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Football

09th Nov 2023

Stephen Kenny reportedly the top runner for managerial job with League One team

Lee Costello

Stephen Kenny

Stephen Kenny is said to be in line for a job with a League One team.

Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has emerged as a frontrunner for a job in England, according to reports, as it looks increasingly inevitable that his time is up with the international team.

League One side Lincoln City have been without a manager since October 12 following the sacking of former Ireland star Mark Kennedy, and now they have their sights on Kenny.

Lincoln are currently in ninth place in League One.

Stephen Kenny is reportedly the top runner for the Lincoln City job.

Despite being without a full-time boss, interim coach Tom Shaw has taken the reigns, guiding the club to two wins and a draw, allowing the board to take their time when it comes to selecting their new man in charge.

With Kenny looking certain to leave his role with Ireland at the end of this campaign, League One could be the perfect opportunity for the Irishman to find success once again.

One of his main strengths has always been his coaching and enthusiasm for drilling a certain type of football on the training ground, and this is much better suited to club football where you work with the players daily, rather than just every few months.

Talks between Kenny and Lincoln City have not taken place yet, but the ex-Dundalk boss is certainly on their list.

Stephen Kenny

The frontrunners to replace Stephen Kenny as Ireland manager.

The rumour mill has been spinning ever since Ireland lost their first game to Greece, making qualification for Euro 2024 an uphill battle, and now that even the slimmest of hopes are diminished, the vultures are circling.

Roy Keane has appeared as a contender following his very honest discussion with Gary Neville on The Overlap where he confirmed that he would love to get back into management.

Keane was an assistant manager under Martin O’Neill’s reign that saw the team qualify for Euro 2016, and many believe that with the right coaching staff around him, he could be successful in this role.

Other contenders have even gone public with their interest in the role, such as Gus Poyet, the current Greece manager, who was full of praise for the atmosphere he experienced when playing against Ireland and how he would be interested in the job.

Despite being on course to qualify for the Euros, Poyet seems to believe that his contract will run out before then. This could just be a ploy to put the Greece board under pressure, but for now, it makes him a runner in the race to replace Kenny.

Lee Carsley is another popular name thrown into the hat, as the former Ireland International has been having great success in his current role as England u21 boss. The ex-Everton star guided his team to European success last July, and he could be the ideal fit to guide a young Irish team.

Other names that are currently out of a job are Sam Allardyce, Rafa Benitez, and even Frank Lampard, but things won’t become clear until this current campaign is over and the FAI officially part ways with Kenny.

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