McKenna guides Ipswich back to 'promised land'

Ipswich are back in the Premier League for the first time in 22 years

"Hugely talented" and "highly respected" were two of the phrases used by Manchester United and Ipswich Town to describe Kieran McKenna on the day he left Old Trafford to become manager at Portman Road.

Similar words have been used about many other coaches going into senior club management for the first time - but very few have lived up to them in such a spectacular way as McKenna.

After leaving his role as Manchester United first-team coach to take over at Ipswich with the club 12th in League One, he has guided them to back-to-back promotions, with the team earning more than 90 points in each campaign, and scoring 193 goals in the process.

And now the 37-year-old has the chance to test himself and his players in what former Ipswich captain Mick Mills has called "the promised land" - the Premier League - for the first time since 2002.

Last summer, following promotion from the third tier after winning 28 of their 46 games and losing only four, Mills said that if they could improve the squad "by about 20%" they could compete for a top-six place in the Championship.

But such has been the quality of McKenna's coaching and the success of Town's recruitment, they have not been outside the top six for the entire season - and in the top two for the majority of it.

It is even more remarkable as Ipswich only spent a reported £4m on signings last summer, while Leicester, Leeds and Southampton - who were to become their closest rivals - were still benefiting from the Premier League's parachute payments largesse.

Champions Leicester's recruits included England internationals Harry Winks and Conor Coady for combined reported fees of about £17.5m, while Leeds, who finished third, reportedly spent a little more than that on two of their summer arrivals Joel Piroe, from Swansea, and Wales international Ethan Ampadu.

There are a number of illustrious names among the list of Ipswich's former managers, World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey, Jackie Milburn, Bill McGarry, John Lyall, George Burley, Mick McCarthy among them - and the man rated by most as the best of them all, Sir Bobby Robson.

But none of them came anywhere close to McKenna's win percentage of 57% - and it is no surprise therefore that the Northern Irishman was last month named as Championship manager of the season.

'The training ground is his domain'

Kieran McKenna was a first-team coach at Manchester United under Jose Mourinho (right) and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

"He's a different type of manager to what I grew up with, where you have one man that controlled the whole club," Mills told BBC Radio Suffolk, following McKenna's accolade.

"In my day with Bobby Robson, Bobby would choose the carpets in the boardroom. He did absolutely everything. It's different nowadays.

"It became apparent very quickly that his [McKenna's] forte was on the training ground. The training ground is his domain."

McKenna moved into coaching after his own playing career was cut short by a persistent hip injury at the age of 22 and had spells as under-18s boss at both Tottenham and Manchester United before progressing to roles with the senior side at Old Trafford under both Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

He became the 19th full-time manager of Ipswich when he succeeded Paul Cook on 16 December 2021, the day after a shock FA Cup defeat by Barrow.

His first match in charge ended in a 1-1 draw with Sunderland and by the end of that season, he had achieved only a modest improvement in terms of their league placing, finishing 11th.

Town were quick out of the blocks, though, in 2022-23 and but for Plymouth's even more brilliant campaign, would have become League One champions - but while Argyle only survived this season on the final day, McKenna's men have gone from strength to strength.

Attention to detail is key

Ipswich Town last played in the Premier League in 2002

To avoid the problems Luton, Sheffield United and Burnley have experienced in the Premier League following promotion last season, McKenna may need to improve the squad by more than the 20% figure Mills suggested last summer.

"When you go into the best league in the world, there will be changes," former Ipswich, Liverpool and Scotland midfielder John Wark told BBC Radio Suffolk.

Town should be in a healthier state financially following the recent purchase of a 40% stake in the club by US private equity firm Bright Path Sports Partners at a cost of "up to £105m".

But money or not, McKenna has shown that he is capable of getting experienced players to perform better than they have earlier in their careers - former Barnsley forward Conor Chaplin, for example, has contributed 42 goals in the past two seasons.

McKenna is also adept at enhancing the skills of younger talent, with Leif Davis supplying 18 assists this season from the left wing-back position.

And when striker George Hirst suffered an injury which kept him out for several weeks, Wales international Kieffer Moore was recruited on loan in January and has weighed in with seven goals.

"He's an unbelievable manager, his attention to detail is second to none," Moore has said of McKenna.

"You can see it in everything he does, the way he delivers presentations and training sessions, the way he goes about his business is top notch. I can really see the gaffer having an amazing career."

How far can McKenna go in the game?

One of the concerns for some fans might be that McKenna's success could lead to Premier League clubs with larger budgets casting their eyes in Ipswich's direction.

"He will be gaining the attention of an awful lot of people, and quite rightly so. We want him to stay here," said Mills.

"Mark Ashton [Ipswich chief executive] and his team did a tremendous job when they went out to find him - I certainly didn't know who he was. When I heard Kieran McKenna's got the job at Portman Road, I did have to ask the question 'Who's Kieran McKenna?'

"This is not just about Kieran, it's about the club as well - it's a big club with big opportunities, the ownership is good, the off-the-field team is good, so I dearly hope he stays here for a long time.

"But I think he can go right to the very top, I firmly believe that. It worries me to death that Manchester United haven't made a decision [about who will be in charge there next season]."

So where does McKenna rank among Ipswich managers?

"There's Sir Alf, Bobby - then George [Burley] and Kieran," said Wark, Mills' former team-mate in the glory days of the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Analysis - 'the stuff of legend'

Graeme McLoughlin, BBC Radio Suffolk sport editor

I’m not qualified to compare him with Robson, Ramsey, Burley etc as I wasn’t around for those eras, but in terms of how he has helped transform the club and the fortunes of the team, it really is the stuff of legend.

That’s not getting carried away. It is fact. They have the stats to back it up, whether it’s the back-to-back 90-plus points total in consecutive seasons or whether it is achieving more wins on the road this season than they have previously picked up during any other in the top two tiers.

They are massively punching above their weight and that is why supporters and Town pundits feel like we are dreaming. This shouldn’t be happening, but it is, and it’s brilliant.

As for where they need to invest next season… write this lot off at your peril. Many of us had circled a few players at the beginning of this season and questioned whether they could handle the step up. Well, they’ve proved they can several times over.