On Sunday last, the pained expression on Stephen Kenny's face in his post-match interview with Tony O'Donoghue following the defeat to the Netherlands did not make for comfortable viewing.
It's part of the gig that you have to front up, no matter what the result. For the fourth time in five games, Kenny had to rake over the coals of another loss, the 2-1 reverse against the Dutch putting an end to any chance of qualifying automatically for Euro 2024.
In his final speech to the Dáil as Taoiseach, Charlie Haughey quoted 'Othello', saying: "I have done the State some service; they know't. No more of that".
Of course, some of the late Mr Haughey's critics will scoff as to the service he did give the State.
If, as is now likely that Kenny's time in charge is nearing an end, there are many who will feel that his contribution as manager should be valued. They will quote Kenny's decency; that he's a good football man; that he did give youth a chance. The man that presented Chiedozie Ogbene to us before most had ever heard of him - a player along with Gavin Bazunu, Nathan Collins, Adam Idah, Jason Knight and Evan Ferguson - who will form the nucleus of the side going forward.
Stephen Kenny reflects on the defeat to the Netherlands
Kenny has been a manager for nearly half his life. It all started at Longford Town in 1998. Modest beginnings yes, but the midlanders would eventually go on to compete in the UEFA Cup. At Derry City, the scalp of IFK Göteborg was taken in the same competition in 2006.
A year later, Kenny guided Dunfermline to a Scottish Cup final, though relegation to the First Division followed, with the manager failing to arrest the slide. Back in Ireland, another stint followed at Derry City before Kenny landed the Shamrock Rovers job.
After successive league titles and an apperance in the Europa League group stage under Michael O'Neill, Kenny's time at Tallaght Stadium, however, was a disaster. The side would finish fourth in the league, with the Hoops board sacking the manager two months before the season's end.
And then redemption at Dundalk.
Four league titles, two FAI Cups and qualifying for the Europa League group stage. The style of play was eye-catching. With Kenny's stock on the rise, it was a case of two jobs for him one day in November 2018. First, being installed as Ireland U-21 boss, and then taking on the senior job, in succession to Mick McCarthy, following the conclusion of the Euro 2020 campaign.
And then Covid game. The Euros were pushed back a year. Kenny was handed the senior keys a few months ahead of schedule. He had his dream job.
Speaking to the late Marian Finucane on her RTÉ Radio 1 programme after he was appointed U-21 manager, it was clear what was envisaged for our national squads, with the Tallaght native saying: "For well over a decade there's been a disconnect with the Irish public in how the team plays and the style of play.
"There has been a disconnect, there's no doubt about it. I don't think I've been appointed because Dundalk have won four league titles in the last five years.
"It wasn't so much the numbers of trophies won, it's the style in which it was achieved.
"People are inspired by a different way of playing and want to coach their schoolboy teams to play in a progressive way and then come and see the national team and relate to it.
"I know at grassroots level right throughout the country they want to see teams pass the ball in a more progressive way. We want to see individual flair, we want to see skill, we want to see a team playing in a cohesive way."
A dream debut goal at international level for Nathan Collins
Kenny's Ireland gave us a few moments of that said philosophy, most notably in the 3-0 thumping of Scotland in the Nations League and the brilliance of Nathan Collins in finding the net against Ukraine three days later.
After the narrow loss to Portugal away in the World Cup qualifiers, we thought would be the precursor to better days in that campaign. An underwhelming draw at home to Azerbaijan followed however, though we did finish out the group unbeaten in our last four games.
And onwards to the Euro 2024 campaign. This was to be the one for Kenny. He was determined that he would lead us to Germany and Joxer could again deck out the camper van. The qualifying draw in Frankfurt, where the Netherlands and France were revealed as the two top seeds in our group, no doubt took some of the air out of the balloon.
In the games played against the aforementioned sides, the Irish were far from disgraced and could have nicked a late draw against the French at the Aviva. However, the defeat away to Greece was the killer, Kenny tactically outsmarted by his counterpart Gus Poyet. The murmurs of discontent were growing louder. The game was probably up at that point.
Even before the latest reverses, the FAI were probably making plans, initial contacts being made. Lee Carsley is the name being talked about as a potential replacement. The former Irish international is employed by the English FA, and during the summer guided England to Euro U-21 glory.
'It's not something I've thought about," said Carsley, when speaking to 2fm's Game On about the possibility of taking over Ireland some day, this only a few days after that U-21 success.
'Stephen Kenny's in the job. He's doing a good job under tough circumstances," the Birmingham native added
"Thinking about the pool of players that was part of my generation that was there to pick from, compared to now, there's definitely a transition that's going on."
Carsley, as you would expect, was respectful to Kenny.
The current Ireland boss will carry on and prepare his teams for the games to come in October against Greece and Gibraltar and the Netherlands a month later, not an easy task when talk about you own future is swirling around like confetti.
Right from the get-go, the pro and anti-Kenny brigades have been entrenched in their views. Those on the anti side will feel that the current manager was appointed above his grade, and quite simply hadn't done enough to warrant his elevation. They will also point to a certain over-inflating of his own ability, that it is the clubs who are mainly responsible for nuturing players.
Quite simply, Kenny has presided over a period where Ireland were not able to dig out results when the chances were there. Performances from game to game have been inconsistent. Last Sunday, you never got a real sense that they would force a draw against the Dutch.
And so we are where we are. There is a chance that Ireland could that still make a play-off for the Euros, though there is a break clause in Kenny's contract that would see him not involved.
Long goodbyes are never easy and often messy. The FAI's handling of Vera Pauw's departure is testament to that. Kenny remains in place and has done some service to further the game he loves.
As Eamon Dunphy pointed out in his Irish Daily Star column: "His legacy is, first of all, that the football loving public like what he is trying to do which is to change from the crude long-ball s**t which Trapattoni and O'Neill gave us.
"He is right to have tried to change this."
He tried, alright, but Kenny just didn't get the results to match his vision, in spite of some bad luck along the way.
And it is a results business. It's as simple as that.
