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After a bit of confusion over his start date and the possibility that his under-21 reign will affect the beginning of his title role, Stephen Kenny finally takes over the Republic of Ireland on Thursday night.
Bulgaria will be the answer to the pub quiz question for years to come, and Finland will visit an empty Aviva stadium on Sunday.
Without a doubt, for the team and the fans alike, the Euro 2020 play-off semi-final against Slovakia next month will be in the back of the mind.
The Tallaght native has earned his shot at the big time, after showing what he could do with Dundalk, both domestically in the SSE Airtricity League and in his Europa League career in 2016.
Naturally, there have been low points in a long coaching career, including spells with Dunfermline in Scotland and Shamrock Rovers at home.
“He has the best job in the world, from an Irish perspective.”
On RTÉ’s soccer podcast, Kenny Cunningham says that he thinks Kenny is making all the right noises before Thursday.
“We all know how Stephen likes his teams to play,” said the man with 72 appearances for Ireland.
“Ultimately, until we see it, we won’t be able to judge. I’m quite excited about the prospect, in all honesty.
“I like the coach’s initial thoughts. I like the way he talks to the players. He hasn’t been enough for me in a long time.
“All of that bodes well, and I’m quite excited about the team’s prospects in terms of the squad, the individual attributes of the players.
“I am very optimistic about the games in the immediate future.”
The coronavirus outbreak in Europe greatly altered the sports calendar, with Euro 2020 delayed a full year until next summer.
Originally, if the Republic had managed to qualify for the final, it would have been Mick McCarthy at the helm of a competition that is scheduled to see tournament matches in Dublin for the first time.
Now, with the move from McCarthy to Kenny, the Dubliner has the opportunity to lead the national team at the European Championships in his hometown.
Despite having little time with the team, having had his first training session this week, Cunningham says it is a dream position for him.
“I don’t feel too bad for him,” she joked.
“He has the best job in the world, from an Irish perspective.
“I think the overriding excitement, from Stephen’s point of view, should just be the excitement of meeting the players. I’m sure he’s been preparing a lot with the guys, (assistant managers) Damien (Duff) and Keith ( Andrews).
“I’m sure they can’t wait to get started. Yes, they only have a couple of days to prepare before the game against Bulgaria, but the game that is really driving everything in the coming months is Slovakia. Game – the tiebreaker game.
“If you look at it in that sense, I think the games against Bulgaria and Finland, for me, is a good preparation for such an important match.
“It will be very competitive games, a good run, in terms of a little quality time with the players.
“I think when you look at Slovakia from a distance, and you get some competitive matches, you fine-tune, you know the players and you convey that philosophy, I think it’s a reasonable amount of time.
“There is plenty of time there.”
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Follow Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland this Thursday via our RTÉ.ie live blog and RTÉ News app or listen to live commentary on RTÉ 2fm’s Game On.
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