Nigel Farage’s divisive visit to Portman Road and the club’s disingenuous rebuttal that followed, have catalysed a seismic backlash against our chairman and CEO, Mark Ashton.

At a time when many fans feel that trust in the club’s hierarchy has been compromised, there is arguably some symmetry with supporter sentiment towards the team's on-field ability to secure promotion.

An expensively assembled squad, which seemed destined to conquer the notoriously gruelling second tier of English football, has been infuriatingly Janus-faced at times.

The 5-0 aggregate victory over runaway leaders Coventry in December points to a side capable of securing a comfortable and immediate return to the Premier League.

But in a season where the Championship feels a little lighter in quality at the top end than usual, we seem to struggle putting two consecutive 45-minute performances together, let alone a comeback victory.

Extremely poor officiating and pragmatic approaches from opposition coaches have not helped McKenna’s cause. However, there is a growing school of thought which maintains we should be breaking down low blocks and snuffing out long balls to burly strikers.

After healthy streaks of clean sheets, sudden leaks encapsulate a vulnerability that can seep into this team. Most pertinently during fixtures against Charlton at home, before Wrexham and then Stoke away.

Perhaps these should be expected occasionally over the course of a long campaign? They should certainly be placed within a wider context. After all, the defence has conceded roughly one goal per game this season, which is a considerable improvement on 1.24 goals during our last stint in the division.

Such progress seems symptomatic of an intentional shift towards a more controlled approach and style of play. Indeed, Wild West-style shoot-outs were exciting to watch but poor preparation for the Premier League.

Increased physicality is also part of this provision. Cedric Kipre is built like a heavyweight boxer. Natural centre-back Jacob Greaves has, on occasion, added stature at left-back. The muscular Azor Matusiwa is our most competent duel-winner in recent memory. His Ajax schooling is also evident in the way he looks after the ball.

The Dutchman has been partnered in the engine room more regularly by the tigerish Jack Taylor or dynamic Dan Neil, as opposed to ball-carrying specialist Jens Cajuste. Even in the 10 role, Marcelino Nunez offers greater physical prowess than his predecessors.

One might have expected this new desire for control to generate more and not less points per game (1.81 so far this season compared to 2.08 in 2023/24). That said, Town’s win percentage is far higher, and reportedly over 70%, when our Chilean Enganche has been available.

Enganche is a phrase coined in Chile’s neighbouring Argentina but translates from Spanish to a ‘hook’ or ‘coupling’ and refers to a player who acts as a link between the midfield and attack.

Nunez certainly fits the mould of a concept which clearly transcends the Andes mountain range. He himself crossed the less-trodden East Anglian divide as a number eight after the Hayden Hackney deal collapsed. Then seemingly stumbled into a more advanced role, where his exquisite passing range has offered the team a higher level of creativity and cohesion. What he does not supply though is the goal contributions of a Conor Chaplin.

The sacrificial striker role in Kieran McKenna’s system has traditionally been focused on ploughing a lone furrow, to coax more out of the three situated behind. Yet when the number 10 is more of a creator and the right wing is hardly yielding a surplus, the number nine needs to help cover the deficit.

Opportunities have not been lacking, but with George Hirst and Ivan Azon ranked third and fourth in the Championship for missed chances (according to Fotmob), it is frustrating to envisage how the league table might look with a clinical finisher leading the line.

Jack Clarke and Jaden Philogene have scored 23 of our league goals but both obviously favour the same position and neither left attacker seems to dovetail effectively with Leif Davis.

Anis Mehmeti also prefers this side, hugs the touchline less and seems a more natural fit in the bespoke ‘left 10’ or Nathan Broadhead role.

When so much of a squad’s goal threat comes down the left then it inevitably becomes lopsided, predictable and easier to mitigate. Nunez could obviously be shifted back to accommodate Mehmeti in the ‘right 10’ role, yet McKenna has only made this move when chasing a game.

Wes Burns’s return started to provide an outlet on the right again before another injury blow. Kasey McAteer has underwhelmed and we overpaid, but he did offer Enzo Marseca’s Leicester City side pace and six goals.

Sindre Walle Egeli looks to be an outstanding central attacking prospect for Norway’s U21 team, but less suited to playing on the wing in a more physical environment, especially at this stage of his development.

Mehmeti would most likely rank the right wing third when rating his favourite roles. Still, he did drift out there against Swansea and you could see that his ability to glide past people wasn’t hindered like others in the squad. Indeed, both Clarke and Philogene appear far more effective when dribbling in from the left and on to their stronger right foot.

The Albanian international also produced three fantastic crosses from the right, which culminated in an assist and an outstanding save. Mehmeti’s Bristol City highlights reel, which comes with all the usual caveats, indicates he can finish with aplomb from this angle too.

I do not foresee McKenna experimenting much now, despite doubts over the tried and testing Burns’s durability during a congested run-in. Our manager will most likely be drawing upon as many dependable components as possible when steering us through the final laps of this promotion race.

Incredibly, this could potentially be McKenna’s third promotion in just his fourth full season with the club. He has the muscle memory, as do several of his squad. Win our game in hand and we obviously leapfrog Middlesbrough into second place, with the Teessiders still having to visit Portman Road. Millwall, who should have been put to bed in the first half on the 21st, still lurk with intent behind us.

Despite all these advantages and my personal conviction, there is perhaps a wider lack of trust in this side not to rain on our parade, and at a time when dark clouds seem to be hanging over the club.

Whatever your political allegiance or disgruntlement, it’s time to get behind this team.

armchaircritic59 added 19:09 - Apr 2 Excellent article and agree with virtually all of it. Amen to the closing sentence. In order to punish the perceived guilty, it's not right to punish the innocent too.
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KBsSocks added 19:16 - Apr 2 Interesting blog, nicely crafted. Thanks.
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