Former Manchester United assistant first-team coach Kieran McKenna has secured his first role in management at League One side Ipswich Town. The 35-year-old was appointed as Paul Cook’s successor in the Portman Road hot seat. After spells as assistant first-team coach and first-team coach under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer respectively, McKenna said it was the “right time” for him to “make the step” into football management.
McKenna himself describes he and Ipswich as a “really good match”, with the Blues the “right type of profile” for the Northern Irishman as his first role in club management. Reports suggest that United reluctantly accepted the advances from Ipswich Town CEO Mark Ashton. It is said that Ralf Rangnick was keen for McKenna to remain as part of the first-team coaching staff at Carrington, but the departures of Solskjaer and Carrick may have played a part in McKenna’s thought process.
McKenna is joined at Ipswich by fellow United first-team coach Martyn Pert, who will operate as McKenna’s number two. McKenna said that Pert is someone he can “trust” on a personal and professional level. McKenna also hopes to make an announcement on another addition to his coaching setup in the coming days.
Paul Cook pays the price for poor start
The Tractor Boys endured a dismal first half of the 2021/22 League One campaign. After significant fanfare regarding the club’s 19 summer signings, hopes of promotion back to the Championship were high. However, Paul Cook’s side was plagued by inconsistency, with flashes of brilliance interspersed with moments of defensive madness.
Many League One pundits were left scratching their heads as to why Ipswich were failing to perform. The squad had been dubbed the best League One had ever seen by many, with proven internationals such as Bersant Celina and Sam Morsy added to the roster. With the Suffolk side ten points off the top six at present, hopes of a playoff bid are some way off. This proved the undoing of Paul Cook, who was fired after a dismal goalless draw in their FA Cup 2nd Round home tie with League Two strugglers Barrow.
Ipswich and McKenna looking to take a leaf out of Blackpool’s book
Nevertheless, the impact of McKenna’s arrival could spark a rapid upturn in fortunes. You only have to look at Blackpool last season to see a revival is possible in the second half of the League One campaign. Neil Critchley’s Tangerines had just one more point than Town at this stage of the 2020/21 season. They eventually secured promotion via the playoffs, so it’s been proven that it can be done. Town have drifted out to as big as 14/1 to get promotion this term, which could prove a value wager after McKenna’s appointment. Given the depth and calibre of players within the Ipswich squad, if McKenna and Pert can get them firing they’ll be a dangerous animal in the coming months.
With their deep squad of rock-solid players for this level and above, Ipswich are one of the teams best placed to handle the effects of fixture congestion on teams in the current climate. With postponements almost certainly on the horizon, Ipswich and McKenna will be able to rotate and ensure their players get the minimum 96 hours of rest and recuperation between games that academics deem necessary to maintain player intensity.
Towards the end of McKenna’s association with United, reports suggested he was an unwanted figure among the United first team. A source close to the first team said that McKenna was “dry and school-teacherly” in his coaching style, with some players “baffled” as to how he had secured a position of such seniority. The Daily Mail claimed that the 35-year-old did not command the full respect of the United squad.
Nevertheless, Rob Dawson of ESPN revealed that McKenna’s role in the United dressing room was integral to Solskjaer’s management team. Dawson said that McKenna played a “significant role” on the training pitch and was also asked to provide pre-match team talks on the eve of a big game. When you consider that McKenna was giving articulate team talks at the world’s biggest club at such a young age, he should be more than confident in leading this Ipswich Town team forward.
Although social media is full of criticism of McKenna’s time at Old Trafford, many within the walls of Carrington wish him well and expect him to return to the top in the years ahead.
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