Manager Kieran McKenna might be a relative newbie on the managerial ladder, but his expertise in dealings with his players has convinced me that he is of five-star quality!
Why do I say this? Well, I noticed the way he took Macauley Bonne aside at the end of the last campaign, and here’s Macauley’s take on what happened. “We sat down at the training ground with a coffee and had a good chat. He said he likes me, sees me as a hybrid forward that can do a bit of everything and that Ipswich Town is not a closed book.” Bonne thoroughly deserved that little chat. It meant he left on good terms.
They are the kinds of communication skills you might expect to find in a company that employs someone at H.R. but it is not the kind of language which is synonymous with football management as a whole, which can be a cold and very ruthless business. It is no coincidence that we do not hear of any in-fighting in the squad either. That is because Keiran make all his players feel wanted, and this is the very essence of good management. Success is born out of collective commitment and this is what he has.
The feel-good factor which is prevalent at Portman Road these days has a lot to do with the way the club is being managed. We have a group of investors who are passionate about football, and a CEO, Mark Ashton, who works tirelessly to get players on board that fit the new Ipswich brand. McKenna is an intrinsic part of this newfound positivity, and with him, at the helm, I feel sure that from now on, the only way is up!
