The former Manchester United coach who has overseen an unlikely promotion from League One tells Nick Ames about sticking to his principles
They scored 101 goals, lost only four games and prospered with a sophisticated, dominant brand of football virtually alien to the third tier. More experienced heads had failed to reignite Ipswich but McKenna, who turns 37 on Sunday, arrived with a plan in December 2021 and executed it perfectly. It is hard to think of a more exciting young manager working in the country.
McKenna’s plan was to take Ipswich up by playing from the back, trusting in their technical and structural superiority over opponents who usually wielded blunter instruments. It meant paying little heed to doubters and convincing sceptics. “I had a lot of discussions with people in football along the lines of: ‘That’s going to be very difficult,’ or: ‘I’m not sure if it’ll be possible,’” he says.
McKenna took on a squad that mixed well-paid signings with those who had been around longer and seen various approaches fail. But he carried them with him, persuading them to “not over-obsess about results” and trust dedication to their approach would reap due rewards.
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