Richard Dunne believes Stephen Kenny never had the required experience to be a successful Ireland manager.

Kenny's time in charge of the Boys in Green looks destined to come to an end as his contract expires after a dire Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

The knives have been out for the Dubliner for a long time as Ireland's results never matched his optimism for his vision for the team.

READ MORE: Stephen Kenny seemingly waves goodbye at the Aviva following 1-1 draw

But former Ireland defender Dunne believes that Kenny was never the right fit for the post.

Dunne said: “There are certain people in the League of Ireland now who could go on to manage Ireland, but I don't think Stephen Kenny had the right sort of experience throughout his managerial career to prepare him for the difficulties of being the Ireland manager.

"To manage Ireland, it’s more than just doing okay with an Irish club in Europe. Winning the league and qualifying for Europe is not enough to be Ireland manager.

"You need to be capable of in-game management to be able to switch how your performance is going.

"He’s spoken about being really close in games, but really good managers can change that. All through his tenure, he’s been the one who can’t make a difference to the team.”

Kenny's emotional post-match interview after a 1-1 draw in a friendly with New Zealand on Tuesday was further evidence of his pride at being the Ireland manager.

But Dunne believes that Kenny's passion for the job should not be overemphasised.

"I understand how much the job means to him and he has given everything, but every manager of Ireland has given everything,” Dunne told Virgin Media Sport.

"I think to say it doesn’t mean as much to other managers isn’t right. Professionally, everyone wants to do a good job, but first and foremost the Ireland job is about getting results and competing.

"Stephen has given everything, but he just wasn’t good enough to make the right decisions to get the team competitive in games against the real best and sometimes even against the worst teams in Europe.”

Dunne's sentiments were echoed by Damien Delaney, who believes that the manager's job is still the most coveted in Irish sport.

Delaney said: "He [Kenny] gave it his best shot, but he wasn't up to the task. Yes, he blooded a lot of young players, but it hasn't worked out for him.

"It's the ultimate job. In my opinion, it's the biggest job in Irish sport, probably only second to being Taoiseach.

"The GAA and the rugby crowd might have a go at me for that, but it is the ultimate job. And Stephen got to live it, and he gave it his best. Nobody is doubting his commitment.

"He got right into it. He just wasn't up to it, unfortunately. He got three years, so he can't complain about time.

"It's over now and we get to move on."

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