What a wonderful time it is to be an Ipswich Town fan! After 22 years, we are finally back in the place where we belong! I wondered whether I would ever see the day that Town would be back at the top table of English football but that’s what happened!
Our fortunes began to change when Marcus Evans sold out to the Gamechanger group and they quickly appointed Mark Ashton as their new CEO. The board persevered with Paul Cook until it became obvious that he did not fit their football model. In December 2021, Ipswich appointed a rookie from Manchester United. He may have been a rookie in terms of managing a football team but after working with some of the best head coaches in Europe over 13 years, he had learned a lot about the fineries of the sport.
When he took on the post, few people knew very much about this Northern Irishman who had to retire from football with Spurs at just 22. We were in Thailand at the time and I remember thinking Kieran who? I know virtually nothing about him – although I had seen him on TV sitting next to Jose Mourinho on the odd occasion. Town were in mid-table in their third season in League One and seemingly going backwards when McKenna walked through the door. That season Town finished 9th in the table but McKenna had already started to put the building blocks together in preparation for his first full season in charge. Ashton said he knew Kiaran was the right man for the job after he had uttered just one sentence! That, in itself, is very impressive.
In his first full season in charge, Ipswich scored 101 goals, accrued 98 points, and gained automatic promotion as runners-up to Plymouth Argyle. We all expected this season would be very challenging but McKenna had an effective strategy and retained many of the players that Paul Cook had previously signed. Few of us thought that it would end in back-to-back promotions but that is exactly what occurred. It has been an incredible journey under McKenna which has taken the club from the third tier of English football all the way to the Premier League at his very first attempt!
Back where they belong?? You having a laugh? Five years out of 31 Premier League seasons. Burnley, Wigan, Swansea, Bournemouth, Charlton, Portsmouth and Norwich have all played more. Norwich have had twice as many as Ipswich!!
It’s before the relegation season of 1986 when Ipswich ewere a regular feature in the top tier!!
Dear Trevor. What does those three stars on the Town shirts indicate? It tells of success and winning trophies both in England and in Europe, which is something that yoyo club Norwich have never had.