Ipswich Town chairman Mark Ashton (right) took a gamble on Kieran McKenna. Will he go for someone more experienced now the club’s in the Premier League? (Image: Ross Halls)
Premier League experience
Chairman and CEO, Mark Ashton, takes real pride in his record of giving bright young coaches their first big opportunity. At Watford, back in the 2000s, it was Aidy Boothroyd (Leeds first team coach, age 34) and Brendan Rodgers (Chelsea Reserves boss, age 35). At Ipswich, he took a chance on Kieran McKenna (Manchester United assistant boss, age 35).
Those clubs were in the Championship and League One respectively at the time. This time it’s different. Ipswich are under the Premier League’s global gaze. It’s the club’s second shot at staying at the top table in the space of three years. There are big boots to fill. Financial stakes are high. The pressure is on.
The transfer window opens next week and the new man will need to know the market, from the off, in order to quickly identify/green light targets and get wheels turning. There’s work to do to get this squad up to scratch. I can see summer signings being in the double digits again.
This is the best, most unforgiving league in world football. It’s not an environment to learn on the job. Relatively recent Premier League experience, or at the top level in Europe, I think, is therefore going to be a big box that needs to be ticked.
George Burley (left) and Sir Bobby Robson (right) were men that represented Ipswich Town with class. (Image: PA)
Right personality fit
Suffolk is a special place. There’s a reason that people arrive in the area then never leave. Ipswich Town is its heartbeat.
This is a family club that neutrals have often held a soft spot for. It’s Sir Alf Ramsey, Sir Bobby Robson, David Sheepshanks, Matt Holland etc – men who carry themselves with class.
Roy ‘I’m going to rock this place’ Keane, for example, was never the right fit. Kieran McKenna, meanwhile, always conducted himself impeccably. Top coach, even better person. That trend must continue.
I want to see another articulate, empathetic, culture builder who gets ‘our people’.
Whoever comes needs to embrace the history, embed in the community and radiate that this is an honour and a privilege rather a cold career opportunity.
Ipswich Town’s next manager may need to take a more adaptable/pragmatic approach to Premier League survival. (Image: PA)
Tactically adaptable
If there’s one slight knock on McKenna it’s that he maybe wasn’t tactically flexible enough.
There were times he made nuanced tweaks that not everyone would appreciate, but in general you knew what you were getting – a 4-2-3-1 base, commitment to playing out from the back, like-for-like attacking subs around the 70th minute mark.
Those principles initially saw Ipswich earn some plaudits for stylistic bravery in the early stages of their Premier League season, but pundits soon started highlighting some naivety as heavy defeats mounted up and the campaign petered out to a 22-points 19th place relegation.
Is a more pragmatic approach required this time around? The way Brentford initially established themselves at the level, or how Leeds turned things around last season, would back up that argument.
All managers have their preferred approach. As much as I can’t see the Ashton going for a ‘let’s just make us a horrible hard-to-beat side’, I do think he’ll want someone that’s prepared to be adaptable.
Ex Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham boss Graham Potter is currently busy managing Sweden at the World Cup. (Image: PA)
Available soon
Ipswich will have to move relatively quickly because there’s work to be done.
Town signed 12 players for in excess of £100m+ in their last summer preparing for the Premier League. Something similar is probably required again. The window opens on Monday and you can make an argument that, bar left wing, all positions need strengthening to some degree.
There are contracts situations to sort (most notably Wes Burns). Players are due to return to pre-season training in little more than three weeks’ time. A training camp away will soon follow.
Ashton insists the process will be ‘thorough’, but admits ‘we do need to move swiftly’, adding ‘fans need to be assured that we’re on top of this’.
I don’t think rules out buying someone out of a contract elsewhere (as would need to be the case with Strasbourg’s Gary O’Neil). I do think that probably rules out some of the potential candidates currently working at the World Cup, such as Graham Potter (Sweden), Mauricio Pochettino (USA) and Anthony Barry (England).
That tournament, which runs until July 19, will probably mean the transfer dominoes fall a little later than usual this summer. With the Premier League season not kicking off until August 22, there is *some* time to work with. Still, an appointment probably needs to be made sooner rather than later.