When you agree to become Ireland manager, you know that some in-built criticism is part of the job. There is no other sporting position in this country that invites such a level of scrutiny, something that only intensifies when results are lacking.
Stephen Kenny has certainly had his fair share of that during his time in the role.
He stepped into the position in difficult circumstances, with the coronavirus pandemic resulting in an incredible number of absentees from the squad over the course of 2020. The lack of supporters in the stadium also didn't help. Of course, results were very poor in those first 12 months.
Since then, there have been signs that the team has been steadily improving. The latter half of the World Cup qualifying campaign featured some big performances, and while the UEFA Nations League group was a mixed bag, it did feature an impressive victory over Scotland.
Still, the dissenting voices remain.
Stephen Kenny opens up on Brian Kerr criticism
Some prominent faces in the media have been consistent in their criticism of Stephen Kenny, even as performances have improved. The majority of those have been former internationals, but it has been somewhat of a surprise to see Brian Kerr chief amongst them.
Kerr knows all too well about the scrutiny the Ireland manager receives, having had plenty of it during his own time in the job. Despite this and the fact that himself and Kenny have had similar journeys through domestic football, he has consistently been quick to question the current boss.
"I wish Stephen would say things that were really honest about how the team plays. He's not the first manager of Ireland who's tried to play nice football."
🗨️ Brian Kerr doesn't think Stephen Kenny should 'overemphasise' his team's approach.#COYBIG | #NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/tLmvXimwi7— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) September 23, 2022
Stephen Kenny has now opened up on how Kerr's comments have affected him.
During a brilliant podcast with Dion Fanning for The Currency (subscription required), the 50-year old admitted that he was taken aback by some of the criticisms from the former St Pat's man.
There's nothing I can do about that. I find it difficult to talk about even.
I'm okay with criticism actually. If ex-internationals want to come out and criticise me, who don't really understand where I'm from or the 46 Champions League and Europa League games and the experience I had behind me before coming into the job, they wouldn't understand what I stood for. I'm fine with that.
To give you an example, when I won promotion with Longford Town all those years ago, I stayed in a hotel in Cobh and flew out the next day to spend three weeks in Israel with Brian and Noel O'Reilly and the Irish U16s.
I've known Brian a long time. The quarters of criticism that you get, that can surprise you. I don't hold grudges and I can move on at any stage.
I've tried to bring that to my life, that I don't carry it. We've all had setbacks in our lives, life is too short and you can't carry that with you. I will speak to anyone in the future.
I'm not just talking about Brian. Listen, I don't mind legitimate criticism, I'm okay with that and have no problem with it. I don't like agenda-based criticism and strategies to undermine you, which has happened. I don't like that.
You can get the full podcast here and it's really worth a listen.
Brian Kerr has consistently suggested that Stephen Kenny's results with Ireland have not been good enough, which is a fair assessment. However, he has also chosen to overlook and belittle many of the positive things he has done in the role, such as blooding new players and improving the team's playing style.
It's clear that Kenny has been affected by such comments from someone he had considered to be a friend, although the Virgin Media pundit will no doubt point out that part of his job is to give honest opinions in a public forum.
It will be interesting to see if his mind can be changed in the near future.
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