With the victory this evening capping off what has been an excellent few months for Ireland, the debate surrounding whether Stephen Kenny is the right man to lead the team forward is surely now dead.
There is no doubt the side are improving under his tutelage, blooding new players and playing some brilliant football along the way.
It is expected that the FAI will make a decision on a new contract for Kenny at the end of this month, with his current deal set to expire next summer. It is expected this issue will be sorted in the weeks ahead, but some are calling for the decision to be delayed until we see how the team fare in their six fixtures in the first half of next year.
Richie Sadlier has already explained why that would be a potentially disastrous route to go down, but Brian Kerr believes that the FAI's finances may dictate their thinking on the matter.
Speaking on Virgin Media after the win in Luxembourg, Kerr said the FAI simply cannot afford to make a mistake when it comes to handing out lengthy contracts.
"I don't see any panic about the contract.
"The FAI have made mistakes in the past and it cost them very dearly.
"The manager is improving the team. They're going along well. I don't see a panic."
Brian Kerr on Stephen Kenny's contract situation.#LUXIRL | #COYBIG | #WCQ pic.twitter.com/0EKGbT7Cln— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) November 14, 2021
I don't see any panic about it (giving Kenny a new deal). The fans are now going and paying into games and that is great. The FAI are broke, Stephen is carrying a good load of staff with him.
The FAI made massive mistakes in the leadership they had and it cost them very, very dearly. They gave one manager a two-year contract, but they gave one of his assistants a four-year contract that they still have to pay, they couldn't find a job for him.
They don't need to make anymore massive mistakes, they owe a fortune. They are paying off banks, paying off UEFA, they're probably paying off FIFA.
So what's the panic? The manager is improving the team and they're going along well, but I don't see a panic on it.
Richard Dunne was alongside Kerr in studio and he too felt that we should wait and see how things play out next year before offering Kenny a new deal.
That being said, he has been impressed with how the team has improved as of late.
The confidence is back. I feel fairly confident we will have a good crack at qualifying for the next tournament or have a good Nations League...
Like the defeat to Luxembourg isn't a sackable offence, a win over Luxembourg isn't enough to guarantee a new contract.
I think we're definitely going on the right lines. After Christmas when the Nations League comes up, hopefully we will improve again an we will all be desperate for him to sign a new contract.
It will be interesting to see how the FAI handle this situation in the weeks ahead.
SEE ALSO: Richie Sadlier Sums Up Why Brady's Kenny Contract Stance Makes No Sense
