It's been a minute since my last blog and to be honest I hadn't planned on another until a rather enlightening conversation with an old friend.

A non-Ipswich Town supporting friend who had coached and scouted youth football in Spain and Germany. He asked on my excitement levels for the forthcoming season at which I bemoaned the loss of our manager and with it all hope.

There then followed a long conversation that had me pondering, which fed this blog.

Football supporters have a habit of turning successful managers into legends before their story is complete.

Perhaps that is understandable. Success is rare. Hope is precious and when someone comes along and transforms your football club, it is natural to want to believe they are the answer to every question.

Ipswich supporters have spent the last few years watching Kieran McKenna perform what many would describe as a minor miracle. From League One to the Premier League in successive seasons is an achievement that deserves enormous respect.

Yet, now that the dust has settled on his departure, I find myself wondering whether the debate around McKenna has focused on the wrong question.

The question isn't whether he was a good manager of which he clearly was. The question is whether he was a coach or a builder because they are not the same thing.

A coach improves what already exists, he develops players, creates systems, improves fitness, confidence and organisation. He makes individuals and teams perform beyond what their talent alone might suggest.

McKenna undoubtedly excelled in this area. Players improved under him, the football was modern and attractive and the club developed a clear identity.

There was a sense that everyone understood what Ipswich were trying to achieve.

For a football club emerging from years of stagnation, that was transformative.

The coach asks: "How do I make this group better?" and McKenna's answer to that question was exceptional.

A builder operates on a different level. A builder is not merely concerned with next Saturday, he creates structures capable of surviving him, he recruits not simply for today but for three years' time. He adapts when circumstances change and evolves when opponents work him out.

He creates a football club capable of functioning whether he is present or not.

The builder asks: "What will this club look like after I am gone?" which is a far more difficult challenge.

History is full of brilliant coaches. It contains far fewer builders. Sir Alex Ferguson built, Arsène Wenger built, Sir Alf Ramsey built, Sir Bobby Robson built.

Their greatest achievement was not improving a team, it was creating something capable of enduring.

Which brings us back to Ipswich. One of the reasons I am less emotional about McKenna's departure following my conversation with an impartial observer than some supporters is because, in truth, it felt increasingly inevitable.

The speculation never entirely disappeared. There were opportunities explored before. There were moments when it felt as though Ipswich were part of a broader career trajectory rather than a final destination.

That is not necessarily a criticism, football is a profession and managers are ambitious.

Most people would make similar decisions in their own careers.

The issue is not that McKenna left. The issue is that he left before answering the most important question of all.

Could he build a Premier League football club? Promotion answered one question, survival would have answered another.

Getting promoted and staying promoted are entirely different jobs. The first rewards momentum, the second rewards resilience. The first rewards innovation, the second rewards pragmatism.

The first is about creating belief, the second is about surviving reality.

At times last season Ipswich looked tired and predictable. At times we appeared almost over-coached, as though every movement had been carefully rehearsed but spontaneity had been lost.

That may be unfair though as it may simply reflect the gulf in quality between the Premier League and the Championship.

Yet, it is difficult to ignore the fact that the next phase would have been the most challenging of McKenna's career.

Not promotion. Not rebuilding. Not exceeding expectations, simply staying there, year after year.

That is where builders separate themselves from coaches. There is another possibility, one that many supporters quietly suspect but rarely say aloud.

What if McKenna recognised that his reputation might never be higher than it is today?

Football can be ruthless. A young manager who achieves back-to-back promotions becomes football's next great hope.

The same manager suffering two difficult Premier League seasons suddenly becomes a different story.

Fairly or unfairly, reputations matter. The temptation to leave at the top of the curve must be enormous. Again, this is not criticism, it is simply reality.

Every profession contains people who know when their market value has peaked.

The question supporters are left asking is whether McKenna departed because he saw a better opportunity, or because he doubted his ability to complete the next stage of the project. Only he knows the answer.

Which is why Gary O'Neil has started to fascinate me. He arrives with far less fanfare. He is not football's fashionable young genius. Nobody is linking him to Europe's elite clubs. There are no endless debates about revolutionary tactical systems.

What he does possess is something else. Experience of difficult environments, experience with limited resources and the experience of fighting for every point.

In short, experience of building. His challenge is not to repeat McKenna's promotions. That story has already been written. His challenge is to answer the question McKenna left behind.

Can Ipswich become an established Premier League football club? If the answer is yes, then O'Neil may ultimately prove every bit as important to the club's history.

None of this diminishes what McKenna achieved, Ipswich Town are unquestionably stronger today than when he arrived and for that alone he has earned and deserves our eternal gratitude.

But perhaps the time has come to stop treating him as either a saint or a villain.

He was neither. He was an outstanding coach for us. Whether he was also a builder is something we will never know. And perhaps that is why his departure feels so unusual.

Most managers leave after failing, others leave after succeeding, McKenna leaves after creating a question.

The next few years will determine whether Ipswich's recent rise was the work of one exceptional coach, or the foundations of something much larger.

Gary O'Neil now has the opportunity to provide the answer.

TRUE_BLUE123 added 10:20 - Jun 22 "At times we appeared almost over-coached" Not this again.
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Alphawhiskey added 10:46 - Jun 22 The worrying thing is, O'Neil is the best that Ashton can come up,with.......... I can only see one outcome. Relegation.
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Ferguson added 12:08 - Jun 22 Let's see what happens. I think KMK was right to stop at the top. All to be done by pre season is a big ask, but fingers crossed. Signing Delap would be a good start ....and can we get our white sleeves back too ? :;-)&
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December1963 added 13:00 - Jun 22 That’s a very interesting read, many of the points I agree with especially that we need to be more pragmatic in our approach next season. If we are going to reach the required 40 points to stay in the Premier League a more defensive approach will be required and the fans will have understand that we may well lose some games by 3 or 4 goals. The goal for next season is to finish at least 17th, get behind the team it may be a bumpy ride at times.

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WalkRules added 13:25 - Jun 22 A really intelligent and well put together piece. Thank you. Pragmatism is key this season if we want to stuff up.
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SmithersJones added 13:37 - Jun 22 Interesting distinction between "coach" and "builder" but I think it depends on what you mean by "What will this club look like after I am gone?". If you translate this as "will success carry on after I leave" then you'd have to say the answer in all four cases was a resounding "no". If it's something less tangible about the structure and stature of the club then your examples make more sense, but on that basis to say McKenna wasn't a builder is harsh on him.

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armchaircritic59 added 23:57 - Jun 22 Great post, agree with over 90% of it. To the poster above, yes coaching at the expense of players natural expression and flair. Not a phenomenon brand new or something just to be laid at the door of one person, it's been ever encroaching into the game for a number of years. I've watched football in various guises for 63 years and I can verify it. I'm not going to add to the G O'N debate here, I've added to it elsewhere on the site. I'll just say any manager coming into the club at this precise time really has a tough gig. Following on from what I expect many younger supporters than me would call a modern day hero, and trying to keep us in the PL at the same time. That person will need understanding and backing.

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broseleyblue added 14:24 - Jun 23 I enjoyed the thrust of the argument except for one point. Two possible reasons for McKenna’s departure are given but his own stated reason is apparently ignored. Not only did he say straightaway that he hadn’t got much more to give but close observers such as the EADT agreed that he looked exhausted. I for one am not cynical that there is more to it than that however disappointed I am.

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slobfeatures added 16:45 - Jun 23 Whether McKenna was a builder or a coach will be seen on how Gary O’Neil takes up the baton. If he just dismantles everything he will need to be a good builder. However builders don’t always have to knock every Down to make improvements.
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slobfeatures added 16:46 - Jun 23 Everything! Proof read before you post my wife keeps telling me!
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Edmundo added 13:17 - Jun 24 Great blog! My take on it, having read this, is that in future years we shall hopefully remember McKenna like Ramsey, O'Neil like McGarry (who actually established us back in Div 1 in the late 60s when we were by no means guaranteed to stay), and .... hopefully another great manager as the Robson of modern times.
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Edmundo added 13:22 - Jun 24 (I may be wrong about McGarry, and defer to an older fan who might put me right - Robson was cerainly critical to make sure we didn't drop back down initially, and we all know what happened from then on....)
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bazergan added 18:29 - Jun 24 LOL " Whats with the negative waves " This is a new chapter , the new manager appears to have a desire to succeed, which is a good start...........Let it develop !
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Doublepivot added 12:34 - Jun 25 If anything McKenna was a victim of his startling early success and arrived in the Premier League with a side that only 2 years previous had been playing in Division 1. I also agree with broseleyblue in that the sheer amount of work Kieran got through in the last 4 plus years must have taken its toll. It’s also possible for builders to coach, Ramseys use of Leadbetter and Robsons change from the ball up to Whymarks head to the use of the 2 Dutchmen in the middle of the park being just a couple of examples.

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barrystedmunds added 23:16 - Jun 26 I would argue that KMcK left after succeeding. The reasons he left may be debatable, I actually go along with those stated, but to suggest he wasn’t successful is a little unfair.
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SpiritOfJohn added 08:02 - Jun 27 So if Ramsey and Robson were 'builders' why did Ipswich get relegated shortly after both men left? Shankly and Busby were 'builders' by your definition. Nearly everyone else, including Ramsey, Robson and Clough, were brilliant coaches.
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SpiritOfJohn added 08:10 - Jun 27 However, even Man Utd endured a downward slide towards relegation after Busby left, which leaves Shankly in a class of one. He created a culture that endured via the boot room. Nowadays, a new manager brings his own backroom staff which gives little chance of any similar legacies in the future.
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budgieplucker added 13:46 - Jun 27 @edmundo, McGarry got us promoted back to the top flight, and then jumped ship to Wolves. So the task of establishing us as a Division 1 (as it was then) side was down to Robson. At the time of the vacancy Ipswich were courting, Frank O'Farrell and Billy Bingham, the job was offered to O'Farrell who declined and moved to Leicester shortly afterwards. Bingham I believe wasnt interviewed as he wasnt interested in the vacancy. So it left Robson and tea lady, Robson had been Scouting for Dave Sexton at Chelsea following his dismissal from Fulham. Just a footnote on the negative posters regarding GON not being an exciting appointment. After Ramsey left for England, Jackie Milburn a footballing legend from the North East was appointed town manager. Looked an exciting appointment, but worked out as one of the poorest appointments for a Town boss taking Town backwards.

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budgieplucker added 13:55 - Jun 27 Very good blog for discussion. I don't believe the distinctions between coach and builder are absolute, there will be a hybrid position between the two. Kieran, was a very good coach, but a top class individual who is highly intelligent. I do suspect he feared the challenge of keeping Town in the Premiership, yes because it would be a high stakes risk to his reputation and future. I don't see it in the sense that he ran away from the challenge, but his stamina had been severely sapped by the previous two seasons and felt it would not put him in the right frame to approach a season which needed to be a dogfight. Like Carrick I believe he could go and coach a top side in Europe or UK and achieve success playing a more open and expansive style of football. So in a sense I am in agreement that he leans more towards the "coach" rather than the builder as per the bloggers analogy.

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Broadbent23 added 18:02 - Jun 30 I believe KMc was perfect for Town's journey to the Premiership; GON is our upgrade with proven Premiership survival. Although prolonged success has yet to be achieved with this Town team. Therefore KMc is the builder and GON is the coach with different views for different opponents. It will make this season exciting with unexpected victories because GON has found a weakness we can combat. Going back to Robson's era our UEFA success was built on an unbeaten home record against Europe's best. So I think that GON will be a good coach for us and give us a stronger home record to push us to safety and beyond.

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algarvefan added 19:39 - Jul 6 The plain and simple truth is none of us know what will happen next, survival is key obviously. I guess all of us will just have to wait and see and continue to support the team.
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OliveR16 added 13:40 - Jul 7 Thanks for writing this piece. Lots to think about, a better word for GON is that he is a Survivalist - that's what he's done before and that's what he's stated he intends to do now. To add to the endless stream of vehicle analogies we've employed, he is the Land Rover after the Porsche that got damaged on the Premier League road humps. We hope.
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SonofSonner added 15:44 - Jul 9 Bearing in mind we're not going to compete for the Pep Guardiolas, O'Neil might be a good call for two reasons. First, he was able to keep a modestly-resourced club like Strasbourg functioning in Ligue 1 and second, he will be familiar with the players in that league. Scouting is easier if you play them twice a year. Please correct me on their resourcing level as I've just assumed that about Strasbourg from what little I know.

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