Kieran McKenna has signed a new four-year contract as Ipswich Town manager. Stuart Watson looks at 'the perfect fit'.
TAKING THE JOB
Rewind to the back end of 2021.
Manchester United, having recently sacked manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer, installed Ralf Rangnick as interim boss until the end of the season on December 3.
Three days later, Ipswich Town sacked manager Paul Cook following a 0-0 home draw with Barrow in the FA Cup.
It paved the way for a perfect marriage.
Kieran McKenna, an ambitious young coach who had climbed the coaching ranks to become assistant manager at Old Trafford, was facing a slightly uncertain future. Maybe this was the time for him to go it alone?
Ipswich Town, a sleeping giant looking to reboot under ambitious new American owners, persuaded him they were the exciting project he was waiting for.
“There was a decision to be made because I have a big affinity to Manchester United, was a fan of the club as a boy and could see a future there,” admitted McKenna, speaking at his Ipswich unveiling.
“But the ambition all along was to take this step to lead a team and lead a club.
“I’m grateful to Ipswich Town for this responsibility and I’m confident I will be able to repay that faith in the future.”
TOWN JOURNEY SO FAR
Ipswich, off the back of League One finishes of 11th and ninth, sat 12th in the third-tier table, nine points adrift of the play-off places, when McKenna took charge.
There was an instant impact, a 1-0 home win against Wycombe followed up by a swashbuckling 4-0 victory at Gillingham, with the team displaying the 'positive, aggressive, balanced and adaptable' playing principles their new boss had outlined.
But while the improvement in the team was clear to see, too many draws proved costly and Town ended up 11th – 13 points adrift of the top-six.
Over the summer, McKenna improved the left side of the team and worked hard on improving the set-piece record.
The Blues got off to a great start, but a run of four wins from 15 league games either side of Christmas suddenly left the team nearer seventh than second.
The squad was strengthened further in the January transfer window and Ipswich were almost faultless from the middle of February onwards to secure automatic promotion with a club-record 98 points, 101 goals scored and incredible +66 goal difference.
Town may have been pipped to the title by Plymouth, but they led the way on virtually all statistics and earned gushing praise over their playing style from pundits and opposition managers alike.
McKenna has now been in charge for 79 games. Town’s record over that time reads: W44 D24 L12 F150 A54, with the team keeping clean sheets in more than half of those matches (41).
TRANSFER RECORD
McKenna’s had three transfer windows as a manager so far. He's said that he wants 'young, hungry, technical and athletic' players at the club.
His main 15 signings (not including the already on loan Christian Walton) have been Dominic Thompson, Tyreeq Bakinson, Freddie Ladapo, Dominic Ball, Greg Leigh, Marcus Harness, Leif Davis, Richard Keogh, Gassan Ahadme, Panutche Camara, Tyreece John-Jules, Massimo Luongo, Nathan Broadhead, Harry Clarke and George Hirst.
Three of those players – Davis, Broadhead and Clarke – all commanded seven-figure transfer fees.
The settled team which surged to promotion in the latter stages of last season included five of his signings (Clarke, Davis, Luongo, Broadhead and Hirst/Ladapo), five from predecessor Paul Cook (Walton, Cameron Burgess, Sam Morsy, Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin) and the homegrown Luke Woolfenden.
Recruitment has been undoubtedly been good, but improving what he inherited has arguably been even more impressive.
WHAT PEOPLE HAVE SAID
“I can’t speak highly enough of the boss and the impact he’s had on the squad and on me personally,” said free-scoring forward Chaplin.
“I think you could speak to every single lad in the changing room and they’d say the same thing, which is a rarity in football. If you’re not playing, you tend to be a little sour but that’s not the case here.
“His attention to detail is great. Everything he does has a hidden meaning that maybe you might not think about until after the game.
“The training sessions are engaging, they are fun, they're competitive, intense - everything you want.”
Captain Sam Morsy said: “He’s been brilliant from day one. His meetings, his level of detail, the structure... it’s been really eye-opening for me and the players.
“People may say he’s an inexperienced manager, but he’s been preparing for this role for the last 10 to 13 years, or whatever it is, since he started coaching. You can see he’s learnt from the best.
“He’s definitely opened my eyes to certain things. I definitely see things differently now. He’s taught me a lot that I didn’t know before.”
Defender Luke Woolfenden said: "Kieran has been at the biggest club in England and one that is definitely in the top three biggest clubs in the world, so I've just been picking his brains about that.
"Just knowing how the top athletes live and work will be good for me and everyone else at the club."
Full-back Kane Vincent-Young said: "He’s really approachable, nice and open. He communicates, along with his staff, really, really well.
“We're clear on the ideas, clear on the principles. He'll come round and speak to you individually about your role. In training the coaching is very deliberate in terms of knowing where to be and when to be there.”
Forward Kayden Jackson said: "The gaffer’s brought my confidence back. Other managers in the past have concentrated on what I can’t do, rather than what I can do. He’s told me there aren’t many better in the league at playing on the shoulder and getting in behind. It makes you feel on top of the world.
"I know for a fact that in however many years' time he’ll be working in the Premier League."
Former Manchester United boss Ole Gunner Solskjaer said: "He’s the most thorough and analytical, step-by-step, process-driven coach that I’ve worked with. I learned from him about defensive shape and how not to concede."
Blues chief executive Mark Ashton said: “It's a very methodical, logical way that Kieran works. He is an absolute professional who sets the highest of standards. His work ethic is off the scale and so is his staff’s."
MATCHING AMBITIONS
At his very first Ipswich Town press conference, McKenna made no secret of his personal ambitions.
"I’ve worked at the highest level in the Premier League and Champions League. I coached Champions League games at 32-years old,” he said.
“I enjoyed being at that level and it’s definitely an aspiration to get back at that level as a manager.”
That’s a sentiment he has repeated, several times since. This, quite clearly, is a self-assured man who mapped out a coaching career in his mind from the moment injury forced him to hang up his boots at 22.
When asked at a Fans’ Forum whether the club’s ambitions matched his own, McKenna replied: “To be honest, I wouldn't be at the club if that wasn’t the case. This was the type of project I was waiting for. We know that's going to be a long journey and I'm here to be a big part of that journey.”
It’s always worth reminding ourselves of just how grand Ipswich Town’s own plans are under the current American owners.
Mark Steed, the Chief Investment Officer for the Arizona Public Safety Personnel Retirement System fund that is investing in the club, spelt out its financial clout soon after the April 2021 takeover.
Asked by a Town fan whether the resources were there to take the club forward following years of steady decline, Steed replied: "Our fund is $13 billion and we’re holding $700m in cash. So, yeah?"
Berke Bakay, one of the US-based co-owners, said: "We have all the resources to not only get out of this league, not just do well in the Championship, but also in the EPL and beyond.”
Brett Johnson, another of the ‘Three Lions’ investors, has spoken of the ownership’s ‘healthy impatience’ and vowed to get a tattoo when the club reaches the Premier League.
Ed Schwartz, who heads up ORG, the investment firm which manages money for PSPRS, insisted 'this is just the beginning' after promotion to the second-tier.
All of the US-based owners have been quick to point out this is a long-term plan and one that won’t just be successful based on money alone.
Mark Detmer summed it up best when saying: “It’s not just about capital, it’s about culture. It’s about feeling like we’re a family and we’re all in this together.”
It’s for the above reasons that chief executive Mark Ashton believes Ipswich and McKenna are ‘a perfect fit for each other’.
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