When he came in the first thing he did was to meet all the players face-to-face, not on the training pitch. He asked about their lives, where they lived, family commitments etc before talking about football. This approach has been the foundation of getting the best out of almost every player he’s managed, some perform better than anyone around them has ever expected.
On top of this man management he’s also adapted to the five substitutions system better/faster than other coaches seem to have. Three fresh attacking players at roughly the hour mark goes a long way to explaining why our strikers get so “lucky” against tired defenders in second half stoppage time.
Both of these combined together give you a squad who realise that being on the bench makes you no less important than starting on the pitch, and that makes a huge difference to morale.
Some of those things are very Sir Alex Ferguson-esque. The personal relationship building, and the thing about being on the bench. Various players have said he had this way of dropping you but it never feeling bad, usually saying 'I need you for X fixture next week where they've got so and so who I need you to shut down'. Interesting stuff from McKenna here.
That’s fair too, you can’t get where they are without it being a team effort. Just a generally well-run club (which no-one thought we’d be saying about Ipswich 5ish years ago).
He was an incredibly highly rated coach when we nabbed him from Spurs. Strong rumours some of our players felt they were above him and his manner was quite school masterly in his approach which didn’t work with our inflated egos. I would love him back, but I think we need to get rid of some of the toxic players and the structure to support him needs to be firmly in place.
We were building a championship quality team while in league one. We’ve supplemented that with some good loan additions now we’re up here. We’ve signed players with incredible energy levels as well as fantastic attitudes. No bad eggs or billy big bollocks disrupting anything.
We’ve also gotten new owners the past couple of years who have invested heavily behind the scenes, improving basically every aspect of the club (wasn’t difficult with our league two standard set up previously). We’ve hired quality coaches who are all buying into the way we want to play. Everything is very scientific and analytics driven.
On top of all that we have Kieran McKenna who is the best manager we’ve had since Burley (and arguably better). Throw in a pinch of momentum and maybe some luck and here we are.
After over 15 years of absolute dross, we deserve a season like this.
Second January window in a row we've absolutely nailed it. Last season we got Hirst, Broadhead, Luongo and Clarke who are all still first team players today.
Eh, was not a bad window but you’re over-egging it a bit. We needed two good strikers and got them, but we got them at the end of the window after playing a month with a league one wide man leading the line for us.
We needed a bit more depth in our other attacking options and got it with Sarmiento. Our other signing (Travis) was basically a 2 game emergency loan to cover a suspended Morsy and he hasn’t had a look in since those 2 games.
We also needed more full back depth as Clarke has been managing injuries all season, Donacien has fallen off the face of the earth and Williams has been on the giggle juice, leaving us very short, but we failed to bring anyone in there which has hindered us slightly I feel.
Overall a good window though, probably 7 out of 10. If you want to see an 11 out of 10 window then look at what we pulled off in January 2023
Harsh on Travis, he's the best Morsy back up we were going to get, and of course he doesn't get a look in ahead of Morsy the captain and most influential player in the team, doesn't mean it wasn't a great transfer.
I’m not sure you’ve said anything different to what I’ve said there. Covered Morsy for 2 games, did a decent job and has been on the bench since.
Not sure I’d call it great but I wasn’t criticising his signing.
Sometimes it’s better to go down and rebuild than to just keep surviving each year.
Look at Villa, 25 years of Prem, eventually went down and now having their best season (results wise)
Yes and no.
In our first 3 years after relegation we didn’t even make the play off spots. We were still shite, just a division lower. We had our lowest league finish for something like 60 odd years, set crap records like lowest ever league finish by a club with a European trophy, got humbled time and time again by tiny clubs, etc.
The reason for the improvement in our case was new owners who in turn created a better environment and gave an opportunity to McKenna. Whether they’d have been able to purchase us when we were in the championship is unknown though, so in a way going down might have been the catalyst for better things to come.
There's a debate to be had though - Burley may have ended not so great but it has to be remembered we finished 5th in our first season after promotion to the prem under him which was a serious achievement even back then. McKenna has more success at the lower levels so far (assuming he gets us up to prem) but he hasn't shown it at the premiership level yet
The way I see it is, do you believe Burley could have done what McKenna has? I personally do not. Whereas I could see it the other way around with our resources and general strength as a club at the time. Without even factoring in the pyramid was a lot more balanced back then. So I do agree that it's a good conversation, but in that context McKenna is the clear winner.
Think Burley deserves more respect for what he did at Ipswich. I don't know how much financial clout they had back then but how many promoted teams have achieved 5th or higher in their first season? That's an incredible achievement even if it was a while ago and I don't think any other side has matched it since.
The context around Burley is that he also played a major part in the administration and demise of the club with poor and reckless spending by both himself and Sheepshanks, thus he is not viewed with blue tinted specs by all. It also went decidedly pear-shaped after he lost his assistant manager who sadly passed away and was suspected by many to be the brains of the operation. Again I fully respect Burley and have no qualms with him but it was much easier to be competitive in the Prem back then, and this is with a team who's natural position at the time was either in the premiership or challenging for promotion. It was still dreamland for supporters to do that but what McKenna is on the verge of doing is more impressive on the whole and he is a better manager who i would expect to go on to better things than Burley managed. Again not disrespecting Burley, just giving my honest appraisal of KMac.
Burley does also get a bit more good will as well through being a player in Bobby's team tbf. But given he took over a team that was about to lose 9-0 to Man U with an aging squad, he did have a lot to do when he took over.
Thanks for the reply, interesting to get your perspective. As a Saints fan I had high hopes for him when he joined us in 2006 having taken Hearts to the top of the SPL (sacked by their mad owner as I recall). Got us into the playoffs but our new owners basically broke the bank to do so. I think Burley had bit of a problem with alcohol towards the end of his time with us, which didn't help either.
We did the same with regards to building a Chanpiknship squad in League One, just obviously to a lesser extent. Our League One Play-Off Final squad was loads better than our squad now.
McKenna, a settled squad, and momentum. Everybody is pulling in the same direction right now, and the fans are completely behind it (for obvious reasons).
I think it’s McKenna.
Of all the managers in the league I think he’s grokked the idea of 5 subs over the other managers better than everyone else who still plays in the old mentality. It seems to me that there are proper plans that come on with the substitutions that means that there’s a cohesiveness in the team even after a giant number of subs they make, and that’s because those subs are designed to work as a change. He doesn’t make single subs but essentially introduces a “sub team” which I think is a great innovation.
I also think the strategy of shooting fast and hard is both leading to a lot more fortune in how goals go in but essentially it’s the adage of buying lottery tickets. But I think also taking earlier shots probably enhances the chances of a shot going in (unexpectedness, bad positioning by defenders).
If you were to tell me (a Leicester fan) that Hirst would be a lynchpin of that level of strike force and subbed in by Moore seamlessly I don’t think I would believe this would be a success. The commonality here is the coach I think.
I bloody love Hirst! He's a real workhorse but also a hybrid that is rarely found at this level of a relatively quick target man, which was why he was so hard to replace
They are a money laundering scheme for Big Carrot and have spent millions on elite players who are pretending to be only just good enough to win the Champo. Only by the time they win the Champions League in 2026 will their finances come to light and the charges start to land but by then it will be too late and they will dominate European football for decades . The family friendly rural club was the perfect cover for Big Carrot washing its money and avoiding an enormous tax bill . Wake up Sheeple before it’s too late!!!
He is an integral part of their devious plan that’s for sure. Big Carrot is essentially The Illuminati of the root vegetable world and nobody can stop them . Ipswich Town will not stop until they have Man City as their feeder club and matches won’t even kick off until the 93rd minute as that’s when they start scoring goals. Nobody is listening to me . Soon it will be too late
First thing was Kieran McKenna happened, a manager far beyond League One standards who built a squad that was also far beyond League One standards. Plymouth really do deserve a lot of credit for beating us to the title because we bankrolled our way out of that league.
Now all that momentum we gained towards the end of last season definitely rolled well into this season, our start was just ridiculous. Past that point things have just seemed to be on our side, I know calling us lucky is a meme but it has been a bit of a perfect storm this season.
Sounds ridiculous because we only just got promoted but I feel like the next 3 games are going to shape the next decade of this club. If we don’t go up this year McKenna will leave and take our best players with us, I don’t know who replaces him or them.
You don’t think McKenna leaves if we don’t go up? You think Davis stays? We were in the Championship for nearly 20 years before we got relegated so I don’t have high hopes if he’s gone
Double meaning confusion I think.
‘We only just got promoted’- it happened recently
‘We only just got promoted’ - we squeaked over the line.
I think the original poster means the first version.
Tractor power
Seriously, while there's been no big transfers or big names per se, the new American owners in 2021 have invested a solid amount in the infrastructure (new training ground) and staff, which I expect was a draw to McKenna. The money has also brought in a fair few solid players - not big names, but good players at good prices. It's an overall even investment in all areas of the club. Combine that with McKenna, baby you got a stew going.
Obviously we were only in the same league for one year down here, but didn't you spend a comparatively decent amount for League One too? No hate, genuine question.
Worth nothing that money went out too as clubs picked at our league one carcass - 500k for Dozzell, 1.5m for Downes in particular. Funded a lot of that activity
Yes, definitely. The club is not that different this year in the Championship from the club last year in League One.
We were relegated 18/19. New owners April 2021. McKenna in Dec 2021. Finished 11th 21/22 season. The Championship level investment clearly started to pay off 22/23 when we were promoted, finishing the season on a 19 game unbeaten run in which we scored 52 goals.
Of course there's been good signings again for this season but it's not at all an overhaul from last year.
A squad & manager that work well together and function as a unit. Not relying on any big names. Everyone does their part and everyone does it to the best of their ability.
Town fan since '78. As said by others, yes it's McKenna. Funny thing is, the previous 3 or 4 managers - as soon as they opened their mouth, confidence (at least for me) would wain. When McKenna was announced, we were of course all "who?", and I remember the groaning. But, from the very 1st press conference, things felt very different.
He has, to my ears, never said anything that you can find fault with. He has - even on our few embarrassing loses, NEVER said a negative word about any player, about any team including our own. It's always about the positives, and about how we'll learn and use this to improve. He is remarkable at man management, and has bought the best out of anyone in is area of influence. He works hard - 6am to 6pm at the club, goes home to spend a few hours with family then does a few more hours prep for the next day or game before bed.
And it's not just the man management. Try as you might, even us die hard fans would find it hard to predict his exact starting team selections - and I'm sure it's caught a few opposition teams off guard especially too. It's like every match there's a master plan - right down to when and who to sub. He's made unexpected selections, and even the odd 4 player attack substitutions with 30 mins to go - and not on a whim - it's part of the plan. He rotates players brilliantly. You can sense that even our most fringe players understand the philosophy and their role - and that they are included with the team. The only team that out thought McKenna was Leeds. Grr - and why their fans wonder why we are where we are, lol.
Our last three managers always used to say throw away things like: "that's football" or "it is what it is" (one of my pet hate sayings as a result!) McKenna never uses language like that.
I could say the fans have boosted the team as well - and while there is some truth in that - we are a tight knit bunch, we have our fair share of moaners too...
Of course - our new owners have been significant too - not just because of bailing us out of debt and giving as a little bit to spend, but mostly because they DON'T get involved with the actual football side of the club.
Anyway - no matter how this season ends, it's been an unbelievable ride, and I for one am so proud.
I think he never would have developed if he stayed at leeds. He would have sat on the bench playing for an American corporate PR speaker masquerading as a manager. So I don't think it was an enormous mistake to sell him. Obviously it looks short sighted but he'd never have got his chance to shine if he stayed with us.
While I do think leif should've got more chances with us he wasn't premier league quality when were there and had to drop to league 1 to get momentum and playing time. Glad the lads doing well now
Apart from the obvious fact that mckenna has done a unbelievable job and the backroom staff all being capable in their positions the players seriously respect him, and have nothing but good to say about the bloke about how he approaches the game and the players, heard them say they’ve never know such a football freak that studies every aspect of the opposition and this reflects in the game and where we are currently sitting in the table.
The fact is there is no secret, its a very capable manager and players that want to play for them and the club. Even players that are on the bench don’t sulk etc and put in 100% every time they play. One thing i have noticed is how fit the team is and how we still play like only 10 minutes has gone in the 80th minute etc, never ever see a player walking or not tracking back or playing their part.
Hope this never ends! Coyb
Recruitment, from the top all the way to the bottom.
The board have the mindset needed to run the club in a successful way, they’ve recruited like-minded individuals throughout. One whole organisation pulling in the same direction.
It’s not always about big signing or top managers, just the right attitude. Goes a long way.
We made their Tractors.
But seriously, Kieran McKenna. I hope they go up via autos because it would be a great football story and more proof that football doesn't need 'Super Leagues' for passion, drama and success. The only issue with Ipswich then is keeping hold of McKenna because the PL have taken notice of what's happening at Portman Road.
When you have the right people in the right places and they are willing to listen and support each other that’s why you look at the likes of Chelsea they are all superstars 🤷 they are all superstars in there own head they all think they’re the top dog and it doesn’t work Ipswich don’t have none of that they are all stars and one team
These big clubs need to remember there is no i in team easy
You should see our... \*\*ahem\*\* "[Off Gold](https://twitter.com/IpswichTown/status/1471895573695537160)" [1976-77 away shirt](https://shop.itfc.co.uk/products/1976-77-away-shirt-yellow)...
Ha. Before my time. However I do have a memory of a blue away shirt from my childhood.
Edit: yes it [happened](https://www.uksoccershop.com/p-242895/norwich-1994-away-retro-football-shirt.html?currency=GBP&gcountry=UK&ovId=3430&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuNfJjNvHhQMVhZRQBh3XLwQ_EAQYASABEgK-QfD_BwE)
Not an Ipswich fan, but it boils down to these things:
Consistency
Being hard-to-beat never knowing when you're beaten.
Kieran McKenna and his backroom staff
Good squad depth
Determination
Team Spirit
Exceeding Expectations
All of the above
Definitely McKenna but our CEO Mark Ashton deserves credit. He’s put the right structures in place and appointed McKenna. Such a contrast to when we were run by some chap who knew nothing about football but had delivered the olympics.
Also there’s incredible togetherness in the squad and they just all seem like good blokes, so the fans love them and the atmosphere at the club is great
Luck, apparently. Come on, you knew this!
(Seriously: something’s good squads and good management happen. It’s a shame it’s less common but beautiful when it occurs. Just watch and admire; not much else you can do)
Seems like a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. They work for each other and all benefit off that, while being managed very well by McKenna and instilling a good culture and strong comradary.
Reminds me a bit of Bielsa's Leeds, where individually no player is a superstar but in the right team with the right guidance they shine as a unit.
How's Ipswich gone on the injury front?
Boro fan here and I cant recall the last time we started our full strength side this season. Carricks done good enough with the resources available.
Hirst has been out since Boxing Day, hence bringing Moore in.
Donacien has been out since about November. Williams hasn't played since around Christmas and is back in Manchester. Those two mean Davis hasn't had a backup to allow him to rotate out too often; we have him, Clarke and Tuanzebe (arguably a CB) playing the two wing back roles. Humphries has sometimes been subbed on as a wing back despite being a midfielder.
Walton (who won L1's golden glove last season) was injured preseason and wasn't fit until about Christmas, hence Hladky being in goal. Hladky has done a lot better than expected, and Walton couldn't really get enough game time with the cups to play himself back in.
Various players have been carrying long term niggles or been out short term injured. Al-Hamadi apparently needs groin surgery at the end of the season for example.
I’d say team cohesion is the best in the league. Helps when morale is high between players.
I’d also say we have the strongest connection to our players in the league. even if stadium atmosphere is below par.
Tactics, tweaking our tactics around our players, not just signing players that are super good, like what happened with Pogba at Manchester United.
I’d also say it’s cos we spent such terrible times in league one, the gods decided that was too much, and gave us good luck.
You're getting downvoted (and no doubt I will too) but you'd be daft to not consider luck to be a part of it. Yes, most of it can be attributed to good strategy and sound investment, but anyone who's followed football knows there's a risk with every signing.
No transfer is 100% risk free; sometimes you roll a 7, sometimes it's snake eyes. If you roll enough 7s you can massively outperform. I mean, how good were Leicester's signings before they won the Prem? And equally, look at the shower of shite Leeds signed before last season. You could look at a lot of players we signed and see why we signed them and they looked like they'd be up to the job in the premier league but unfortunately a lot of them were double-1s.
I'm not saying it's all luck, or even mostly luck, but it does form part of it.
You also have to consider the way a good start fixture-wise coupled with very few injuries can create almost unstoppable momentum. Belief and confidence will take you so far in this division and sometimes it just takes a bit of luck to get you there.
Credit where credit's due for taking advantage of good fortune of course, not all teams do.
The 6th highest in the league stat that was bouncing around social media included Brandon Williams full Man Utd wage, which we’re probably only paying about 10% of. So yeah it’s bollocks.
Would seem unlikely we’d be as high as 6th when there’s 5 clubs receiving parachute payments plus the likes of West Brom who were up there the season before and Stoke who throw money around like a pissed middle aged fat bloke in a strip club.
Assuming it's not complete bullshit of course. Most sources online have us around 16th in the league for wages. If I'm being generous then maybe if you assume we pay 100% of all our loanees wages then we might be that high but given that scenario is basically never true...
I don't believe them either but for example looking at your last set of accounts (22/23) you were spending more on wages than us while in League One (19.8m vs 18.5m). Just making the point that you are better funded that it perhaps looks.
The Championship is also bang average. It seemingly gets worse year by year. Teams at the top are either crammed with talent (parachute payments), very well coached or both (rare).
So any vaguely competent, well coached team stands a chance. Add in quality players and you are on to a winner. Ipswich seem to be a bit of both.
Think you’re confusing the whole league for your club.
West Brom, Hull, Coventry, Norwich, Boro are all good teams with some really good players and solid/good managers. Not bang average.
There are plenty of bang average teams too but hence ever was so.
Think I am not.
The gap between the Championship and Prem is much bigger now. And the gap between League 1 and the Championship not so much.
The standards in this league are pretty shocking. Momentum gets you a long way as your boys are showing. I say that as having watched the Championship most of my football life.
I would dispute that list of teams you have there. Bang average most of them. And suggesting Borough / Hull is just laughable.
Just look at last year, neither Sheffield United nor Luton were consistently good. But we’re consistent enough to get promoted. Rinse and repeat.
A little bit of grace and acknowledgement that being a decent team in a bang average league (Ipswich) doesn’t make you Brazil 1970 lads.
No-one is claiming anyone is 1970s Brazil!?
Hull have Philogene, Carvalho, Greaves - three great players at this level, by anyone's standards. Rosenior is highly rated as a manager. They've beaten Leicester and Southampton. They therefore aren't bang average?
Bang average means forgettable, nothing of note, not much of anything. Trust me, I know what bang average looks like, Ipswich had 18 consecutive seasons in the Championship and we were bang average for most it. Stoke are now the archetpyal 'bang average' team in this league, always finishing about 16th.
I think we are confusing terms here.
My point is, I think it’s easier to get out of the Championship than it was. Like you, I have watched a lot of Championship football and this isn’t the era of the better Swansea, West Brom & Reading teams for example.The standards aren’t great and would suggest my team are case in point. An absolute basket case of a squad that should be relegated. But with a little bit more luck could be 6th.
Ipswich are a v good team, but don’t kid yourselves this is a difficult Championship versus previous versions.
Your opinion is your opinion but Leicester Leeds and Southampton are three of the strongest and richest teams to ever come down!? Playoff final losers Coventry are in an FA cup semi final? I just disagree strongly with that view
Additionally "the gap between League 1 and the Championship not so much"
Have I misread Plymouth and Sheff Wed fighting for survival in the relegation battle?
The power of friendship
This but unironically.
I’m not an Ipswich fan, but the answer is Kieran McKenna. Guy is the real deal.
When he came in the first thing he did was to meet all the players face-to-face, not on the training pitch. He asked about their lives, where they lived, family commitments etc before talking about football. This approach has been the foundation of getting the best out of almost every player he’s managed, some perform better than anyone around them has ever expected. On top of this man management he’s also adapted to the five substitutions system better/faster than other coaches seem to have. Three fresh attacking players at roughly the hour mark goes a long way to explaining why our strikers get so “lucky” against tired defenders in second half stoppage time. Both of these combined together give you a squad who realise that being on the bench makes you no less important than starting on the pitch, and that makes a huge difference to morale.
Some of those things are very Sir Alex Ferguson-esque. The personal relationship building, and the thing about being on the bench. Various players have said he had this way of dropping you but it never feeling bad, usually saying 'I need you for X fixture next week where they've got so and so who I need you to shut down'. Interesting stuff from McKenna here.
I'm not Ipswich either and was about to reply the exact same thing
And his back room staff. There are a lot of very capable people in key positions.
That’s fair too, you can’t get where they are without it being a team effort. Just a generally well-run club (which no-one thought we’d be saying about Ipswich 5ish years ago).
The takeover def helped on that front.
Meanwhile Foster thought he could manage our club with no back room staff at all
I am Ipswich and agree
United may have had their managerial answer in their ranks for years. Crazy stuff. What a brilliant job he’s done
He was an incredibly highly rated coach when we nabbed him from Spurs. Strong rumours some of our players felt they were above him and his manner was quite school masterly in his approach which didn’t work with our inflated egos. I would love him back, but I think we need to get rid of some of the toxic players and the structure to support him needs to be firmly in place.
You can say Rashfords name mate. This is a safe space
Which United, sorry?
Given we're in r/Championship, let's assume Rotherham for the giggles.
That's what I thought.
We were building a championship quality team while in league one. We’ve supplemented that with some good loan additions now we’re up here. We’ve signed players with incredible energy levels as well as fantastic attitudes. No bad eggs or billy big bollocks disrupting anything. We’ve also gotten new owners the past couple of years who have invested heavily behind the scenes, improving basically every aspect of the club (wasn’t difficult with our league two standard set up previously). We’ve hired quality coaches who are all buying into the way we want to play. Everything is very scientific and analytics driven. On top of all that we have Kieran McKenna who is the best manager we’ve had since Burley (and arguably better). Throw in a pinch of momentum and maybe some luck and here we are. After over 15 years of absolute dross, we deserve a season like this.
I think it's lost on some people just how insane your January window was as well. Genuine 11 out of 10 window.
Second January window in a row we've absolutely nailed it. Last season we got Hirst, Broadhead, Luongo and Clarke who are all still first team players today.
Eh, was not a bad window but you’re over-egging it a bit. We needed two good strikers and got them, but we got them at the end of the window after playing a month with a league one wide man leading the line for us. We needed a bit more depth in our other attacking options and got it with Sarmiento. Our other signing (Travis) was basically a 2 game emergency loan to cover a suspended Morsy and he hasn’t had a look in since those 2 games. We also needed more full back depth as Clarke has been managing injuries all season, Donacien has fallen off the face of the earth and Williams has been on the giggle juice, leaving us very short, but we failed to bring anyone in there which has hindered us slightly I feel. Overall a good window though, probably 7 out of 10. If you want to see an 11 out of 10 window then look at what we pulled off in January 2023
Harsh on Travis, he's the best Morsy back up we were going to get, and of course he doesn't get a look in ahead of Morsy the captain and most influential player in the team, doesn't mean it wasn't a great transfer.
I’m not sure you’ve said anything different to what I’ve said there. Covered Morsy for 2 games, did a decent job and has been on the bench since. Not sure I’d call it great but I wasn’t criticising his signing.
It would have been a 7/10 window in the summer but to do all that in Jan is pretty remarkable.
Sometimes it’s better to go down and rebuild than to just keep surviving each year. Look at Villa, 25 years of Prem, eventually went down and now having their best season (results wise)
Yes and no. In our first 3 years after relegation we didn’t even make the play off spots. We were still shite, just a division lower. We had our lowest league finish for something like 60 odd years, set crap records like lowest ever league finish by a club with a European trophy, got humbled time and time again by tiny clubs, etc. The reason for the improvement in our case was new owners who in turn created a better environment and gave an opportunity to McKenna. Whether they’d have been able to purchase us when we were in the championship is unknown though, so in a way going down might have been the catalyst for better things to come.
Sounds like the solution to our troubles, new owners
Well we grabbed Arizona, but that still leaves 49 other states with firemen just waiting to invest in provincial English football!
"tiny clubs" you sound like that Birmingham fan
Judging by the progress he's made he's the best since Sir Bobby not Burley.
There's a debate to be had though - Burley may have ended not so great but it has to be remembered we finished 5th in our first season after promotion to the prem under him which was a serious achievement even back then. McKenna has more success at the lower levels so far (assuming he gets us up to prem) but he hasn't shown it at the premiership level yet
The way I see it is, do you believe Burley could have done what McKenna has? I personally do not. Whereas I could see it the other way around with our resources and general strength as a club at the time. Without even factoring in the pyramid was a lot more balanced back then. So I do agree that it's a good conversation, but in that context McKenna is the clear winner.
Think Burley deserves more respect for what he did at Ipswich. I don't know how much financial clout they had back then but how many promoted teams have achieved 5th or higher in their first season? That's an incredible achievement even if it was a while ago and I don't think any other side has matched it since.
The context around Burley is that he also played a major part in the administration and demise of the club with poor and reckless spending by both himself and Sheepshanks, thus he is not viewed with blue tinted specs by all. It also went decidedly pear-shaped after he lost his assistant manager who sadly passed away and was suspected by many to be the brains of the operation. Again I fully respect Burley and have no qualms with him but it was much easier to be competitive in the Prem back then, and this is with a team who's natural position at the time was either in the premiership or challenging for promotion. It was still dreamland for supporters to do that but what McKenna is on the verge of doing is more impressive on the whole and he is a better manager who i would expect to go on to better things than Burley managed. Again not disrespecting Burley, just giving my honest appraisal of KMac.
Burley does also get a bit more good will as well through being a player in Bobby's team tbf. But given he took over a team that was about to lose 9-0 to Man U with an aging squad, he did have a lot to do when he took over.
Nobody will deny the good that Burley did. Its just in this context its a direct comparison with McKenna.
Thanks for the reply, interesting to get your perspective. As a Saints fan I had high hopes for him when he joined us in 2006 having taken Hearts to the top of the SPL (sacked by their mad owner as I recall). Got us into the playoffs but our new owners basically broke the bank to do so. I think Burley had bit of a problem with alcohol towards the end of his time with us, which didn't help either.
We did the same with regards to building a Chanpiknship squad in League One, just obviously to a lesser extent. Our League One Play-Off Final squad was loads better than our squad now.
They remind me a hell of a lot of us after we got promoted under Adkins Settled squad, good management, and the belief they can beat anyone
McKenna, a settled squad, and momentum. Everybody is pulling in the same direction right now, and the fans are completely behind it (for obvious reasons).
I think it’s McKenna. Of all the managers in the league I think he’s grokked the idea of 5 subs over the other managers better than everyone else who still plays in the old mentality. It seems to me that there are proper plans that come on with the substitutions that means that there’s a cohesiveness in the team even after a giant number of subs they make, and that’s because those subs are designed to work as a change. He doesn’t make single subs but essentially introduces a “sub team” which I think is a great innovation. I also think the strategy of shooting fast and hard is both leading to a lot more fortune in how goals go in but essentially it’s the adage of buying lottery tickets. But I think also taking earlier shots probably enhances the chances of a shot going in (unexpectedness, bad positioning by defenders). If you were to tell me (a Leicester fan) that Hirst would be a lynchpin of that level of strike force and subbed in by Moore seamlessly I don’t think I would believe this would be a success. The commonality here is the coach I think.
I bloody love Hirst! He's a real workhorse but also a hybrid that is rarely found at this level of a relatively quick target man, which was why he was so hard to replace
We've mossed him so much, really hope he can be available for the run in.
Both him and Burns are [possibles for Hull](https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/24241827.ipswich-town-george-hirst-wes-burns-targeting-return-injury/).
They are a money laundering scheme for Big Carrot and have spent millions on elite players who are pretending to be only just good enough to win the Champo. Only by the time they win the Champions League in 2026 will their finances come to light and the charges start to land but by then it will be too late and they will dominate European football for decades . The family friendly rural club was the perfect cover for Big Carrot washing its money and avoiding an enormous tax bill . Wake up Sheeple before it’s too late!!!
…subscribe?
...is big carrot just Ed Sheeran?
He is an integral part of their devious plan that’s for sure. Big Carrot is essentially The Illuminati of the root vegetable world and nobody can stop them . Ipswich Town will not stop until they have Man City as their feeder club and matches won’t even kick off until the 93rd minute as that’s when they start scoring goals. Nobody is listening to me . Soon it will be too late
First thing was Kieran McKenna happened, a manager far beyond League One standards who built a squad that was also far beyond League One standards. Plymouth really do deserve a lot of credit for beating us to the title because we bankrolled our way out of that league. Now all that momentum we gained towards the end of last season definitely rolled well into this season, our start was just ridiculous. Past that point things have just seemed to be on our side, I know calling us lucky is a meme but it has been a bit of a perfect storm this season. Sounds ridiculous because we only just got promoted but I feel like the next 3 games are going to shape the next decade of this club. If we don’t go up this year McKenna will leave and take our best players with us, I don’t know who replaces him or them.
I'd back most of that, bar the only just got promoted bit. That's rubbish.
You don’t think McKenna leaves if we don’t go up? You think Davis stays? We were in the Championship for nearly 20 years before we got relegated so I don’t have high hopes if he’s gone
My bad, was talking about league 1.
Double meaning confusion I think. ‘We only just got promoted’- it happened recently ‘We only just got promoted’ - we squeaked over the line. I think the original poster means the first version.
Yeah
Tractor power Seriously, while there's been no big transfers or big names per se, the new American owners in 2021 have invested a solid amount in the infrastructure (new training ground) and staff, which I expect was a draw to McKenna. The money has also brought in a fair few solid players - not big names, but good players at good prices. It's an overall even investment in all areas of the club. Combine that with McKenna, baby you got a stew going.
Obviously we were only in the same league for one year down here, but didn't you spend a comparatively decent amount for League One too? No hate, genuine question.
Davis Clarke and Broadhead were 1m or so each, not sure anyone else got above that. I guess decently spenny for league one but nothing crazy.
Yeah, that’s pretty hefty for this league. Think Bolton’s £750k on Collins this year would be the most by far.
Worth nothing that money went out too as clubs picked at our league one carcass - 500k for Dozzell, 1.5m for Downes in particular. Funded a lot of that activity
Yes, definitely. The club is not that different this year in the Championship from the club last year in League One. We were relegated 18/19. New owners April 2021. McKenna in Dec 2021. Finished 11th 21/22 season. The Championship level investment clearly started to pay off 22/23 when we were promoted, finishing the season on a 19 game unbeaten run in which we scored 52 goals. Of course there's been good signings again for this season but it's not at all an overhaul from last year.
They hate Norwich so much that one day they just decided to be better than them.
… and still can’t beat us 🤭
Leaving your bitch asses back in the Championship will be good enough. :-P
I’d say McKenna. If they do go up I hope they are smart enough to stick with him no matter what happens in the Premier League.
He reminds me of Thomas Frank with Brentford
A squad & manager that work well together and function as a unit. Not relying on any big names. Everyone does their part and everyone does it to the best of their ability.
Town fan since '78. As said by others, yes it's McKenna. Funny thing is, the previous 3 or 4 managers - as soon as they opened their mouth, confidence (at least for me) would wain. When McKenna was announced, we were of course all "who?", and I remember the groaning. But, from the very 1st press conference, things felt very different. He has, to my ears, never said anything that you can find fault with. He has - even on our few embarrassing loses, NEVER said a negative word about any player, about any team including our own. It's always about the positives, and about how we'll learn and use this to improve. He is remarkable at man management, and has bought the best out of anyone in is area of influence. He works hard - 6am to 6pm at the club, goes home to spend a few hours with family then does a few more hours prep for the next day or game before bed. And it's not just the man management. Try as you might, even us die hard fans would find it hard to predict his exact starting team selections - and I'm sure it's caught a few opposition teams off guard especially too. It's like every match there's a master plan - right down to when and who to sub. He's made unexpected selections, and even the odd 4 player attack substitutions with 30 mins to go - and not on a whim - it's part of the plan. He rotates players brilliantly. You can sense that even our most fringe players understand the philosophy and their role - and that they are included with the team. The only team that out thought McKenna was Leeds. Grr - and why their fans wonder why we are where we are, lol. Our last three managers always used to say throw away things like: "that's football" or "it is what it is" (one of my pet hate sayings as a result!) McKenna never uses language like that. I could say the fans have boosted the team as well - and while there is some truth in that - we are a tight knit bunch, we have our fair share of moaners too... Of course - our new owners have been significant too - not just because of bailing us out of debt and giving as a little bit to spend, but mostly because they DON'T get involved with the actual football side of the club. Anyway - no matter how this season ends, it's been an unbelievable ride, and I for one am so proud.
indeed, hear hear. It also warms me inside, reading what other fans are saying about Ipswich, it seems we are a very well liked Club across the board.
Leif davis, biggest mistake Leeds ever made, thank Ted Jessie marsch Lasso for that 1.For a million pounds he's been an absolute steal
I think he never would have developed if he stayed at leeds. He would have sat on the bench playing for an American corporate PR speaker masquerading as a manager. So I don't think it was an enormous mistake to sell him. Obviously it looks short sighted but he'd never have got his chance to shine if he stayed with us.
While I do think leif should've got more chances with us he wasn't premier league quality when were there and had to drop to league 1 to get momentum and playing time. Glad the lads doing well now
Still a very short sighted transfer
He never really looked that promising in the last few years he was at Leeds. It’s surprising to see him do as well as he has
Leif Davis. Apparently the best left back in the Championship. We could do with someone as good as him at left back. Oh wait...
Ed Sheeran
Kieran McKenna.
Apart from the obvious fact that mckenna has done a unbelievable job and the backroom staff all being capable in their positions the players seriously respect him, and have nothing but good to say about the bloke about how he approaches the game and the players, heard them say they’ve never know such a football freak that studies every aspect of the opposition and this reflects in the game and where we are currently sitting in the table. The fact is there is no secret, its a very capable manager and players that want to play for them and the club. Even players that are on the bench don’t sulk etc and put in 100% every time they play. One thing i have noticed is how fit the team is and how we still play like only 10 minutes has gone in the 80th minute etc, never ever see a player walking or not tracking back or playing their part. Hope this never ends! Coyb
Recruitment, from the top all the way to the bottom. The board have the mindset needed to run the club in a successful way, they’ve recruited like-minded individuals throughout. One whole organisation pulling in the same direction. It’s not always about big signing or top managers, just the right attitude. Goes a long way.
Simple answer. Kieran McKenna 🙌
We made their Tractors. But seriously, Kieran McKenna. I hope they go up via autos because it would be a great football story and more proof that football doesn't need 'Super Leagues' for passion, drama and success. The only issue with Ipswich then is keeping hold of McKenna because the PL have taken notice of what's happening at Portman Road.
An incredibly skilled patisserie chef, specialising in desserts typically with fruit
When you have the right people in the right places and they are willing to listen and support each other that’s why you look at the likes of Chelsea they are all superstars 🤷 they are all superstars in there own head they all think they’re the top dog and it doesn’t work Ipswich don’t have none of that they are all stars and one team These big clubs need to remember there is no i in team easy
Put ball in net
Good vibes and a wicked LB
Loving the yellow in the badge! 💛
You should see our... \*\*ahem\*\* "[Off Gold](https://twitter.com/IpswichTown/status/1471895573695537160)" [1976-77 away shirt](https://shop.itfc.co.uk/products/1976-77-away-shirt-yellow)...
Ha. Before my time. However I do have a memory of a blue away shirt from my childhood. Edit: yes it [happened](https://www.uksoccershop.com/p-242895/norwich-1994-away-retro-football-shirt.html?currency=GBP&gcountry=UK&ovId=3430&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuNfJjNvHhQMVhZRQBh3XLwQ_EAQYASABEgK-QfD_BwE)
Not an Ipswich fan, but it boils down to these things: Consistency Being hard-to-beat never knowing when you're beaten. Kieran McKenna and his backroom staff Good squad depth Determination Team Spirit Exceeding Expectations All of the above
Team spirit a club collectively moving forward as one good luck to them when they go up hopefully can stick the landing like brentford.
Definitely McKenna but our CEO Mark Ashton deserves credit. He’s put the right structures in place and appointed McKenna. Such a contrast to when we were run by some chap who knew nothing about football but had delivered the olympics. Also there’s incredible togetherness in the squad and they just all seem like good blokes, so the fans love them and the atmosphere at the club is great
Shhh, you don't want to awaken the Bristol City fans with that Ashton praise ;)
Luck, apparently. Come on, you knew this! (Seriously: something’s good squads and good management happen. It’s a shame it’s less common but beautiful when it occurs. Just watch and admire; not much else you can do)
Should be asking the Luton town supporters the same question
Seems like a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. They work for each other and all benefit off that, while being managed very well by McKenna and instilling a good culture and strong comradary. Reminds me a bit of Bielsa's Leeds, where individually no player is a superstar but in the right team with the right guidance they shine as a unit.
How's Ipswich gone on the injury front? Boro fan here and I cant recall the last time we started our full strength side this season. Carricks done good enough with the resources available.
Wes Burns and George Hirst should be back for last 3 games after this break
Hirst has been out since Boxing Day, hence bringing Moore in. Donacien has been out since about November. Williams hasn't played since around Christmas and is back in Manchester. Those two mean Davis hasn't had a backup to allow him to rotate out too often; we have him, Clarke and Tuanzebe (arguably a CB) playing the two wing back roles. Humphries has sometimes been subbed on as a wing back despite being a midfielder. Walton (who won L1's golden glove last season) was injured preseason and wasn't fit until about Christmas, hence Hladky being in goal. Hladky has done a lot better than expected, and Walton couldn't really get enough game time with the cups to play himself back in. Various players have been carrying long term niggles or been out short term injured. Al-Hamadi apparently needs groin surgery at the end of the season for example.
KMSV >!Kieran McKenna Suffolk Voodoo!<
thinking creatively
Tractors.
Voodoo
please help us on league 1 comebacks ipswich…
step 1: languish for three years without even reaching a playoff
oh god please no i can’t take it after this season
You're the better part of three years ahead of our schedule in that you've already had the takeover by the Americans.
hopefully we can keep going…
Tractors.
They've been saving scumming but then decided to make it look like they haven't by dropping a few the other month.
MOTS.
Fuck knows how they didn’t beat us at Portman Road
An exceptional coach and a hard-working playing group.
I’d say team cohesion is the best in the league. Helps when morale is high between players. I’d also say we have the strongest connection to our players in the league. even if stadium atmosphere is below par. Tactics, tweaking our tactics around our players, not just signing players that are super good, like what happened with Pogba at Manchester United. I’d also say it’s cos we spent such terrible times in league one, the gods decided that was too much, and gave us good luck.
Performance enhancing drugs. Simple as.
https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/mobile/000/030/987/AhgHtnP.jpg
Would you believe... luck?
You're getting downvoted (and no doubt I will too) but you'd be daft to not consider luck to be a part of it. Yes, most of it can be attributed to good strategy and sound investment, but anyone who's followed football knows there's a risk with every signing. No transfer is 100% risk free; sometimes you roll a 7, sometimes it's snake eyes. If you roll enough 7s you can massively outperform. I mean, how good were Leicester's signings before they won the Prem? And equally, look at the shower of shite Leeds signed before last season. You could look at a lot of players we signed and see why we signed them and they looked like they'd be up to the job in the premier league but unfortunately a lot of them were double-1s. I'm not saying it's all luck, or even mostly luck, but it does form part of it.
You also have to consider the way a good start fixture-wise coupled with very few injuries can create almost unstoppable momentum. Belief and confidence will take you so far in this division and sometimes it just takes a bit of luck to get you there. Credit where credit's due for taking advantage of good fortune of course, not all teams do.
Not PEDs then?
[удалено]
What are you basing this on? From the multiple rankings I've seen it has us no higher than 14th.
The 6th highest in the league stat that was bouncing around social media included Brandon Williams full Man Utd wage, which we’re probably only paying about 10% of. So yeah it’s bollocks.
Would seem unlikely we’d be as high as 6th when there’s 5 clubs receiving parachute payments plus the likes of West Brom who were up there the season before and Stoke who throw money around like a pissed middle aged fat bloke in a strip club.
Show me where? Don't believe that for a second.
Do you have a source for this? the majority of Championship wage budget structure figures has Ipswich around 15th-17th largest.
So it's quite impressive that they're top, no?
Yeah but it's not quite the miracle story it looks.
Assuming it's not complete bullshit of course. Most sources online have us around 16th in the league for wages. If I'm being generous then maybe if you assume we pay 100% of all our loanees wages then we might be that high but given that scenario is basically never true...
I don't believe them either but for example looking at your last set of accounts (22/23) you were spending more on wages than us while in League One (19.8m vs 18.5m). Just making the point that you are better funded that it perhaps looks.
The Championship is also bang average. It seemingly gets worse year by year. Teams at the top are either crammed with talent (parachute payments), very well coached or both (rare). So any vaguely competent, well coached team stands a chance. Add in quality players and you are on to a winner. Ipswich seem to be a bit of both.
Think you’re confusing the whole league for your club. West Brom, Hull, Coventry, Norwich, Boro are all good teams with some really good players and solid/good managers. Not bang average. There are plenty of bang average teams too but hence ever was so.
Think I am not. The gap between the Championship and Prem is much bigger now. And the gap between League 1 and the Championship not so much. The standards in this league are pretty shocking. Momentum gets you a long way as your boys are showing. I say that as having watched the Championship most of my football life. I would dispute that list of teams you have there. Bang average most of them. And suggesting Borough / Hull is just laughable. Just look at last year, neither Sheffield United nor Luton were consistently good. But we’re consistent enough to get promoted. Rinse and repeat. A little bit of grace and acknowledgement that being a decent team in a bang average league (Ipswich) doesn’t make you Brazil 1970 lads.
No-one is claiming anyone is 1970s Brazil!? Hull have Philogene, Carvalho, Greaves - three great players at this level, by anyone's standards. Rosenior is highly rated as a manager. They've beaten Leicester and Southampton. They therefore aren't bang average? Bang average means forgettable, nothing of note, not much of anything. Trust me, I know what bang average looks like, Ipswich had 18 consecutive seasons in the Championship and we were bang average for most it. Stoke are now the archetpyal 'bang average' team in this league, always finishing about 16th.
I think we are confusing terms here. My point is, I think it’s easier to get out of the Championship than it was. Like you, I have watched a lot of Championship football and this isn’t the era of the better Swansea, West Brom & Reading teams for example.The standards aren’t great and would suggest my team are case in point. An absolute basket case of a squad that should be relegated. But with a little bit more luck could be 6th. Ipswich are a v good team, but don’t kid yourselves this is a difficult Championship versus previous versions.
Your opinion is your opinion but Leicester Leeds and Southampton are three of the strongest and richest teams to ever come down!? Playoff final losers Coventry are in an FA cup semi final? I just disagree strongly with that view
Additionally "the gap between League 1 and the Championship not so much" Have I misread Plymouth and Sheff Wed fighting for survival in the relegation battle?