Interim boss John McGreal believes new manager Kieran McKenna is a brilliant appointment by the Blues and revealed that the former Manchester United first-team coach called him last night following the announcement that he would be joining the club.
McKenna, 35, is the 19th Town manager since the club turned professional in 1936, the second-youngest by a couple of weeks behind Sir Alf Ramsey and the second Northern Irishman to sit in the Portman Road hotseat.
"Kieran actually spoke to me last night when I was at the FA Youth Cup game, the U18s game,” McGreal said.
"I’ve briefly had a chat with him when Colchester played Manchester United in a Carabao Cup quarter-final.
"You only have to look at his track record, the players that he’s integrated into the first team, the players that he’s coached, the managers he’s coached under - it’s a quality cv, to be fair.
"I think it’s a big appointment by the football club which shows the direction it’s going in. I think it’s a brilliant appointment and he’ll need our backing as well and we’ll be here to give him that support.
"It was nice to get the call. We were at the game last night and he’s given us a call just to say what’s happening, just after he’d got appointed.
"It was lovely, we just had a brief chat and, as you’ll already know, he’ll be at the game on Saturday. It’s great that the new gaffer will be there in the stands.”
Will McKenna have any input ahead of the Sunderland match? "I’m open to it but he’s literally said he wants us guys to take this game and then he’ll come with a clean slate.
"He’ll be in the stands and I’m sure if he needs to make contact, we’re open to that. There’s not a problem at all, he’s the new gaffer. Whatever he wants, we’ll try and support and supply for him.”
He says McKenna sounded excited at the prospect of his new role: "He did. I congratulated him and he’s really looking forward to it. And why wouldn’t you be? It’s Ipswich Town. Obviously it’s his first managerial job, it’s a great job for him to pick up and to run with.
"He’ll bring his experiences from his past managers and working with high quality players, so it’s a really good appointment. That’s what I think anyway, that’s only my biased opinion, but I do think it’s a really good appointment for the club.”
While some fans view the appointment as a risky one, given McKenna’s lack of experience, the other side of that coin is that the Blues are giving a young coach a chance.
"You need opportunities,” McGreal reflected. "You only have to look at his track record working with the guys at Manchester United with [Jose] Mourinho, [Ole Gunnar] Solskjaer, the type of players he’s worked with and produced and have gone into the first team and developed. That ticks boxes for me already.
"I’m looking forward to seeing how he work. As an U23s coach, I’ve still go tons and tons to learn myself, in a way.
"I think it’s a great opportunity for him to come in. I think the club at this moment in time with the new owners coming in, they’ve put their money where their mouth is with the players they’ve gone out and brought in and got a coup of a manager and a well-respected coach, so I think it’s a win-win at the moment.”
Is there enough talent already at the club for him to work with? "I’m sure there is, there are plenty of numbers to choose from. Kieran will have done his background, the new gaffer would have done his background. He’ll know what direction he wants to go with the club.
"He’ll know all these individuals, he’ll be well-prepped, he’ll have done all his homework on them, and they’ll be coming with a fresh idea to get us on that right track to get to where we want to get to.”
McGreal says that McKenna has said he’ll get his view of the players he will inherit at Portman Road.
"Yes, absolutely, I think that’s the norm really with new managers that come in,” the former centre-half said.
"They want a little bit of feedback from myself, Kieron [Dyer] and Reg [Rene Gilmartin, who have been working alongside McGreal] in what’s happened over the last couple of weeks, how players have performed, not only in games but a lot of it in the training time, there’s a lot that goes on in training that can be missed.
"He’ll obviously do his homework in the games prior to when we came in in the caretaker roles.
"He’ll be doing his due diligence, we’ll have our little input, but he’ll be his own man. He’s got his own thoughts to come into the club and we’ll just guide him where he wants to go with the squad that we’ve had for that two weeks.”
McGreal says the players will be lifted by the a decision having been made on the club’s future.
"We had a meeting this morning, obviously touching on Sunderland,” he continued. "I keep saying, training hasn’t been a problem, the boys have been applying themselves really well in training.
"But now with that added bonus of the new gaffer coming in, they know the new gaffer’s going to be in the stands, that’s just brought an extra step and extra enthusiasm to it, which it always does. It always has that little bounce feeling when you know the new gaffer’s in.
"It’s all to play for. The guys know as well, the starting XI know that they’ve got an opportunity to showcase themselves while the manager’s here.”
McGreal anticipates the club being able to link-up with Manchester United when it comes to loan signings.
"You would think so,” he added. "You’d have to ask the new gaffer those questions. Obviously he’s got his Tottenham connections as well before Manchester United, which is only down the road.
"He’ll be well-connected throughout the footballing world, there’s no doubt about that, just because of the prestige of the job that he’s had.
"He’s Man United’s assistant manager, by the way, let’s not forget about that. Now he’s coming to another big club down in Suffolk with Ipswich, so I’m sure he’ll delighted to get this opportunity and it’s a great start for him in his managerial career.”
Regarding assistant boss Martyn Pert, McGreal says he’s not someone he’s crossed paths with, but Gilmartin was briefly at Watford at the same time the one-time Norwich City youngster was conditioning coach at Vicarage Road.
"I haven’t, to be honest,” he said. "I think Reg has, I think Reg knows him, so there’s a connection there.”