As sports venues go in Ireland, few are more atmospheric than Richmond Park in Dublin 8.
Situated in Inchicore, it’s the home of St Patrick’s Athletic. Driving through the area, you wouldn’t know a pitch even existed, nestled in behind the houses in a little bowl, but it’s a marvellous ground which provides authenticity and a sense of history for both the home side and the visitors.
A few weeks ago, I was there for St Pat’s memorable win over reigning league champions Shamrock Rovers. Dominated in the first 20 minutes, Pat’s rallied well and won the game 2-1 in the end, providing a much-needed boost for then-manager Jon Daly who was battling with his team to rebound from a difficult start to the season.
On that night, two staff members at St Pat’s commented that it was one of the best atmospheres they had experienced at the ground, which was saying something seeing as Pat’s have been playing there since 1930.
Well, last Friday’s atmosphere in Inchicore was up there with that again as Stephen Kenny took charge of the club for the very first time. Demand for tickets was huge as expectation surrounded the return of the league’s most successful manager.
Kenny’s appointment is another notch in the belt for the League of Ireland, as enthusiasm continues to abound around the domestic game. Crowds have boomed in recent times, particularly post-Covid, and while some will question the standard of the football of late – consider Shamrock Rovers’ disappointing campaign in the Europa Conference League last year – it’s hard to escape the reality that these are good times for the league.
Since his departure as Republic of Ireland boss last November, Kenny has been a regular at various grounds around the country keeping an eye on activity in the SSE Airtricity League. Yet, even with his pedigree as the most successful manager in the league after his trophy-laden stint with Dundalk, there was a sense that he was holding out for a gig overseas.
Is it a comedown to accept a League of Ireland job then and a reflection of how far the stock has fallen of the Irish national team? You could frame it that way. But, then again, what Irish manager has gone on to bigger and better things in the recent past? The two most successful, Giovanni Trappatoni and Martin O’Neill, you could argue were coming to the end of their managerial careers when taking the reins.
Of the ‘younger’ managers, no Premier League club was banging down the door for Mick McCarthy, Brian Kerr, Steve Staunton or Kenny.
Kenny was understood to be in the mix for a couple of jobs in League One or Two in England, yet never took the plunge, nor did the clubs take the plunge on him. Is the Pat’s job a better option anyway?
League One and Two are notoriously difficult environments in which to thrive. It’s cut-throat, demanding and there’s very little room to manoeuvre. A bad run of form, however brief, can have a catastrophic impact on a team’s ability to challenge for promotion or silverware due to the amount of matches in the calendar. A couple of poor weeks can see you tumble down the table.
At Pat’s, at least Kenny already has an in-depth knowledge of the league and has the prospect of European football later this summer in the qualifying stages of the Europa Conference League to look forward to.
In the same way that you can frame Kenny’s return to the league as a step back for him, you can also flip that and view it as a step forward for the league. It’s a vote of confidence and a reflection of the potential of some clubs when it comes to investment and the willingness to pump resources into clubs to get success. If the same can be done for academies, then the league really is onto a winner.
Regardless of your perception of the move, this will raise the profile of the League of Ireland even further. In such a congested sporting calendar, the battle for column inches is significant but personalities can help generate interest. Just look at some of the interviews involving Shelbourne’s Damien Duff and the raw nature of his delivery. He’s honest and straight-talking. It creates talking points, to the point that Duff’s post-match utterances on a Friday night have become must-watch material, irrespective of the result for Shels on any given occasion.
Kenny may not have achieved the results he wanted as Ireland boss, but he did gain a national profile. That still holds as he returns to the domestic game, so he too will attract a large amount of attention from the wider footballing public, providing another magnifying glass on the league.
Another element of positivity attached to this news is Kenny’s contact until the end of the 2029 season. In an environment where contracts and terms of employment are often points of contention, the very viability of trying to have a full-time role in football is a challenge in itself. But the long-term vision of Kenny’s deal with St Pat’s is to be commended. It’s an investment into the future of the club and if the same sort of approach can be extended to players contracts in the future, even with small improvements, then more certainty and better terms will help attract and retain the more talented players.
Ultimately, the ideal outcome for the game here is to reach a level at which it makes sense to stay in Ireland to play your football as opposed to always looking to supposedly greener pastures overseas.
Damien Duff’s presence at Shels and Stephen Kenny’s arrival at St Pat’s are two big things to help that process – another would be a good run for one or more Irish clubs in European competition this summer, even if some other sides would watch on through gritted teeth. Reaching the Europa Conference League group stage should be a minimum expectation for Shamrock Rovers.
Progress is progress, and Kenny will be hoping to make some quick ground with the Saints as he settles in at Richmond Park.
