Jamie McGrath is not writing Stephen Kenny off just yet, and the Aberdeen midfielder is looking to sign off the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on a high with a victory away from home against the Netherlands.
Ireland's attempt to qualify for next summer’s showpiece was always going to be a tough task, placed in a group with European heavyweights France and the Dutch, however, the campaign failed to ever ignite and while the expected defeats came against the big two, the real disappointing factor was losing home and away to fourth-seeded Greece.
The manager’s fate has yet to be decided and his three-year tenure will be appraised by the FAI board following Tuesday night’s friendly with New Zealand at Lansdowne Road.
And McGrath - an injury doubt ahead of Saturday's game - is hoping that the manager will be given more time to work with the emerging squad, which has been totally transformed over the past few years.
"We don't know for sure," said McGrath, when it was suggested that this was likely to be his last competitive match in charge. "But of course we want to [get him the result].
"We want to finish the campaign on a high. Every time you play in the green shirt, you have to do the jersey proud, but of course we always give our best for the gaffer.
"And personally, he's been really, really good for me and my career. He gave me a chance at Dundalk and obviously brought me up here to get my first cap. So yeah, of course we’ll do it all for him as well."
McGrath, more than any other player in the squad, has built a long-term relationship with the manager having first worked under Kenny as part of the all-conquering Dundalk team of the last decade, so it is no surprise that he would be supportive in what may be the last days of his reign.
"The gaffer has been a massive part of my career," said McGrath, speaking at a pre-match press conference in Dublin ahead of the trip to Amsterdam.
"He signed me when I was 20 for Dundalk and gave me the opportunity to go on and win medals there.
"We were part of a very successful team there and obviously the gaffer left in my last year to come here.
"He showed a lot of faith in me and picked me when maybe he could have picked other people. He's been quite consistent about picking me as well, which is a big confidence boost for myself."
McGrath (above) was also quick to point out that it was not just about his own relationship with Kenny, but rather his overall leadership within the squad, stressing that the manager has the ability to fill any player with confidence going into big games.
"He's obviously trying to change the way of past and how he wants to play," said McGrath. "And I think he just fills every player in the squad with confidence.
"So to do that takes a lot of courage especially against the big nations. He gives you that belief that you can go toe to toe with some of the best teams. Portugal away was my first competitive game and we went toe to toe with them, we played good stuff on the night and that's carried on throughout the campaign, up to France.
"And hopefully Holland now on Saturday. But yeah, he does put a lot of belief in players, especially me as well coming in, so he’s been a big part."
Ultimately, Kenny’s future is likely to be decided on his overall results, and while there were many excellent performances against some of the biggest teams in Europe, most notably home and away games with Portugal and the aforementioned France at home, and the first half against the Dutch at Lansdowne Road, those crippling defeats to Gus Poyet’s Greeks, Luxembourg and Armenia are more likely to define the current era.
"I think we've been lucky in a lot of games, it’s not for the want of trying," said McGrath, when asked what went wrong in the current campaign.
"From the outset we were underdogs in the group, we've probably drawn the hardest group we could have got.
"But there's no getting away from it, we should have done better in the group. And yeah, some performances were probably below others, but I thought we put in some really good performances, at home to Holland and at home to France. Hopefully we can finish on a high this weekend."
And looking ahead to the game, McGrath’s versatility and ease on the ball is one of the main reasons that Kenny has come calling so often, and should he get the all-clear to play – having struggled with a hamstring injury – there is every chance that he will see some game time against the Dutch.
"Sometimes I play narrow off the left, narrow off the right and sometimes in a midfield three, so I'd like to think I'm quite flexible and pretty clued in tactically as well," said McGrath.
"I feel like I can fit in a few formations and different roles the gaffer asks me to play. So yeah, I’ve been delighted every time the gaffer has given me a chance, and I'd like to think that I've done well whenever called upon."
So whether or not time is called on Kenny’s tenure following these remaining two games of 2023, McGrath will be forever grateful for the man who helped him realise his childhood dream by handing him a green jersey to represent his country on the European stage.
"To put on the green jersey is the dream of every kid in the country, so I'm very, very privileged to be sitting here," said McGrath.
"Every time I get the nod from the gaffer, it's an unbelievable feeling. You can't take that away for any of the players here, it’s such a big achievement representing your country, millions of people would give anything to be sitting here, so I'm very lucky."
Watch the Netherlands v Republic of Ireland on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player this Saturday from 7pm, follow a live blog on www.rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to commentary on RTÉ 2fm
