STEPHEN KENNY DESCRIBED the penalty from which Scotland scored the winning goal of tonight’s 2-1 Nations League game at Hampden Park as “contentious.” Alan Browne was penalised for a handball at close range from a corner late in the game, but Kenny said Ireland felt hard done by.
“The penalty was contentious and very harsh”, said Kenny. “Looking at it there, it seems that Alan Browne has been pushed by a Scottish player that has resulted in him raising his hands into an unnatural position. It is very congested, but it seems that’s the case.”
Scotland manager Steve Clarke naturally disagreed. “The penalty was right. I know everyone will argue their own case, but if you jump like that with your hands out in front, it’s a penalty.”
Ireland led 1-0 at half-time through John Egan’s goal, but Kenny admitted Ireland struggled in the second half, losing cohesion.
“I thought we started well. Scotland showed their quality in the midfield area, we weren‘t as cohesive as we wherein the first half. We found it difficult to break their press, and we didn’t capitalise enough on two-on-two situations, as we wanted to. We had a lot of good play and a lot of very good play but we didn’t take our chances that we should have.
“I think we showed a lot of composure for a lot of the game. We passed it well and showed a lot of control in the game. Scotland have good players and played well themselves, but away from home you expect that against good sides. There were sustained attacks for Scotland, there weren’t that many clear-cut chances.”
Kenny said Ireland can’t afford to dwell on the result, with Armenia due to visit Dublin on Tuesday, a game which Ireland must not lose to retain their status in League B.
Ireland can’t finish any higher than third in the group, despite the fact Kenny targeted winning the group before the draw was made.
“We have Tuesday’s game against Armenia, and we have to make sure we are ready for it. We have to earn the right to win that game. Ukraine and Scotland are very strong, it is a tough group. We would have wanted more points than we have, we are not denying that. Now is not the time for that, we have to focus on Armenia.”
Josh Cullen will be suspended for that game, having picked up a yellow card in today’s first-half.
Browne went at it like superman tbf
@Barry Maher: peno all day. Can’t be doing that
Stephen Kenny is the worst managers to have ever managed the Republic of Ireland and his team aren’t much better. It’s failure after failure from these players.
@Just Some Guy: decent displays and blooded all the younger guys well. Don’t see this as a failure.
We are a B league standard that’s a fact. Keenly needs to be judged on a qualifying campaign.
Trap got absolutely walloped by Germany and kept his job
@Just Some Guy: do expand on your alternative options..?
@Just Some Guy: You really know your stuff.
@Just Some Guy: I believe Stephen Kenny is just one manager. If you want to go down that road, Jack Charlton is probably the worst manager we’ve ever had, but he brought so-called success. Watch the Italia ’90 homecoming – you’d think we WON the World Cup the way we were going on! So give over with your failure accusations. Would you call this a failure had we not qualified for 6 major tournaments? Think about that before you become a tabloid-influenced “just some guy” who sounds like an England supporter.
@Terry Fagan: Trapatonni by a mile…muck.
@Just Some Guy: What or who is your alternative? He has completely changed the way we are playing and has blooded practically an entire new team. Last night was enjoyable. Under his predecessors we would have played with two banks of four defending our own box deeply, hoping to nick a draw with lots of luck. It’s horrible to watch and a strategy consigned to the bin by the rest of world football. Last night, Kenny had a group of limited players playing well for each other and with a clear strategy. But for a moment of madness we would have earned a draw against a higher ranked and clearly better side. Even if Kenny fails he has done us a service and another manager can build on his work with players who have gained invaluable experience. What he has done is brave and badly needed.
@Brian Murphy: I dont think Kenny is the manager who will take us to the next level in the long term but he is the right man for the job right now. He’ll make mistakes – taking off Obafemi and leaving Troy on last night was bizarre – but nearly all managers do. Every other manager since Jack (with exception of Mick at start of first term when he got slated) has managed for the next tournament with no concern for the long term development of team. Kenny is doing a job nobody else had the stones to do.
@Just Some Guy: his management is better than your English anyway
@Gerry Campbell: actually, yea. Brutal.
@Brian Murphy: I think you are probably right about Kenny being right for the job now, but not for too much longer. On the very definite plus side, he has got the team playing, or at least trying to play, in a more modern, attractive way. Against that, I am not convinced that he is tactically astute enough to adapt the formation or personnel quickly enough when needed; and the rate of turnover of his back room staff is also not a good sign
@Lesidees: I’d agree about tactical awareness but what we needed was someone to start the process. In ways he’s a sacrificial lamb. No manager with a big rep would have done what he has done and hopefully his successor will reap the benefits.
If that was a penalty then we can all give up!!
@Julian: Maybe you should give up watching football altogether if you think it wasn’t