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Kenny has made a slow start to his time in Inchicore
It puts him back on the European platform where he had some of his biggest moments and which gave him a profile outside the League of Ireland that, ultimately, led to his appointment as Irish boss.
Not that he is getting nostalgic about his wins over BATE Borisov with Bohemians and Dundalk, home and away victories against Gothenburg or the Europa League group campaigns with the Lilywhites.
Instead, he only looks ahead. Kenny said: “I haven’t really thought about it on a personal basis.
“Just you always win and get through a round, you’re closer again.
“This is the second round, if you win it you’re in the third round, you’re getting closer.
“Do I think like that? Yeah, but I’m realistic to know that this game on its own, they will have high expectations of progressing themselves.”
Vaduz will run out in Dublin as a team that those who ignored Kenny’s trophy-laden CV until he had European results could easily dismiss.
Liechtenstein is hardly known as a footballing powerhouse, though Vaduz are a full-time outfit in the Swiss second division, who get European football by winning their own cup every year.
They have also had some big wins in Europe, including a victory over Longford Town in 2004 — and they played in the Conference League group stage two years ago.
League of Ireland fans are rightly wary, though those with only a passing interest may have the wrong impression.
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Kenny himself highlighted how the facilities here do not help the league but insisted he cannot — and will not — worry about perceptions.
He added: “I can’t really concern myself with that.
“Even if it is an overall viewpoint. I can only focus on the game.
“We know they have some good players.
“I can’t worry about the implications, the perceptions.
“There are a lot of very good clubs and some coaches are doing brilliantly, a lot of very good clubs, good structures.
“The stadiums are still obviously terrible.
“We get 5,000 every week and we can only have 2,500 at this.
“The European games should be the ones where you get a bigger crowd, but it’s halved.
“Shelbourne had issues as well, and other clubs.
“Those things are such a let-down but I think we must try from our point of view to get through this round if we can, strive to get through and see if we can play in the next round.”
But he knows Irish sides have no divine right to beat anybody in Europe as he did take a quick look backwards.
He said: “Shamrock Rovers had a very good win over an Icelandic side last week.
“It’s funny the way in 2016 when Dundalk played Icelandic opposition in the Champions League, we’d have been expected to beat them, absolutely expected to win that.
“It was a narrow victory but we were better, then Breidablik beat Rovers last year and looked like a good team, expansive.
“So this year Rovers had a good win in the first round, and Rovers are a good team with a strong squad.”
He highlighted Shelbourne’s narrow win and Derry’s narrow loss against teams from Gibraltar last week as proof of how tight these games can be.
And he continued: “Anyone can turn you over on any given day and likewise you can turn over anyone on any given day.
“It’s difficult to gauge where Vaduz are, they were in the group stages but they have had a lot of changes in their own team.”
TOUGH TIMES
Kenny also highlighted the changes at Pat’s as he looks to overhaul a squad which he acknowledged is not having a ‘vintage season’.
The ex-Ireland boss has only been in charge for ten games, winning just two, as his side sit seventh in the league.
They also saw their FAI Cup defence fall at the first hurdle on Sunday against Derry.
He is certain fortunes will change soon but also stressed that fans must be realistic now.
Kenny continued: “I knew it was going to be a difficult job when I took the job.
“But that’s what I sort of am motivated to do.
“It’s not really to take a team from second to first or whatever.
“I took Bohemians — they were ninth and the following year won the league, Derry were ninth and they lost the league the following year by a point and won trophies.
“And Dundalk were a team that were bottom and we won the league within two years.
“That’s sort of what I like to do, take a team from the bottom and revitalise quickly.
“We had a lot of changes at this club, 11 changes in the off-season so I was reluctant to come in and make a lot of changes.
“Other clubs made more radical changes than we did . . . and if I came in and made another seven or eight, where’s that going?
“How certain are we about the seven or eight? Will they definitely improve where we are in such a short time?
“But we’ll be motivated to get through this round.”
Source link : https://www.thesun.ie/sport/13474727/stephen-kenny-st-pats-europa-conference-league-vaduz/
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Publish date : 2024-07-25 07:00:00
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