Almost four years ago to the day, Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland reign began in low-key fashion against Bulgaria, in an empty stadium 2,000 miles from home.
With Europe’s national teams having emerged from a 10-month, pandemic-enforced hiatus, Shane Duffy’s late header rescued Kenny from starting his tenure with a defeat in a forgettable Nations League encounter.
A few weeks later, Kenny’s Euro 2020 dream died with a penalty shootout defeat by Slovakia in Bratislava.
It set the tone for a troubled tenure that yielded only 11 wins in 40 games for the Dubliner, who cut a crestfallen figure by the time he departed last November.
Of course, it is impossible to tell at this stage whether Saturday’s Nations League fixture against England will foreshadow the Republic of Ireland’s fortunes under surprise new boss Heimir Hallgrimsson, but the Icelander will at least be afforded the rapturous home welcome Kenny was denied in the Covid-dominated early stages of his time in charge.
A spine-tingling atmosphere should await Hallgrimsson on Saturday because competitive games against England do not come around too often. This will be the first since the Euro 1992 qualifiers when the sides played out 1-1 draws at the old Lansdowne Road and Wembley grounds.
Their last meeting was a Wembley friendly in November 2020. England won 3-0 as Jude Bellingham made his debut, but Kenny – already under pressure after failing to win any of his first four games – later made headlines when it emerged he had shown his players a motivational video which reportedly contained political content.
Seemingly taking a different approach, Hallgrimsson last week said he would endeavour to calm, not fire up, his players before facing the world’s fourth-ranked team.
Indeed, composure is just one of the attributes his side will need if they are to start this new era with a statement win against a side two months removed from appearing in the Euro 2024 final.
At the very least, the Republic’s first competitive outing against the Three Lions should provide for Hallgrimsson a clearer picture of the quality at his disposal before he attempts to end the team’s long wait for a return to the World Cup.