Republic of Ireland vs Lithuania. International Match.
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Republic of Ireland boss Stephen Kenny will send his side into friendly battle with Lithuania on Tuesday night having recently signed a contract extension; watch Republic of Ireland vs Lithuania live on Sky Sports Arena on Tuesday from 7.40pm; kick-off 7.45pm
Tuesday 29 March 2022 09:07, UK
Keith Andrews has praised Republic of Ireland manager Stephen Kenny's strength of character after watching him battle his way through a difficult start to his reign.
Kenny failed to win any of his first 10 games as Ireland boss, a return which led to criticism of both his appointment and methods.
However, he stood firm and has since been rewarded with a sequence of 11 games which has included just a single defeat - away to Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal - and culminated in Saturday's 2-2 draw with world number one side Belgium.
Kenny will send his side into the friendly against Lithuania on Tuesday night having recently signed a contract extension.
Asked how he had been behind the scenes during that difficult early period, assistant Andrews said: "He was very composed, always very much sticking to the principles and the belief he has in what the players are capable of achieving.
"Of course we'd make little tweaks here and there, but he's a very strong individual and I thought he dealt with it remarkably well because there were some not very nice days that we had to endure. You've got to take it on the chin.
"I say it to him quite often about when I go back into my local butcher's, they're quick to tell me about we should and shouldn't be doing, and sometimes it's not particularly pleasant.
"But during that process, he stood really firm. It would be very, very easy as the manager to maybe stake a step back, to sacrifice, maybe, some of your values, your principles for a short-term view, but he stood by it and obviously I was in full support of that."
Former Ireland midfielder Andrews first spoke out in defence of Kenny in September last year and, while he admits results will always determine a manager's future, he firmly believed Ireland were always heading in the right direction.
He said: "Football being football, it's always results-dependent and you're always beholden to the powers that be.
"It's not development football, we're in big boys' football here, that's the nature of the business that ultimately if results didn't come, then decisions have to be made.
"Like I said, we felt we were in a good place even though the results hadn't been good, we were comfortable with what we were putting in place and the results did come."
Andrews was drafted into the international set-up by former manager Giovanni Trapattoni, whose safety-first approach paid dividends, but did not necessarily win admirers.
Kenny's approach is more expansive and while his team remains a work in progress, Andrews shares his philosophy.
He said: "The Ireland team that I played in was very well organised, very difficult to break down. The main focus was what we did without the ball.
"There was a big reliance on the technical players with most ability, in an attacking sense. It was based around that with a manager who probably didn't have enough belief in what we could do, or was stuck in the way he had always seen the game and the way he always coached.
"Stephen and myself see it differently and have tried to take the team in a different direction."
Republic of Ireland defender John Egan could not be happier for Chiedozie Ogbene after his "unbelievable" start to life as a senior international.
The Nigeria-born Rotherham wing-back scored his third goal in just six appearances for his adopted country in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Belgium and will head into Tuesday night's friendly clash with Lithuania hoping for more of the same.
Egan, who first crossed paths with 24-year-old Ogbene during their time together at Brentford, has been hugely impressed by his introduction to the Ireland team.
He said: "I was at Brentford when he signed so I already knew what Chieo was about when he came into the squad in the summer. He has been a breath of fresh air, on and off the pitch.
"He's a special person, really humble and hard-working. He came in, got his chance, grabbed it with both hands and it's fair to say his performances have been unbelievable, really, since he's come into the team.
"Another goal on Saturday will only do him the world of good for his confidence. He is a really top man and has shown everybody what a top player he is."
Gavin Bazunu, Josh Cullen and Jason Knight have become key members of a new-look team, but no player has taken his chance more impressively than Chiedozie Ogbene.
Currently operating as a wing-back for League One Rotherham, he has been thrust into an attacking role in a green shirt and as well as scoring three times in six appearances, has played with a smile on his face.
If there was one disappointment for Kenny on Saturday evening, it was the way in which Belgium took the lead for the second time courtesy of Hans Vanaken's towering header.
The manager admitted his frustration afterwards the visitors had scored from a corner - only the second goal Ireland have conceded in that fashion in 21 games under his charge - and he will be keen to see an improvement against Lithuania.
Having confronted Belgium, albeit without their superstars, the Republic face a very different prospect on Tuesday.
Lithuania are ranked 137th in the world, 88 places below their hosts, and finished bottom of their World Cup qualifying group with just three points. They will run out, however, on the back of a 2-1 win over San Marino on Friday evening.
Watch Republic of Ireland vs Lithuania live on Sky Sports Arena on Tuesday from 7.40pm; kick-off 7.45pm. Full match highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at the final whistle.
