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Stephen Kenny vents frustration over St Patrick's Athletic's league fixture scheduling

Stephen Kenny: 'If you're serious and ambitious, that's what you do'
Stephen Kenny: 'If you're serious and ambitious, that's what you do'

Stephen Kenny reiterated his belief that the FAI needs to do more to help Irish clubs qualify for the group stages of European competition following last night's hard-earned draw with Istanbul Basaksehir.

The Super Saints face a trip to Turkey for Wednesday's return leg, but had been due to face Dundalk in the SSE Airtricity League action on Sunday.

On Friday evening, the League of Ireland announced that the Premier Division fixture had been postponed.

In the build-up to Thursday's game, the St Pat's manager had said it was "insane" and "hard to fathom" why they weren't being given the weekend off to properly prepare for the decisive return leg against the Turkish Super Lig outfit.

And speaking after last night's battling draw, before the postponement was announced, the former Republic of Ireland boss said "it is difficult" to be expected to play a league fixture in between European legs.

"I'm led to believe that the Turkish League have cancelled all the games for their European teams this week," said Kenny.

"They've prioritised the teams qualifying for the group stages, so they've cancelled all the league games.

"And if you're serious and ambitious, that's what you do."

Kenny is one of just four managers - alongside Stephen Bradley, Michael O'Neill and Filippo Giovagnoli - to have guided a League of Ireland club to the lucrative group stages of a European competition.

He did it with Dundalk and he says that back then, the FAI were willing to help the Lilywhites out.

"At Dundalk, we wouldn't have qualified for the group stages only Fran Gavin [FAI's Director of Competitions in 2016] made a decision to cancel one or two matches for us at that time, and that was pivotal in us qualifying for the group stages.

"They [Basaksehir] have a rest. It will be a game against them in five and a half days.

"We've lost Romal [Palmer] tonight. It looks like for a few weeks so it just puts a bit of pressure (on) collectively.

"Even apart from the game, preparation time is zero."

Basaksehir have played in the group stages of all of UEFA's club competitions in recent years, most notably beating Manchester United in the Champions League in November of 2020.

That, for Kenny, is the crux of the matter; his team are trying to come up with a performance to upset the odds against a side who - on paper at least - are at a higher level than his team.

"Once you get to the group [stage], you get on with it and that's what you have to do," he continued.

"But trying to get to the group is very difficult for Irish clubs, especially coming the [qualifier] route, going through the four rounds, it's hugely difficult.

"So you need all the support you can get. We want to go through, we're desperate to go through - we're determined.

"The reason I think we should (postpone domestic fixtures) is just to give ourselves a chance, because we have to go up levels to perform.

"Anyone can play three matches in six days. It's not that, but it's getting up levels and trying to outperform yourself and putting in the performance of your life; it's extremely difficult."


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