The bigger they are, the harder they fall!
Kenny not worried by potential big guns in the Nations League draw
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
The under-21 boss will succeed Mick Mccarthy after Euro 2020 and his first games will be in the Nations League.
Under Martin O’neill, Ireland were relegated to the third tier in the inaugural competition after finishing bottom of a group containing old foes Denmark and Wales.
But UEFA has decided to rejig the group format and introduce four-team groups, meaning Ireland will remain in the second division.
The draw won’t be made until March but it means Kenny will face tougher games at the start of his tenure.
But while careful about speaking of the senior job before he is even in situ, Kenny is relishing the task ahead.
“You want to be playing at a higher standard and the concept of the Nations League has been interesting,” he said. “We have had friendlies for years and crowds throughout Europe have really diminished with friendlies.
“The appetite for 11 changes at half time or eight changes where managers would have arrangements with clubs – people became weary of that.
“The Nations League is interesting. All of a sudden its competitive and never more important.”
Kenny added: “People see where countries that haven’t had good qualifying campaigns are now in the play-offs for the Euros through the Nations League.
“For a nation like ourselves who have qualified quite infrequently, the fact that you finish third in the group and still get a play-off gives you a great opportunity.”
Meanwhile, the former Dundalk boss is disappointed to see the All-island league plans hit a major stumbling block after the IFA ruled that its clubs would not engage with the process.
Kenny is unsure where it goes now but feels the Kieran Lucid and Niall Quinn proposals to revamp the domestic game both had merit.
“I did think Niall Quinn was quite genuine and they were thinking about the obvious question,” he said.
“The obvious question for me, always, has been the lack of Government funding. It’s been alarming over a number of years, the lack of investment in infrastructure.
“We’ve seen other sports stadiums and facilities just appear everywhere.
“Niall Quinn’s vision was that – Government money over a period of time.”
Kenny added: “Kieran Lucid’s one is a good idea, a good concept. It is encouraging that [these people] all want to get involved.
“It can be difficult to sustain the drive for change and it was unusual that two separate ideas happened at the same time.”