Contrary to rumour, I have not kicked the bucket. I am very much alive and kicking, having spent eight weeks in Thailand on sabbatical leave. So much has happened in the meantime that it is difficult to decide where to start? Paul Cook shown the door, and replaced by someone who I had only vaguely heard of, is probably the best way to start!
To be absolutely frank, I did not see that one coming. After both the new owners and the old owner (Marcus Evans) agreed that he was the right man for the job, I thought they would have given him until the end of the season at least. There is no patience in the game anymore, and although I would be the first to admit that his win percentage ratio was at 29.5 appalling – even worst than Paul Lambert (32.7) Paul Jewell (34.1) and Roy Keane at 34.6, there were mitigating circumstances in play here, but our new owners decided largely to ignore them.
Let’s face it, we all want success. From the backroom staff to our loyal supporters, this is what we have long craved for. The owners felt that our supporters were starting to lose faith, and I guess perhaps they were. The final nail in the Cook coffin was that horrendous FA Cup defeat at Barrow. That was the day the board finally lost patience with him, but the writing had been on the wall for some time. Kieran McKenna has a big job on his hands and it comes with high expectations. When have we heard that before? Every manager starts with a clean slate so let’s see where it goes.
The fact that there was nobody lined up to immediately replace Cook, suggests that it was much more of an impulsive decision rather than a premeditated one. I was both shocked and saddened to hear the news, and I guess P.C. felt the same way. He had kept his promises by dismantling a whole squad and then replacing them with 23 newbies. We all knew this rebuilding process would take time, but the two most powerful warriors are patience and time, as Leo Tolstoy reminded us in War and Peace. The owners ran out of patience, and Cook ran out of time.
So then, what did we know about the new incumbent? Very little because he has always taken on behind the scenes parts prior to him coming to Ipswich. He had to retire from professional football at just 22 and has spent the following 13 years learning the art of coaching with some of the best bosses in the game. He is of excellent pedigree, and the Northern Irishman’s Curriculum Vitae demands immediate respect. It was important that he started well, and he did, with that narrow victory over high-flying Wycombe Wanderers at Portman Road.
Cancellations due to Covid could be seen as good and bad. He knows the coaching game inside out and it does give him more time to work with his new squad. The possible downside is that he would have liked to have been able to push on after that home victory, but this was not to be.
On Saturday, Town are due to play Gillingham away and with another win under our belts, our season might just gain some traction. As always, I wish him and you all the best for the New Year, and now that James Norwood is back in the pack, goals may be a bit more plentiful.
