BREAKING NEWS: Kieran McKenna has Ipswich rocking again with wacky training methods, pictures of club legends…

Kieran McKenna has Ipswich rocking again with wacky training methods, pictures of club legends and a fearless philosophy… PLUS, Daniel Farke is right man to handle turmoil at Leeds

Ipswich took a calculated risk on manager Kieran McKenna and it paid off 

The Tractor Boys have made a perfect start to life in the Championship 

Leeds manager Daniel Farke has a lot to handle both on and off the pitch 

Considering Ipswich’s players were treated to a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate their record-breaking promotion, it is appropriate that the reason the club are in such a positive position is down to an almighty gamble.

 

After a few punts on experienced managers, the Tractor Boys took a calculated risk on Northern Irishman Kieran McKenna and it paid off as they returned to the Championship scoring 101 goals last season and are now top of the table.

In this column two weeks ago before a ball was kicked, it was argued that a top half finish should be the minimum for Ipswich and they look ready to challenge the top six. After watching them in the first two games, there’s no reason why they should not privately aim even higher.

McKenna’s men are the early frontrunners in the second tier. They look fearless and play an expansive, attacking brand of football that has Portman Road rocking, with fans finally able to feel proud of their team after a tough couple of decades.

Indeed, in the 17 years from 2005 to last season, Ipswich finished in the top six of a division just once, spending many mediocre years in the wilderness of mid-table. The outlying one year saw them lose to arch rivals Norwich in a play-off semi-final.

 

So good times have not been commonplace in this Suffolk town. But take the short stroll from the train station to Portman Road and you are instantly reminded of the many legends where this was once their stomping ground.

There are shrines to England’s World Cup-winning manager Sir Alf Ramsey and the well-loved UEFA Cup-winning and former national team boss Sir Bobby Robson, both once of this parish and now have statues, streets and stands named after them.

In the stadium’s inner sanctum there are pictures of club legends during those European jaunts such as Terry Butcher and Mick Mills. When McKenna took over, he declined the chance to have pictures of the past removed, as he wanted to use it as motivation.

Though ‘legend’ is a strong word best reserved for heavyweights like Ramsey and Robson, there is no reason why McKenna should not be talked about for decades to come here. He has done what so many before him failed to do and simply brought back the good times.

 

McKenna, from County Fermanagh, retired as a player at 22 due to a hip injury and has coached at a number of clubs, most notably Tottenham and Manchester United. At Old Trafford, he played a senior role under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and then Ralf Rangnick.

The Norwegian, along with former United coach and now Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, have visited Portman Road. McKenna also had admirers at Brighton, who considered him before hiring Roberto De Zerbi.

Noting the Seagulls’ masterful recruitment strategy, that interest should underline McKenna’s qualities. He is said to have some wacky training methods, one of which involves former United goalkeeper Lee Grant being in charge of coaching the strikers.

That striking department has been bolstered this summer with the permanent arrival of George Hirst from Leicester, son of former Sheffield Wednesday star David, while last season’s League One top scorer Conor Chaplin openly admits Ipswich should be aiming for another promotion.

And there’s no reason why they shouldn’t. Going into the season, Ipswich were the team I was most looking forward to watching in the Championship. They had a positive 66 goal difference last term and tore apart most teams – and they can continue to do that in the higher division.

In all good Football League sides, the teams who succeed are often those who couple a smart manager with a well-run operation off the pitch – and Ipswich have that. GameChanger20 have done just that and changed the game here since taking over from Marcus Evans in 2021.

The American owners ended 13 years of Evans’ ownership, a period that left fans extremely frustrated, and the takeover saw Ipswich’s debts of around £100million effectively wiped, with the group pledging to renovate the pitch, changing rooms and training surfaces.

Director of football operations Gary Probert has a holistic view alongside Mark Ashton, the CEO who heads up recruitment, and Ipswich’s women’s team play 13 miles away in Felixstowe, an ever-growing project.

Overall, Ipswich have a vibrant team that could seriously challenge for the top six at the very least this season, buoyed in the belief of one of England’s brightest young coaches. But above all of that, Portman Road has a team to be proud of again.

Farke is right man to handle the turmoil at Leeds

Daniel Farke has been dealt a very complicated start to life in Leeds, not just because he has failed to pick up a Championship win in his first two matches. But if anyone can deal with turmoil at this level, it is the German.

Leeds have been rocked by a few high-profile exits and are now facing the uncertainty of Willy Gnonto and Luis Sinisterra seemingly forcing moves away. Every press conference, the majority of the questions Farke must answer are around player exits.