New Blues boss Kieran McKenna says video analysis is a very important aspect of management for him having watched the majority of Town’s games this season as he prepares for his first game in charge when Wycombe Wanderers visit Portman Road on Wednesday.

McKenna said at his first press conference after taking charge that he had already watched a number of the Blues’ recent games - in addition to attending the Sunderland match in person - and that watching brief has continued since then.

“It’s very important to me as a coach, it always has been to watch a lot of games and it’s something I look to do,” he said.

“My brief at the moment is tilted, so I’m watching a lot more League One than I was before with the priority being understanding the team as much as I can and understanding the other teams in the division as well.

“That’s been good. Obviously we’ve got a good analysis department here with Will [Stephenson], who has been at the club a long time, but it’s something we’re looking to expand, we’ve already brought in some new things to the club on that side of it [Charlie Turnbull as head of analysis]. It’s a big tool for us in terms of developing players as well.

“The analysis side of it is massive for me, I will certainly spend a lot of time watching our games especially, where we can improve, how we can develop players individually, where we can develop the team.

“It’s something we’ll use a lot with the players, it’s a fantastic resource and it’s something that players in the modern game respond to and enjoy and respect, and it’s something that they’re used to getting now on TV and on their phones.

“They want information, they want to discuss things from a tactical perspective as well, and players also always want to discuss their own game and their own development.

“It’s been a big part of our work in the first 10 days and it’ll be a big part even more so going forward.”

Did some of those sessions watching games stretch deep into the night? “A little bit. It’s obviously a balance when you come into a new job where you have to stay fresh enough as well because we have a big job here, a lot of players to get to know, a lot of staff to get to know, a lot of work to do on the training pitch. It’s that balance on the personal level of making sure that you’re fresh enough.

“But we’ve been lucky to have good access to video, obviously I’ve got a nice suite in the Salthouse [Harbour Hotel] at the moment, I’m able to have the staff round as well and link up to the TV and go through footage and try and understand the players better and understand the team and some of the things the team has been doing well, and some of the things that the team can improve.

“With me, there are a lot of working hours in the day. I don’t like to waste too much time in a day, it’s work and it’s family and there’s not too much time for anything else other than those two.

“And that’s enjoyable for me as well, I enjoy the work and I enjoy trying to develop the team, trying to develop players and I’m more than happy to put those hours in.”

Having been working at the top level of the game with Manchester United, does much have to change having dropped into League One or do the fundamentals remain the same?

“I think the principles that I work to are broadly the same and you can see that in training. The capabilities of the players are high, they’re more than capable to play how I want to play and to fulfil their tasks.

“I guess the challenge is more timing, the stage of the season. Obviously we’re coming in halfway through the season, it’s not a good idea in my opinion to try and change completely everything in one go.

“It’s about improving little things in the first instance and improving little details and building our style of play over time.

“There are also practical things to consider like the conditions of the pitches and weather and stuff like that. In British football, December is different to August and the conditions you’re playing in are very different.

“I think our principles will be the same. We’ve been working on them for the first week. They’re not very different from what I would coach in high level academy football or in first-team Champions League football.

“But I’m sensible enough to know that we have to adapt, we want to try and get results straight away, so it’s not about being draconian and trying to completely impose something that’s very different or unusual or different from what the players have been doing.

“We’re trying to find that middle ground at the moment, improve some things that we can improve in the short term bit by bit and also lay some foundations down for how we want to be going forward and certainly time will help that, a pre-season will help that and I know where I want the team to be going into next season.

“But like I said from the start, I’m not prepared to look beyond this season at the moment, I’m not prepared to look beyond Wycombe at the moment, it’s about preparing the team, being pragmatic in a good way, to prepare the team and try and give us what we feel is the best chance to pick up points at the moment.”

What has his analysis told him about League One? “It’s a tough league, there’s no doubt about it.

“Again, I said this in my first press conference, it’s a tough league and you’ve got some big clubs in it. Big clubs that are recently down from the Championship or big clubs who want to be in the Championship who have been in this division for longer than they wanted to be.

“It’s a challenge and every game is competitive. It’s a big challenge to control games. I think for the team this year, they’ve had spells in games, 15, 25-minute spells in games where they’ve controlled the game well and probably played how they wanted to play and looked like how we want an Ipswich team to look and it just being a challenge to sustain that over games.

“But that is the league. The momentum of the games can change quickly, probably quicker than in the Premier League. It often only takes a moment, a set piece, a ball into your box, and the momentum and the feel of the game can change.

“So, it’s a big challenge, and we know that every team that plays against Ipswich Town’s motivation is going to be really, really high.

“We can’t take anything for granted, we’re not going into any game thinking that our reputation or what players have done before or where they have played will stand us in any stead or any advantage whatsoever.

“The league is tough, we have to be ready to fight in every game to compete in every game to be absolutely at our maximum in terms of effort, and then we hope that with the right strategy, with a good set-up, a good team structure and with some individual quality that we have we’ll be able to turn more results in our favour.”

Photo: Matchday Images

chopra777 added 17:36 - Dec 28 Yes we are a trophy in this league, that is why the minnows took points off us at the start of the season. It is good to see that KM understands that L1 is full of tough matches. Therefore with his modern game plans he could find what PC failed to achieve. Consistency and a string of back to back wins. Keep up the analysis.
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markchips added 18:13 - Dec 28 Just hope he realises the limitations of third division footballers. He will think they know what to do and maintain it for a bit then switch off. I foresee a few broken teacups before long. Can you really see the likes of Nsiala and Penney applying themselves to a plan for 90 minutes.
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Linkboy13 added 21:39 - Dec 28 Don't think we will be seeing the gung hoe approach of Paul Cook's teams. Will be happy with a solid one nil win with the team looking well drilled and knowing what they are doing for a change.
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wilnisfan added 01:44 - Dec 29 I think he has a very analytical technical mindset. Hope that looks exactly on the pitch we don't know in terms of formation or attacking/defensive bias. But for sure we will see some general approach in the wide areas of the pitch. I think he has some interesting options to enable patterns of play to develop over time. We should also see distinct style between build up in possession and how to set up against each team when we don't have possession. I wouldn't say 100% he will put pressing traps in place in the first few weeks, but I think he will try to implement the building blocks to see if the team can get there.

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BobbyBell added 10:48 - Dec 29 Yes league one is very different to the Premier league and momentum can change very quickly. Stick the ball in the box and throw numbers in to scrap for the second ball is not a Premier league style but in this league it works. You can dominate for 30 minutes and then a hopeful ball in the box, a lucky bounce or deflection and you're a goal down. Then the game changes. It certainly is a hard league unless you can adapt quickly which so far this season we haven't been able to do.

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