not like him but there is a replacement waiting in the wings with a far more impressive CV in Hughton. You can say that would be a backwards move - whatever, that's your opinion. Hughton would be just as likely to attract sponsors as Kenny.

The Hughton move isn't one that I would make right now as I don't see the point in ripping things up when it looks like decent progress is finally being made. But the FAI at least have options. Kenny has none, only to suck it up and take whatever terms he is offered. Thinking otherwise is pie in the sky stuff.

As for having form, he’s not the first and wont be the last to take on a new job/role and realise all is not as first thought. Yes it would have been a bit wiser to initially say nothing and see first hand when he has a bit of time with the squad himself, but every manager learns lessons no matter how experienced they may or may not be.....as the old saying goes, everyday is a school day......

Such as where? Nobody else wants them anymore, and the handful that do, get rid asap. Kenny won't walk but if it was me, I would. Anything less than the Euros qualifiers, is basically the FAI saying they don't believe in him and  want him gone. We've put up with 2 years of 20 must-win games or else the sack, the last thing we need is another 6 of them. We need stability right now, giving him the next Euros does that.

The vast majority of League A and B teams will qualify for the Euros directly. That leaves playoffs for the next in line, which includes us. About 40 teams will either qualify directly or get to playoffs, all the way down to League D. So we will be in the mix, although that's no guarantee of qualification. 

But both McCarthy and MON did find work after Ireland though. They had built up a reputation that saw to that. Kenny has no reputation outside of Ireland so unless a LoI club pulls 250k out of somewhere he won't have any good alternatives to the Ireland job.

By the way your understanding of the playoffs is clearly miles off how they actually work in a number of ways I can't really be arsed going into. But, again, even if all 20 automatic qualifiers came from leagues A and B (they most likely won't), fourth in the NL wouldn't guarantee a playoff. In all likelihood there will be at least one or possibly more teams that come third in League B and miss out. Only a top 2 finish guarantees a playoff this time around.