McKenna: Spreading Leadership Has Been a Focus
Friday, 14th Oct 2022 15:51

Town manager Kieran McKenna says spreading leadership more widely across the squad has been a focus at Portman Road this year with the recruitment of veteran central defender and long-time Derby County captain Richard Keogh one aspect of that approach.

Keogh, 36, came in in August on a nominal fee from Blackpool to add experience and know-how to a squad featuring not too many players over 30, with skipper Sam Morsy, 31, and Sone Aluko, 33, last season’s two most senior campaigners.

McKenna believes it’s “very important” to have leadership throughout the squad.

“I think we have an absolutely outstanding captain on and off the pitch,” he said. “Someone who leads by example day to day on the training pitch, somebody who leads by example on the pitch and we couldn't ask for any more in terms of the leadership that we have.

“But it's also important to spread that leadership and that's been a focus for us this year, to have a slightly flatter hierarchy to our leadership and to have more voices and leaders within the group.

“That was obviously an attraction of Richard Keogh coming in as well to have another senior figure.

“But beyond that, we have a leadership group that spreads a little bit wider and beyond that, we have lots of voices in the dressing room and that's something we encourage of players who are confident enough to speak their opinion and give to the group.

“And knowledgeable enough to help them with their understanding so that they can contribute in positive ways. As you say, at the moment, we have lots of boys who are showing leadership in all their different ways.”

Any voices emerge in the dressing room that he wasn't anticipating? “No surprises, just that I've seen it in lots of the players when I arrived here and I think everybody has their own personality, everybody has their own nature.

“Sam Morsy is a different character to Luke Woolfenden, who is a different character to Janoi Donacien.

“But everyone has their own way of contributing and everybody has something to offer, and it's about harnessing that and making everybody feel that they have the trust and responsibility to help the team in whichever way possible.

“A part of that is being vocal and that is something we want to work on as a team, being more vocal in the dressing room, being more vocal in different moments in games.

“We've had a few of those moments this year and we've hopefully learned from them, and it's a process we want to continue developing that leadership in the dressing room.”

Meanwhile, McKenna reflected on Town's trip to Exeter being moved to a midday kick-off on Saturday 19th November for Sky coverage, the Blues' other trip to Devon, the 2-1 defeat at Plymouth, having been switched to a lunchtime start for the same reason.

“It is what it is,” he said. “Of course, 12 noon is early at Exeter as 12.30 at Plymouth was early. But it is what it is.

“We have a couple of weeks’ notice now and we have to think as hard and as well as we can in the preparation, and how we can prepare as well as what we can for the early kick-off and make sure going into the game, we're as ready as we can be.”

The Blues boss was also asked who he fancied in the now much-debated question of whether Luke Woolfenden or George Edmundson is the faster, the pair having disagreed over their FIFA rankings recently.

“We'll have to line them up for a race on that one, and I'm not saying anything,” McKenna laughed. “They've both got a good turn of pace, so maybe that's one of the end of the season.”

Photo: TWTD

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Vancouver_Blue added 16:10 - Oct 14 Thank you Sky, for screwing the Exeter kickoff time. It's 4am for me in Canada...thank you NOT
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Skip73 added 18:51 - Oct 14 Van, they are absolute mercenaries who have ruined the game since 1992. Some say their money has helped the game, but in my opinion, that money is what has wrecked it.
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