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McKenna: I Have a Whole Load of Resilience and Willpower - Ipswich Town News

Town boss Kieran McKenna says he has the resilience to deal with the Blues’ current situation, Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Bristol Rovers having seen his side drop to fourth in the table having been top two months ago today.

The days since then have seen the first discontent among the Town support with the Blues having won only four of their last 15 matches.

"I’m absolutely fine, to be honest. I’ve got a really good team of staff around me,” McKenna said when asked how he feels at present.

"We’ve had a period of drawing games but you don’t get to the position I am at, at the age I am at, without having a load of resilience that I have needed throughout my life to cope with different situations.

"When you have a run of results in football that you don’t want, then you are never at your happiest. But you don’t get to this point where I am at now without having a whole load of resilience and willpower.

"I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead, to be honest. I think these periods ahead are, in football and in your career, periods where you can show your character and your true values — the way you behave and conduct yourself, the way you treat people and push to improve stand out more than when you are winning every game and everything is easy.

"I am enjoying the challenge and the players are in a good frame of mind. I have to say I was delighted with how the building was yesterday when we came in after a day off on Wednesday.

"There was a real determination, composure and real belief in the group about how we are doing things and a real fight for the next result to give ourselves a chance to build some momentum.

"I was really pleased with the reaction inside the squad yesterday and everyone is looking forward to Saturday.

He says it’s part of the manager’s remit to ignore outside influence and comment, including that from other bosses.

"That’s the nature of the job, the nature of football and the nature of society,” he added. "That’s the nature of being at a big club, relative to our position, and I am well used to it and well versed in it.

"Everyone is entitled to an opinion and when a football team doesn’t win, there will always be opinions out there about what a team could do better to win games.

"The main opinions, to be honest, are the ones inside the building between myself and my staff and our players and we are pulling in the same direction to turn some draws into wins.

"That’s where the focus needs to be and any energy spent on anything else is wasted energy really.”

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