Kieran McKenna leads Ipswich Town to the 'promised land'

'Very talented' and 'highly respected' are how Manchester United and Ipswich Town describe Kieran McKenna on the day he left Old Trafford to take over as manager at Portman Road. These are two of the phrases I used for this purpose.

Similar words have been used about many other coaches taking on senior club management for the first time, but few have responded to them in as spectacular a way as McKenna.

Taking over at Ipswich in 12th place in League One, he led the team to back-to-back promotions, scoring over 90 points in each season and scoring 193 goals in the process.

And now the 37-year-old has the chance to test himself and his players for the first time since 2002 in the Premier League, which former Ipswich captain Mick Mills has dubbed the “promised land”.

After winning promotion from the third tier last summer with only 28 wins and four losses from 46 games, Mills said if he could improve his team by “about 20 per cent” they could compete for a top six place in the Championship.

However, such was the quality of McKenna's coaching and the success of Town's reinforcements that they were never outside the top six throughout the season and were in the top two for most of the season.

The list of former Ipswich managers includes many notable names including World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey, Jackie Milburn, Bill McGarry, John Lyall, George Burley and Mick McCarthy. This person is considered by many to be the best among them. Ladies and gentlemen, Sir Bobby Robson.

Mills accepted McKenna's honour, telling BBC Radio Suffolk: “He's a different type of manager to the one I grew up with, one man controlling the whole club.”

“When I was with Bobby Robson, Bobby used to choose the carpets for the boardrooms. He did everything perfectly. It's different now.

“It became obvious right away that his (McKenna's) specialty was on the practice field. The practice field is his domain.”

McKenna became Ipswich's 19th full-time manager on 16 December 2021, replacing Paul Cook.

His first game ended in a 1–1 draw against Sunderland, and by the end of that season they had achieved only a marginal improvement in terms of league positions, finishing in 9th place.

However, Town quickly came out of the blocks in the 2022-23 season and would have been League One champions had it not been for an even more brilliant season from Plymouth, but while Argyle have struggled this season, McKenna's side have increasingly It's getting stronger.

To avoid the problems that Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley experienced in the Premier League after promotion last season, McKenna may need to improve his team by more than 20% over the figures Mills suggested last summer.

Former Ipswich, Liverpool and Scotland midfielder John Warke told BBC Radio Suffolk: “When you're in the best league in the world there's going to be a change.”

But money or no money, McKenna has shown he has the ability to make experienced players perform better than they did earlier in their careers – former Barnsley forward Conor Chaplin, for example, over the past two seasons. He contributed to 42 goals.

McKenna is also adept at developing the skills of young talent, with Leif Davis notching 18 assists this season in the left wing-back position.

And with striker George Hurst out injured for several weeks, Wales international Kieffer Moore arrived on loan in January and went on to score seven goals.

“He's an incredible coach. His attention to detail is second to none,” Moore said of McKenna.

“You can see it in everything he does. The way he presents, the way he conducts training sessions, the way he does business is first class. You can see this gaffer having a great career.”

One concern for some fans may be that McKenna's success could prompt Premier League clubs with bigger budgets to look in Ipswich's direction.

“He's going to get a lot of people's attention and rightly so. We want him to stay here,” Mills said.

“Mark Ashton and his team did a great job when I went looking for him. I had no idea who he was. Kieran McKenna came to work at Portman Road. When I heard I got the job, I had to ask the question, “Who is Kieran?” McKenna? ”

“It's not just about Kieran, it's about the club. It's a big club with big opportunities, good ownership and a good team off the field. So I really hope he stays here for a long time. I hope

“But I believe he can be at the top. I strongly believe that. I'm scared to death that Manchester United haven't made a decision[on next season's manager].”

So where does McKenna rank among Ipswich managers?

“Sir Alf, Bobby and George.” [Burley] And then there’s Kieran,” said Wark, a former teammate of Mills during the glory days of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Graham McLaughlin, BBC Radio Suffolk Sports Editor

I wasn't around that era so I'm not qualified to compare him to the likes of Robson, Ramsey and Burley, but he's truly a legendary figure in terms of how he helped transform the fortunes of the club and the team. is. .

It's not about going crazy. That's a fact. They have the statistics to back it up. Whether it's consecutive season totals of over 90 points, or whether it's more wins than any top-two on the road this season. hierarchy.

They punch above their weight so well and that's why supporters and Town pundits feel like we're dreaming. This shouldn't happen, but it does and it's great.

As for where you need to invest next season… write off this amount at your peril. Many of us evaluated some players at the beginning of this season and wondered if they were ready to step up. Well, they've proven time and time again that they can do it.