Unbeaten in three, one win in 13; two ways of judging Ireland manager Stephen Kenny a year into the job ahead of three vital World Cup qualifiers.
For some, the knives have been out for quite some time, for others, and it must be said, for most, Kenny's appointment was deemed just, and remains so, for the time being at least.
There was no denying Kenny’s credentials when named Ireland manager in waiting, following a prolonged period of unprecedented League of Ireland and European success with Dundalk.
Announced as Mick McCarthy’s successor on the same day that the big Barnsley man returned to the job, Kenny was immediately cast into the spotlight, while at the same time not afforded the requisite grandeur to match the importance of the appointment.
The arrival of the coronavirus offered opportunity with the rescheduled Euro 2020 play-off, but then cruelly took it away, disrupting the game and continuing the chaos into future squads.
Following the disappointing, but not reputation-damaging defeat, to Slovakia, the Nations League would provide a welcome run of games to see how the new manager and his evolving squad would fare against sides deemed of similar standard.
Not great, as it would transpire.
A decent performance in difficult circumstances at home to Wales was seen as a positive step forward, but defeat in Finland three days later would minimise the momentum going into the November triple header.
England away could be best described as Kenny's Lemony Snicket moment, what would turn out to be a series of unfortunate events.
Accepting such a tough task at that stage of his tenure could have been classed as naïve on the part of whoever sanctioned such a move against a top-five team in world football.
A 3-0 mauling, the leaking of the motivational video, the continuing winless run, the resignation of a senior staff member; barely three months on from his opening Ireland game and things appeared to be going from bad to worse for the new man in charge.
Eight games in, one goal and no wins. The New Year could not come quickly enough.
Just 18 minutes into the first game of 2021 and everything appeared to be changing in the manager’s favour as Ireland took the lead in Belgrade.
A remarkable opening half in Serbia to kick off the World Cup qualifying campaign, and while Alan Browne’s opener had by then been cancelled out, the manager was starting to deliver on his promise of playing the game the right way, and not afraid to take that policy on the road.
Kenny’s two best performances were now both against decent opposition – Slovakia and Serbia – and both away from home.
Alas, Ireland would be undone by some Mitrovic magic in that second half and return to Dublin with nothing to show from a fine outing.
And while there were now signs that the new regime could offer excitement, nobody could have predicted the drama in Dublin that was about to unfold; a tragic comedy would play out in front of an apt empty arena.
Kenny came out fighting in the build-up to the game in Budapest against Qatar a few days on from the Luxembourg debacle, and in contrast to the post-match press conference after the shocking 1-0 defeat, spoke with confidence and conviction.
A 1-1 draw against a team who were better than expected and suddenly Kenny had some breathing space ahead of the end-of-season double header against Andorra and Hungary.
The elusive first win, a team-building 10-day training camp, and a strong performance back in Budapest, Kenny could sign off for the summer having somewhat stemmed the tide, while creating a modicum of momentum.
Twelve months on from that opening game in Bulgaria, Kenny has experienced the lows and the not-so-lows throughout the course of the 13 games, and countless off-the-field antics.
A squad created in his own image, the manager has introduced a very healthy number of new recruits into the set-up, and while some perhaps were thrown into the deep-end a touch too early, most have looked like they belong in the extended squad, at least.
But it is down to business now for the manager as he attempts to salvage a disastrous start to the World Cup qualifying campaign with three games inside seven days.
A "good week" can change things for this Ireland team, said the manager ahead of the trip to Portugal, but determining the definition of what is good for Irish football can leave a lot to the imagination and interpretation when reflecting on the results and performances against Portugal away and two home matches against Azerbaijan and Serbia.
Of course, the campaign could be clawed back to a certain extent by a decent and not-too-damaging performance on the Algarve coast on Wednesday against the glamourous Portugal side.
The Dublin double-header, however, is when something really needs to click to finally provide Kenny’s international career with some real validation.
The crowds are back inside the stadium for the two games on Saturday and the following Tuesday, and while the Irish supporters will forever stand behind their team, they will not be able to hide their emotions if Kenny's side "have a Luxembourg".
"Football is a results business" was among the jibes thrown at Kenny from the more vocal of commentators, who have suggested strongly that the manager is under pressure ahead of the triple header, while unable to offer a viable alternative other than to park the bus in Portugal.
Parking the bus and calling on the Irish players to war ahead of the Ronaldo rumble may well be the best option of taking tangibility from Portugal, however, hope abounds that this "new-look" FAI prove a shade less Machiavellian than the previous regime and care a bit more about the health of the game rather than getting to a tournament by any means necessary.
That, of course, is not to say Kenny will be given free rein to take the team into Euro 2024, especially if the current campaign goes from bad to worse.
Jonathan Hill and the board will make decisions deemed best for Irish football, and they may have to indulge in some soul searching if Ireland are handed a heavy defeat in Portugal and struggle against Azerbaijan and Serbia.
Yet should Kenny negotiate the potentially troubled waters of the trip to Portugal and back to the capital relatively unscathed, World Cup qualification aside, there is a strong argument to put a plan in place for a good run at the 2024 campaign.
And should Kenny take Ireland to that particular event, the current critics and malcontents will, no doubt, happily get their passport stamped for a summer sojourn and singalong in Stuttgart or somewhere similar.
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