Kieran McKenna has turned Ipswich from a mediocre League One team into a dominant force on the verge of Premier League promotion.
It’s been 22 years since the Tractor Boys were last in the top flight, a relegation season where they went down alongside Derby County, and now they’re on the cusp of a remarkable comeback.
Under George Burley’s management, Marcus Bent stood out as the top goalscorer, netting 10 goals, while Hermann Hreidarsson and Matt Holland, who later became a well-known presenter for talkSPORT, were key players in the first team.
Now, Ipswich Town is just one game away from securing a remarkable return to the top league after their victory against Coventry City on Tuesday. Manager Kieran McKenna’s work has been exceptional and deserves significant praise.
However, rewind just three years, and the situation was quite different. Disgruntled Ipswich fans gathered outside the club’s training ground, setting off flares to disrupt the players’ preparations in protest. This was an unusual scene for the typically composed Ipswich supporters, who had grown increasingly frustrated with their team’s prolonged stay in the third tier.
The ex-Aston Villa boss was sacked soon after, with Paul Cook coming in and leading Town to end that season in ninth place.
Ahead of the 2021/22 season, Cook oversaw a major turnover in both the playing squad and coaching staff – backed by the club’s new US owners – which involved introducing 19 new stars.
Two wins in 10 games at the start of the campaign saw Cook lose his job, though, with him bemoaning what he believed was an expectation for him to achieve ‘instant success.
