New Blues manager Kieran McKenna says he has very strong ideas and very strong principles about how he wants football to be played but wants to be versatile when it comes to formation.

“I’ve got a really clear idea in my head, I’m not going to talk formations and in too much detail about it because we’re playing Gillingham on Boxing Day and I don’t want to give too much away at this early stage,” McKenna said at this lunchtime’s press conference.

“I’ve got a clear idea on how I want the game to be played, I want us to be positive, I want us to dominate games, I want us to play in the opposition’s half. I want us to attack in a clearly structured but well-balanced and aggressive way to create chances and score goals.

“Without the ball I want to be aggressive and win the ball back as high up the pitch as we can, so I don’t think that’s going to change too much across the leagues.

“Obviously I know it’s winter time, the pitches may be aren’t perfect across the league and things like that at this moment.

“I’d like to think that I’m adaptable enough to know that we’ll adapt where appropriate to the league and to the players.

“But I’ve got a clear idea on how I want the team to play. We won’t get there overnight but I’ll be looking to implement some principles on certain things for our style of play right from the off and I’m sure with more time to work with the players, with more time with the club to bring in players who fit the profile that I want, that we’ll be able to put a team and put a style of play on the pitch that Ipswich fans will really get behind.”

Asked about his preferred system, he said: “I’ve got very strong ideas on my principles of play and very strong ideas on how I want the team to play.

“In terms of formation, for me, especially at this stage of the season, it’s about being versatile to the strengths of the players and to what they’re comfortable with and what is going to suit the playing squad.

“I’m a big believer that style and principles are more important than formation. I think within any formation that can look differently whether you’re in possession or out of possession, whether it’s first phase or third phase of the game.

“I don’t speak to players a lot about 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 or 3-5-2, I think it’s about players understanding their roles and responsibilities on the pitch, understanding what spaces we want to attack and what spaces we need to defend.

“And the principles and the style that we work to are the overriding things. Within that, the formation can be adapted according primarily to our players and what suits the playing squad that we have but also according to the opposition and how we want to hurt them and attack them in any given game.”

Photo: Matchday Images

BurleysGloryDays added 15:13 - Dec 21 Hopefully his pedigree and technical skills will buy him time with the flimsier fans/TWTD posters - but one thing there is unlikely to be is much patience. We've all seen on this forum *repeatedly* the same appeals for time and the same latitude offered *initially* - and then within a fortnight many vocal TWTD posters tub-thumping away. The list of candidates for this job alone though should remind people to give McKenna plenty of time...

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therein61 added 16:22 - Dec 21 Positivity and more positivity i'm really pleased to have him here, he is clearly a deep thinker who will get some hesitant performers to get the shackles off and show us what they are made of instead of being confused(cooks coaching) rabbits in a car headlights.
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