'Hits Out'. 'Slams'. You name it. Whatever character limit friendly tabloid descriptor you want to employ, Martin O'Neill did it to Kenny Cunningham yesterday.
Cunningham is unimpressed with the job O'Neill is doing, and on the basis of what he's seen thus far, doesn't believe O'Neill should get a new contract. Not even qualification for Euro 2016 should automatically entitle him to another campaign.
Resolutely focused on the big picture, Cunningham said he doesn't care if they've qualified or not.
Do I think we have produced our best under Martin and Roy?, the answer is no. If the answer was yes, then he deserves another contract. I don't care if they qualified or not.
O'Neill doesn't rate Kenny's view at all.
I think that's nonsense.Particularly coming from Kenny, as a former player, it's even more nonsensical.
Kenny actually made the point even if we qualify I shouldn't automatically get a contract until it was demonstrated that I was getting the best out of the players.
O'Neill believes that qualification in and of itself indicates that he is getting the best of players.
Well, I thought if you qualify, there's a very decent chance you are getting the best out of the players. I might be wrong; I might be totally wrong.
This game is a results business. I would totally disagree with Kenny. It doesn't necessarily mean that if you haven't qualified, there hasn't been an improvement. But there's a fairly decent chance you have with qualification.
And he finished with this unarguable statement.
And Kenny should know this himself because, historically, Ireland haven't qualified for every competition we've been involved in.
[Irish Independent]
Read more: Brian Kerr Beautifully Expressed Just How Irritating Diego Costa Can Be
