Kenny hired as St. Pats manager

Stephen Kenny has been hired as the new manager of St. Patrick’s Athletic.

Kenny will make his return to the League of Ireland after departing Dundalk in 2018 and will replace Jon Daly in the hot seat.

Kenny is a 6-time League of Ireland winner from his various spells at Bohs, Derry City and Dundalk, and most recently served as manager of the Irish national team.

The Dubliner’s spell in charge of the Irish national team ended in tears after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup and the upcoming Euro 2024.

Pats have given Kenny a 5-year contract.

A statement from Kenny said “it’s been a bit of a whirlwind, I’m looking forward to getting started, it’s a new chapter in my life and a new chapter for the club, and I’ll be giving it everything.”

He said that owner Garrett Kelleher’s vision of the club’s ambitions convinced him to return to Irish football.

“He shared his vision for the club with me for a long time, he has plans for the Stadium, to expand the club into America, European progression and a lot of exciting plans really.”

The 5-year contract is sure to turn heads, but Kenny said “the reason I signed a longer contract is the build the club over a period of time and I’m looking forward to driving it forward.

The appointment is a family affair for Kenny, who said “my mother used to come to watch St Pat’s, she’s from Inchicore and lived in Ballyfermot, so there’s a good connection there.”

He said he was under no illusions about the scale of the job, saying a “re-build” was required to “drive the club on.”

“It’s such a busy time now with three games in a week and we look forward to it.”