General
- Friday September 11th, 2026 @ 11:00
Manager’s Matchday Notes - 11/09/26
Manager Stephen Kenny has penned his Matchday Notes ahead of tonight's Dublin Derby against Shamrock Rovers.
Growing up in the 80s/90s, it was interesting to observe international football at the time, in particular behind the "iron curtain" or Eastern Block as it was referred to. It could be argued football mirrored it's politics, with each country having one specific leader, a midfield tzar, a playmaker who everything went through and the team's lived or died by their influence and level of performance. Detari (Hungary), Hagi (Romania), Boniek (Poland), Stoikov (Bulgaria), Stoikovic (Yugoslavia), they were exceptional passers, dribblers, goalscorers and creators, they had personality and charisma, to lead their nation.
Being raised in Tallaght, I had no access to cricket pitches or I didn't know anyone who played it, but I found the the tactical challenge of Test Cricket fascinating. The Captains at that time made all the tactical decisions over five days. They were often the only all-rounder in the team (batsman and bowler) and their teams performances depended on them, like our midfield tzar. They had authority, and personality and their countries depended on their Captains having a huge sphere of influence. Kapil Dev (India), Richard Hadlee (New Zealand), Ian Botham (England) and Imran Khan (Pakistan). Imran Khan was a hugely driven leader of the team that won the 1992 World Cup. After he finished playing, he devoted himself to opening hospitals in Pakistan's most disadvantaged areas and helping the poorest to combat their difficult circumstances and try to improve their healthcare system. He moved into politics and quickly became Prime Minister of Pakistan, such was his status. Subsequently, he was overthrown and arrested on spurious charges of fraud and sent to jail. He is 73 years old and spends 23 hours a day in solitary confinement, there seems an inevitability that he will die in prison, which is a tragic ending for a man who committed so much to his country.
I was extremely proud of my players last Sunday, and the resilience shown despite losing on penalties in the FAI Cup 1/4 Final. The team's efforts right throughout our second 120 minutes over the last couple of weeks had integrity. We created chances and scored in extra-time, conceding a bizarre own goal that defied the laws of physics. There was no question that the players gave everything for St Patrick's Athletic.
Despite the series of setbacks that this group of players have had to deal with this season, the reality is that we are in 2nd place in the League table going into tonight's visit of Shamrock Rovers. We are well aware of the tough challenge ahead of us, and we are also aware that a victory would see a 10-point deficit cut to 3 points with our visit to Oriel Park to come on Monday night. This is a huge motivation for the group, who have played some exceptional games of football this season, scoring a high number of goals throughout the team and the ability to defend as a collective illustrates the strides this team has made. We have seen the emergence of Joe Redmond as someone with real leadership qualities, he's had an exceptional season and recently seen the emergence of Academy graduate Ryan Sheridan, a midfield tzar of the future.
Enjoy the game,
Stephen
Image credit: Sportsfile
