The Republic of Ireland will return to action this month, hoping to end their UEFA Nations League campaign in a strong fashion in the games against Scotland and Armenia.
It was has been a very mixed tournament for the team thus far. The performances in the losses to Armenia and Ukraine were incredibly poor, but there were signs of improvement in the win against Scotland and the draw against Ukraine in Poland.
Ireland ended 2021 looking as though they had turned a corner, although their patchy form since the turn of the year has dampened some of the optimism surrounding the team. It is clear that the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign will be a decisive one for Stephen Kenny, with those games getting underway for next year.
Until then, some are still unconvinced with the direction the team are going in under his management.
Martin O'Neill unconvinced by Ireland approach under Stephen Kenny
Martin O'Neill is the last man to lead Ireland to a major tournament, helping them reach the knockout stages of Euro 2016. That was an excellent run, but the team also employed a turgid style of play and failed to blood many young players as they focused solely on securing the next result, especially towards the end of his tenure.
It was an approach that had meant Ireland needed a major overhaul, something that Stephen Kenny has achieved in terms of playing personnel. He will now be hoping that results will follow in the upcoming qualifying campaign.
Speaking on Premier Sports, Martin O'Neill admitted he was still unconvinced by the long-term approach the team are taking under the current manager, believing that international is solely about results.
Martin O'Neill and @No1shaygiven talk about the Republic of Ireland under Stephen Kenny 🇮🇪
"International football is no different to anything else. It's about results." 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/dpkTISat1Y— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) August 20, 2022
My job there (with Ireland) was to try and qualify for competitions. When I came in first of all that was it, otherwise the second contract wouldn't have existed.
If you want to get time to build and build and build, that's fine if that's the remit at the Association. Please take that time if that's the case...
International football is no different to anything else, it's all about results and always will be.
We had a fantastic time out in France in 2016. We were trying to emulate, maybe emulate is too strong of a word, but trying to copy the great scenes we used to see when Jack Charlton was in charge. It was absolutely fantastic, you'd see the crowds on the World Cup ventures, but then the crowds when you came back were fantastic. We had a really great time.
Those are the scenes that I believe fans want to experience again, not to turn around to say to some fan that in 2032 we will be going somewhere. You can't have that, you want to try and qualify for the competitions.
That's what it's about, it's about the competitions.
Kenny will be focused on securing their status in League 'B' in the Nations League this month, before his attentions will turn to the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
After that, we should have a better idea of how much this period of adjustment benefitted the team in the long-term.
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