Even boss Kieran McKenna can’t believe how well Ipswich are doing as Mourinho’s old Man Utd assistant nears Prem miracle
KIERAN McKENNA wants to take his wife sailing this summer.
But first the Ipswich boss must negotiate the choppy waters of the most exciting Championship promotion race ever.
McKenna, 37, saved the Tractor Boys from capsizing in League One and has steered them within sight of the golden sun-kissed shores of the Premier League.
Ipswich host Middlesbrough having equalled a Championship record points total of 88 and with four games left are in a three-way fight with Leicester and Leeds for two automatic promotion spots.
McKenna, expected to win the Championship manager of the year at the EFL awards on Sunday, is considered the hottest managerial property outside the top flight.
But, even the man himself never thought Ipswich would be in this position so soon.
He told SunSport: “Nobody would’ve thought we’d be where we are. We were never minded to set our ambitions as high as competing for automatic promotion.
“All we’ve done is focus on getting better every day, improving the players in training, developing ourselves and seeing where it takes us. It’s served us well.”
It is extraordinary, since taking charge in December 2021, McKenna has not yet lost two league games in a row.
He said: “It’s something I’m proud of because it’s over two-and-half seasons of highly-competitive EFL football, which has included stepping up a division.
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER
“When we’ve had setbacks everyone has been good at keeping the consistency of moving forward, learning lessons and going on to the next game.”
There is an incredible single-mindedness, focus and calmness about McKenna.
Whether it has been getting thumped 4-0 at Leeds or being knocked out of the FA Cup by non-league minnows Maidstone or failing to beat bitter rivals Norwich, he has never looked close to losing his rag.
Yet despite that calm persona, he admits: “There’s a McKenna temper on the male side of my family. It’s not like it can’t ever come out.
“In management, especially with modern players and younger people today, you need to be able to control your emotions if you’re to lead effectively.
“Communicating with different people to get the outcomes you want cannot be purely driven by how you feel inside. You must think about the people you’re trying to help and what is the message that’ll benefit them the most.
“I’ve only got cross a couple of times and that anger has only been around an effort to be honest.
“If players step away from what we practice, believe in and bring us success, that’s the only time I get annoyed.
“Effort and bravery to stick to our identity are the two big ones we try to live by.
“It’s not just the words you say but also your body language and non-verbal communication.”
When McKenna worked as an assistant coach under Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, he was inspired by both his love of winning and hatred of losing.
But what does a hatred of losing look like for the Ipswich boss?
He said: “It’s about knowing there hasn’t been a single stone left unturned in the build up to prepare the players better for the game.
“Whether that’s the messaging I’ve given the players or I might affect things during the game with substitutions or how I’ve prepared for different scenarios.
Nobody would’ve thought we’d be where we are. We were never minded to set our ambitions as high as competing for automatic promotion.
Kieran McKenna
“I can accept there are things you cannot control such as hitting the post or a ref decision that goes against you. But as long as the players have stuck to our identity and plan I can accept any result.
“But I’d not forgive myself if I haven’t given the team the best chance.”
McKenna, who has won the Sky Bet Championship manager of the Month, loves listening to podcasts featuring motivational speakers and watching documentaries surrounding elite athletes and coaches in other sports.
The Ipswich boss has just finished watching The Dynasty: New England Patriots — a ten-part series charting their 20-year journey from struggling franchise to six-time Super Bowl winners.
He said: “Some of the American football stuff I find interesting from a coaching perspective — specialising in so many coaches, so many different areas, the amount of unit meetings they have, how the working days are, how the head coaches bring those things together into a team plan.
“The New England Patriots documentary on Apple TV was great — especially the one around Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
“That was interesting learning about how Brady became one of the top players and Belichick one of the top coaches.”
McKenna regularly burns the candle both ends. He arrives at the training ground at 6am — one hour before his staff — and after spending time in the evening with his wife and two young children spends more hours working at home.
And the Ipswich boss says he hopes to master a better life-work balance.
He said: “Working in football is a privilege. It’s a job but also a passion. I’m lucky to have such good support from my family.
“It’s hard to switch off when I’m at home. When you’re passionate and dedicated to the job, it’s not easy to find time to move your head out of that scenario but it’s something I’m working on.”
McKenna insists he plans to cross one thing off his bucket list this summer… learn to sail.
He said: “The one disappointment having been in Suffolk for two-and-a-half years with all the lovely water around here is I’ve not yet managed to get on a boat yet.
“My wife and I have been talking it through that this summer we’ll get on a boat somewhere between Ipswich and Felixstowe and enjoy the rivers down here.
The New England Patriots documentary on Apple TV was great — especially the one around Tom Brady and Bill Belichick.
Kieran McKenna
“I want to understand sailing more. My dad is into boating.
“There isn’t too much time but hopefully in the summer we’ll have some spare.”
But if the club win promotion he may find he has even less time.
It is not just an exciting time on the pitch but off it too — with more investment from the club’s owners and work on a new upgraded Premier League-standard training ground.
McKenna is being linked with a number of top-flight jobs — including even Manchester United.
But he insists whatever happens in the last four games, and possibly the play-offs, his focus is on staying.
He said: “It was a big commitment to come to Suffolk. I came because it was a club with a lot of potential and I’m enjoying developing it.”