Stephen Kenny wants to go full circle with Ireland by taking the senior team back to where it all began.
The 50-year-old was last night armed with a contract extension for the Euro 2024 campaign.
And if successful in that qualifying mission, it would mark 36-years since Ireland’s maiden tournament appearance in the same country.
Jack Charlton led Ireland to Euro 88 where they famously beat England 1-0 in Stuttgart and drew with the Soviet Union before losing narrowly to Holland.
Kenny said today: “The ambition is to go to Germany and qualify for the European Championships. That’s the big dream.
“To go back to where Ireland started, if it’s back to Stuttgart, that’s the big dream for Ireland to qualify and we’ll leave no stone unturned in attempting to achieve that.”
Ireland face Belgium and Lithuania in home friendlies later this month before the opening Nations League games in Dublin.
But the order of that summer schedule against Ukraine (home and away), Armenia (away) and Scotland (home) is still unclear after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s World Cup playoff against Scotland this month has been postponed until the summer, so Ireland’s two games against them are up in the air as result.
FAI chief Jonathan Hill said today: “We are talking with UEFA and FIFA as to what solutions can be found.
“It’s a very complex situation and, as of yet, we haven’t had an answer to our own games but we’ll be as flexible as we can.”
But Kenny’s new contract means he can focus on football without having to deal with the constant speculation over his future.
And he revealed that 2022 won’t be a year of experimentation with his squad despite the lack of major qualifiers.
“I understand and accept there was criticism (in the early stages of his tenure), it’s part of international management and it hasn’t been straightforward,” he said.
“We had to come through a difficult period. But it’s great that we have focus now and it’s very clear.
“We’ve rebuilt the team and we’re not looking to overly experiment. We know what we have now and there’s a great connection between experienced and younger players.
“There’s a great spirit in the squad. We’ve played better in some matches than others, but you can feel it growing.
“I appreciate all the support I get from everybody. I’ve a brilliant backroom team and I’ve great support from the FAI.”
Kenny then dismissed the length of time it took to nail down the new contract as ‘irrelevant’.
“It was only a minor delay,” he said, pointing out that it wasn’t just his contract to be agreed but also his coaching staff.
“We’re delighted and we’re not looking back saying ‘why did it take three months rather than one’. It’s irrelevant.
“A lot of things have to be managed in a big organisation like this and the only thing that matters is that it’s signed.”
Kenny confirmed that he intends appointing coach Anthony Barry’s successor before the Belgium game on March 26.
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