Forum | So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... by sjg

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So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... 10:44 - Dec 16 with 3644 views

when did you realise we were onto something special? I'd love to tell you I knew when we played Gillingham a couple of weeks into his reign, but I was calling for his head after the Bristol Rovers draw so I will say my most recent doubts were thrown away when we beat Bolton away

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 14:43 - Dec 16 with 682 views

Meadowlark

Seems everyone was at that Gillingham game. I remember it for three things. Two, if you don't include the rain. Sone Aluko was sublime. He ran the midfield and was the key to our performance. He didn't start the next game.... And the other thing? The bloody Dartford crossing was out of action and had to drive into London and across The Thames via the Blackwall Tunnel. Took ages to get home.

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 14:46 - Dec 16 with 660 views

unstableblue

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 14:43 - Dec 16 by Meadowlark
Seems everyone was at that Gillingham game. I remember it for three things. Two, if you don't include the rain. Sone Aluko was sublime. He ran the midfield and was the key to our performance. He didn't start the next game.... And the other thing? The bloody Dartford crossing was out of action and had to drive into London and across The Thames via the Blackwall Tunnel. Took ages to get home.

Yup remember that awful Dartford crossing delay

Luckily our car was rather buoyed by the result and performance

To be honest Gillingham were poor and gave us the space

But for me you could see already that we had a shape and identity emerging that we all now know and love!

And that was only after 1 week at Playford Road

He did inherit a rather good squad for League 1!

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So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 14:54 - Dec 16 with 637 views

tcblue

It did seem like everyone was at the Gillingham game. And I could have done without you all doing the bouncy bouncy....

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 14:59 - Dec 16 with 627 views

Dyland

Literally his first interview.

Well, I didn't think right away he would turn out quite as good as he has and I didn't think we'd do a double promotion, but the whole period of the takeover and leading up to his appointment felt fresh and new and exciting. The fact I knew eff all about him pleased me cos it meant we weren't going for a journeyman or retired star player. I remember some fans saying that Hurst was the proverbial breath of fresh air and thinking precisely the opposite. McKenna really was (and is).

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So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 14:59 - Dec 16 with 625 views

Churchman

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 14:54 - Dec 16 by tcblue
It did seem like everyone was at the Gillingham game. And I could have done without you all doing the bouncy bouncy....

I wasn’t. I was down the pub (here in Kent ironically) and my mate shoved his mobile under my nose before half time showing 3-0. I thought ‘hello, might get a draw here!’

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 15:19 - Dec 16 with 606 views

backwaywhen

I’ve mentioned on here a few times , first was a few games into his 1st full season , this guy has all the traits and qualities of our late great Sir Bobby , and still stand by that , the guy is quality and class …….very lucky to have him as our manager ………In McKenna we trust .

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 15:38 - Dec 16 with 589 views

patrickswell

I was at the Gillingham game where we played superbly against a struggling side, and I was at Bolton a week later for his first defeat, and where we looked second best.

He came over well from Day 1 in the job, but the feeling that we had someone who could actually deliver something started to manifest itself during February 2022. We stopped looking so maddeningly inconsistent and quality players, who should not have been playing at League One level started to look the part.

I’ve always maintained that McKenna was helped by what happened during his first week at the club. He was due to have a week to work with the squad before a festive round of games including Gillingham on Boxing Day, Wycombe on December 29 and Lincoln on New Year’s Day 2022. However, Gillingham and Lincoln both postponed our matches with them due to Covid outbreaks, meaning that after getting the job, McKenna had 1 match in his first 3 weeks. He effectively had been gifted a mid-season training block to work with the squad and build relationships without the stress of matchdays to contend with. By the end of that period, he had full buy in from the squad, and has never looked back.

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 15:45 - Dec 16 with 584 views

itfcjoe

Thought we had a good one at the first press conference and was sure of it by the Gillingham game.

My faith never waivered, after the Bristol Rovers game I didn't think we'd make automatics and it would be the play offs - but realistically no one could have expected 98 points from there and we needed all but one of them points to go up

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So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 15:47 - Dec 16 with 574 views

jasondozzell

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 15:38 - Dec 16 by patrickswell

I was at Gills and that Bolton game too. The Bolton game sticks in the memory as well because even though we lost (two Fridge mistakes?) I still thought we played some good stuff. But what I really remember was how calm KM was on the touchline. He really did just watch the game and analyse. And for those first few games he seemed to immediately be on the pitch at the end like someone said earlier talking to individual players about the game and pointers. Did that at Gills when he could have just relaxed into a big win. Showed how process driven he was.

Did he have the iPad straight away? My memory is yes. That was noticeable too. We weren't used to modern coaches at that point!

I was outraged at the reaction by some to Cam, Ox and Bristol Rovers following season etc.

It sounds silly, but even how he dealt with stuff at that early fans forum and how he seemed to manage relationships with players, even when they were going to be let go, suggested he was going to be a success.

'Bash brothers' Norwood and Bonne both spoke so highly of him when they left despite the disappointment. Spoke of his man management that.

[Post edited 16 Dec 2024 15:57]

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 16:35 - Dec 16 with 528 views

TractorFrog

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 13:21 - Dec 16 by sjg
I don't believe anybody that claims they didn't have doubts after the Cambridge match where we started Fridge and Keogh and ended up with 1 central midfielder on the pitch second half! But I am glad that year fell as it did, because every game was a cup final and we won them all

That cup final comment is a good point. Maybe why I remember that first promotion as fondly as the second even though neither the prize nor the achievement was anywhere near as big. But every game felt like a must win and every game we won, by more and more dominant displays against decent league one teams. Also, if we had fallen short last season, it still would have been a great year, whereas missing out on promotion to the championship would have been an absolute disaster.

Also I saw a thing recently about an Arsenal XI that in total started eight games in that exact combination and won all eight (maybe a record?) I checked the XI against Exeter (Walton, Woolfenden, Burgess, Clarke, Davis, Morsy, Luongo, Burns, Chaplin, Broadhead, Hirst) and they won seven out of seven. Seems low but it is rare to have every one of Gothenburg available every time, just one absentee and it doesn’t count. Maybe we need to recreate that lineup once more in the Premier League to see if they can match Arsenal, it would be cool to have seven games in league one and then one in the Premier League. That team with Hladky instead of Walton, meanwhile, won three out of four in the championship then drew against Norwich.

	They'd all laugh at me if they knew what I was trying to do. To create a new strain of super-wine in half-an-hour with a fraction of nature's resources and a FOOL for an assistant. 'Bernard Black, he's mad,' they'd say, 'he's insane, he's dangerous.' Well I'll show them! I'll show them all!
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So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 17:03 - Dec 16 with 501 views

positivity

still not convinced really. he's got lucky 77 times!

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do you do judo and/or do you do voodoo?

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 17:22 - Dec 16 with 492 views

Reuser_is_God

I knew he was the man for us as soon as he binned off Toto Nsiala.

	Evans out
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So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 17:45 - Dec 16 with 461 views

FrimleyBlue

Couple of minutes into his first interview.

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So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 17:46 - Dec 16 with 464 views

Reuser_is_God

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 17:45 - Dec 16 by FrimleyBlue
Couple of minutes into his first interview.

& a couple of minutes into his first game you wanted him out?

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So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 17:47 - Dec 16 with 456 views

FrimleyBlue

So on McKenna's third anniversary at the club... on 17:46 - Dec 16 by Reuser_is_God
& a couple of minutes into his first game you wanted him out?

Nah that was the pre game warm up.

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