Fit-again Town midfielder Dom Ball admits he is not surprised by the success Kieran McKenna is having as a first-time manager, having worked with him at youth level when they were together at Tottenham more than a decade ago.
Ball moved from Watford to Spurs when he was 11 and remembers McKenna, who had been forced to retire as a player at White Hart Lane because of a hip injury, as his coach at U18 level.
"That was about 12 years ago now,” said Ball. "We’ve been on our separate journeys since then and it’s great to be back working with him now. There were signs back then that he could go on to be a successful manager.
"I loved the sessions that he took back then and from his time at Manchester United he’s done it for some of the best players in the world. I always had the feeling that he would go on to do very well for himself in football.”
Ball, 27, joined the Blues last summer on a two-year deal after his QPR contract had expired. It was feared that he would be out for the remainder of the current campaign when he suffered a ruptured meniscus back in November, but he has returned ahead of schedule to feature as a substitute in five recent league games.
Town head for Barnsley tomorrow having lost just four of their 43 league games to date, a tremendous record given McKenna is in his first full season as a manager after leaving Manchester United, where he was a first-team coach, for Portman Road in December 2021.
Ball believes McKenna deserves huge credit and that the manager’s personality, character and attitude are three qualities that have served him well, alongside his undisputed, in-depth tactical knowledge so far.
He added: "I was very surprised, in a positive way, at the start of the season, because sometimes we might not have had such a good performance but he was still calm in the changing room afterwards. To be honest, I hadn’t experienced that before and it made a massive difference.
"You work hard all week in training to prepare for that one game but it doesn’t necessarily define you as a group. The way the manager’s focus is on improving and the process has been refreshing for all of us.
"We know we’ve got good players; we know we’ve got a good squad and we know we can perform. But it is just a question of staying calm, sticking to what we’ve been doing and getting the job done, which means getting the three points at Barnsley tomorrow.”
McKenna’s attention to detail is often quoted by the Town players and it extends to his recruitment policy, not only being swayed by players’ ability but looking beyond that to ensure any potential signings also shape up in terms of fitting in with the existing members of the group.
"That has been clear from my experience of being at the club, how important it is to get the right people in.
"The manager has done his homework and made sure that the players he brings in will fit the culture that has been created here,” said Ball, who illustrated his point by referring to the January transfer window newcomers — Harry Clarke, Massimo Luongo, Nathan Broadhead and Leicester loanee George Hirst.
"You can see what they’ve done on the pitch and their personality off the pitch is a good fit as well. They have not only bought into the culture of the club and the camaraderie that exists between the players but added to it. That’s what you want when new faces come in.
"The team spirit has been evident all season but since the new lads arrived in January it has definitely grown.
"Everyone contributes and you only have to look at my situation this season. I’ve hardly started — it’s only three league games — but I’ve still improved. That comes from the training I’ve done, both alongside the other players and with the various coaches.
"When I’ve been needed, I’ve had to perform. Of course, I would have loved to have played more, just like a few other lads, but we all know only 11 players can start a game. When the boys have played, they have been very good, which is what we want — that competitive spirit in training and everyone fighting for their spot.”