| Nice opening in The Athletic… 12:47 - Apr 21 with 5960 views | Chris_ITFC |
“Declan Rice looked over his shoulder; he was wondering what the noise was. It was about a minute after the final whistle, players were milling in the middle of the pitch, Kieran McKenna and Mikel Arteta had been to the officials to shake hands. From there, McKenna moved to the stand named after Sir Bobby Robson and began to salute the many fans still in the stadium.
This had been a sobering 90 minutes for Ipswich Town, a 20th defeat in 33 games, an occasion when the gulf between players bound for a Champions League semi-final and those who rose from League One, and who will soon be back in the Championship, was glaring.
Four-nil did not flatter Arsenal, who, if they needed to score eight, probably could have. Even before Ipswich went down to 10 men in the 32nd minute — Leif Davis shown a straight red card for a feckless foul on Bukayo Saka — Arsenal were 2-0 ahead. Their dominance was complete and almost nonchalant. Ipswich had 25 per cent possession by the end, which was better than the 5 per cent after the first seven minutes.
So it was a long day. And Ipswich’s relegation will surely be confirmed on Saturday away at Newcastle United.
And yet the noise stirring Rice was the sound of Portman Road applauding. The recipients of the applause were McKenna and his players.
Here was a beaten team, all but relegated, with Arsenal fans taunting: “We’ll never play here again,” in the air.
But the collective message was one of unity. Any dissent was inaudible. There are stickers on lampposts in town with McKenna’s name in the shape of certain golden arches, and there seems to be no dilution of Suffolk belief in the 38-year-old Northern Irishman.”
Full article, “What next for Kieran McKenna?”
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6291046/2025/04/21/kieran-mckenna-ipswich-releg |  | | |  |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 09:57 - Apr 22 with 820 views | Axeldalai_lama |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 09:30 - Apr 22 by blueasfook |
We spent £130m. Other than Delap, who has stood out among those signings? Mostly average and some a downright waste of money. Muric for example. |
Wow. £130 million! Chump change. Wolves (and Leicester) spent more than that on 4 players, Bournemouth and Fulham and forest on 5, even Southampton on 6, etc etc etc. you surely know this. We've had to buy a whole new squad on the back of one seasons top league money, everyone else has had at least 3 full seasons to build and build on that money, thats getting on for half a billion quid. Surprise surprise it hasn't all worked out. |  | | |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 10:26 - Apr 22 with 747 views | algy |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 09:52 - Apr 22 by Leaky |
Yes we paid out £130m on transfers, Arsenal paid £105m for Declan Rice, puts a bit of perspective on things |
Have to take this season in context. Having reached the PL earlier than hoped, this season has never been about staying in the PL but to participate in the PL, take the money and build a squad to win promotion next season, players that will appreciate in value and bring profit when sold. We're owned by investors who are in it for the return on investment long term. Increasing the value of the club and it's assets is what it's all about. |  |
| I was there when McKenna's ITFC won in the Premier League at Home. Our only home win in a year. |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 12:15 - Apr 22 with 662 views | waveneyblue |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 08:56 - Apr 22 by blueasfook |
Yes they are. Relegation to L1 was the culmination of years of underinvestment in the club. Relegation from the premier league is purely down to the manager, one of the best paid in the league, and one we threw a load of money at to retain. |
Do what ?
It's purely down to the manager...
Great take |  | | |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 12:44 - Apr 22 with 653 views | blueasfook |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 12:15 - Apr 22 by waveneyblue |
Do what ?
It's purely down to the manager...
Great take |
I am not against or pro-KM really. The only thing that doesn't sit well with me is we threw a load of money at him to make him one of the better paid managers in the league and didn't see a return on that. Maybe he earned that on past achievements (back to back promotions) but I bet with hindsight he wouldn't have got such a lucrative deal! And I certainly hope there's a sensible clause in that contract that will see his salary chopped considerably on relegation. |  |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:12 - Apr 22 with 603 views | Chris_ITFC |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 12:44 - Apr 22 by blueasfook |
I am not against or pro-KM really. The only thing that doesn't sit well with me is we threw a load of money at him to make him one of the better paid managers in the league and didn't see a return on that. Maybe he earned that on past achievements (back to back promotions) but I bet with hindsight he wouldn't have got such a lucrative deal! And I certainly hope there's a sensible clause in that contract that will see his salary chopped considerably on relegation. |
McKenna might say we didn’t give him the tools.
Delap aside (maybe), do any of our players get in any of them teams above us? | | | |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:18 - Apr 22 with 596 views | Axeldalai_lama |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 12:44 - Apr 22 by blueasfook |
I am not against or pro-KM really. The only thing that doesn't sit well with me is we threw a load of money at him to make him one of the better paid managers in the league and didn't see a return on that. Maybe he earned that on past achievements (back to back promotions) but I bet with hindsight he wouldn't have got such a lucrative deal! And I certainly hope there's a sensible clause in that contract that will see his salary chopped considerably on relegation. |
It's really that binary and blunt is it? The defence let in some goals, the strikers didn't score from every shot. They are all paid very well. Sack the lot. | | | |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:33 - Apr 22 with 571 views | Pinewoodblue |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:12 - Apr 22 by Chris_ITFC |
McKenna might say we didn’t give him the tools.
Delap aside (maybe), do any of our players get in any of them teams above us? |
None of our signings were the finished article. |  |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:37 - Apr 22 with 561 views | portmanking |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:33 - Apr 22 by Pinewoodblue |
None of our signings were the finished article. |
Have we *ever* signed someone that's the finished article? A club of our standing in the pyramid can rarely afford that! | | | |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:38 - Apr 22 with 552 views | blueoxford |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 09:52 - Apr 22 by Leaky |
Yes we paid out £130m on transfers, Arsenal paid £105m for Declan Rice, puts a bit of perspective on things |
..and he was ‘half price’ | | | |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:43 - Apr 22 with 527 views | Hong_Kong_Bluey |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 09:08 - Apr 22 by blueasfook |
I dont care about that. We paid Rolls Royce money to KM and got Austin Rover returns!
*For our younger readers, Austin Rovers were terrible cars made in the 1970s! |
I've read some utter tosh on here for the past few days (weeks/months/years), and have simply scrolled on past.
But this comment I cannot let lie. It just galls me to hear such nonsense about a beloved icon of our times. We always owned Austin Rovers in the 70's, and they were amazing beautifully crafted cars.
Don't listen to this old fool younger readers. He has no clue what he's talking about. |  | | |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:50 - Apr 22 with 515 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 09:08 - Apr 22 by blueasfook |
I dont care about that. We paid Rolls Royce money to KM and got Austin Rover returns!
*For our younger readers, Austin Rovers were terrible cars made in the 1970s! |
Continue the rhetoric if you like, but KM is not one of the top paid managers. 13th out of 15 that were available when reported earlier this year. | | | |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:52 - Apr 22 with 510 views | The_Romford_Blue |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:31 - Apr 21 by textbackup |
Spot on.
My worry is we are slow out the blocks next season, because things would go downhill quickly |
Totally agree.
The thing that makes me confident in us is that Burnley looked an absolute basket case of a club, lost most of their best players and Kompany went to Bayern. And yet they’ve just got promoted with only 2 defeats all season.
The gulf to the premier league is enormous but we should in theory feel the drop back down in a good way. The likes of Greaves, O Shea, Hutchinson, Clarke, Szmodics etc are literally the top players from the championship a year ago. Having those in addition to all our lads who we got promoted with already (Chaplin, Broadhead, Hirst are excellent at that level) and suddenly we’ve got a bit of an all star championship team of the best players of that level.
If McKenna stays (I still don’t think he will be here in a year personally), and the belief is there and we don’t start badly and everyone panics, then we go up. It’s that simple to me. |  |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:53 - Apr 22 with 508 views | Axeldalai_lama |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:37 - Apr 22 by portmanking |
Have we *ever* signed someone that's the finished article? A club of our standing in the pyramid can rarely afford that! |
Exactly. The same people seem to think we spent loads of money to attempt to fill out an entire squad vaguely near premier league standard, but also that we needed to somehow buy absolutely ready finished article premier league players for less money. Let alone thinking about the reality of attempting to persuade these ready made players to take a step down and risk it all with us, but also of course, don't give them release clauses, because that was a mistake with Delap.
Simple, ready made prem quality players, bought cheaply, with no clauses, bought in large quantity, all hit the ground running. Is that so much to ask? [Post edited 22 Apr 15:57]
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 14:02 - Apr 22 with 487 views | algy |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 12:44 - Apr 22 by blueasfook |
I am not against or pro-KM really. The only thing that doesn't sit well with me is we threw a load of money at him to make him one of the better paid managers in the league and didn't see a return on that. Maybe he earned that on past achievements (back to back promotions) but I bet with hindsight he wouldn't have got such a lucrative deal! And I certainly hope there's a sensible clause in that contract that will see his salary chopped considerably on relegation. |
I have wondered what giving him a new contract achieved for this season but have to believe that if McKenna had gone his replacement would have done worse and for my season ticket I would have seen more than 12 defeats and fewer than 1 win. Grateful for small mercies as they say. | |
| I was there when McKenna's ITFC won in the Premier League at Home. Our only home win in a year. |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 14:03 - Apr 22 with 490 views | blueasfook |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:18 - Apr 22 by Axeldalai_lama |
It's really that binary and blunt is it? The defence let in some goals, the strikers didn't score from every shot. They are all paid very well. Sack the lot. |
You and I know that isn't the case. It's the manager who takes the can even if the players clearly don't give a toss.
See the many managers Man Utd have been through since Fergie spat out his chewing gum for the last time and put his hairdryer away. | |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 14:05 - Apr 22 with 486 views | blueasfook |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 14:02 - Apr 22 by algy |
I have wondered what giving him a new contract achieved for this season but have to believe that if McKenna had gone his replacement would have done worse and for my season ticket I would have seen more than 12 defeats and fewer than 1 win. Grateful for small mercies as they say. |
Well exactly, we have may been slightly better off if we had replaced KM, we couldn't be worse off. People will say "Well yeah we could be bottom" but that argument doesn't hold water. We are in the relegated 3 so it doesnt really matter if you are 18th, 19th or 20th. | |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 14:12 - Apr 22 with 467 views | blueasfook |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:43 - Apr 22 by Hong_Kong_Bluey |
I've read some utter tosh on here for the past few days (weeks/months/years), and have simply scrolled on past.
But this comment I cannot let lie. It just galls me to hear such nonsense about a beloved icon of our times. We always owned Austin Rovers in the 70's, and they were amazing beautifully crafted cars.
Don't listen to this old fool younger readers. He has no clue what he's talking about. |
All cars were rubbish in the 1970s to be fair. Apart from the mighty Ford Cortina. Our 1600 Ghia took us everywhere. | |
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| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 15:10 - Apr 22 with 403 views | Parsley |
| Nice opening in The Athletic… on 13:37 - Apr 22 by portmanking |
Have we *ever* signed someone that's the finished article? A club of our standing in the pyramid can rarely afford that! |
We've signed plenty of players whose careers were finished... |  | | |
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