McKenna: It Would Be a Very Proud Achievement
Friday, 3rd May 2024 17:20

Blues boss Kieran McKenna says it would be a proud achievement to take Town back into the Premier League after 22 seasons away but says he hasn’t yet thought too much about the prospect of becoming a top-flight manager.

A point against Huddersfield at Portman Road tomorrow and the Blues will claim second place in the Championship ahead of Leeds behind title winners Leicester City.

“It would be a very proud achievement, no doubt about that,” McKenna said. “But honestly, it's not something I've thought about too much. It's been such a relentless season, two seasons, and there's not been any time to stop and pause and reflect.

“There’s not been any inclination to stop and pause and reflect because the Championship is so competitive that you can't really afford to take your time and energy away from the next challenge and the next game. That's been the case right the way through.

“Hopefully, if we can do well tomorrow, then we can be looking back on a season and an incredible achievement.

“But we know we've got a really big game, a really tough game ahead of us tomorrow that we have to go and do well in to make that happen so, to be honest, that's where all the focus is, and anything else can come after a game.”

If all goes to plan against the Terriers, however, he will give himself time to sit back and reflect and bask in a second successive promotion.

“I will. We did last year as well,” he said. “To be fair, I think that's the only chance you will get and if you can't take a few days or a few hours or a few minutes to be in peace with the people that you love or by yourself and look back, if you can't do that at the end of the season, then you never will be able to.

“We don't know if our season ends tomorrow, we hope that if tomorrow goes how we want it to it does and we'll be able to look back but again until that moment comes it's full focus on the task ahead.”

Quizzed on how ‘Kieran McKenna, Premier League manager’ would sound, the Blues boss smiled.

“Of course, the Premier League is the best league in the world, in my opinion. I've worked in it before, I've really enjoyed it and it's well known that my career ambition is to be there and that it chimes well with the overall grand ambitions of the football club.

“So, of course that's where I think every club wants to be and Ipswich Town are no different so it's our focus now to try and make that a reality.”

Asked how big an achievement back-to-back promotions would be, McKenna said: “Honestly, I don't want to talk about the ‘if’. I understand the question, but it's been a discipline within the building of not allowing ourselves to spend too much time or energy thinking about the ifs and the group's done that really well.

“Look, we know it would be an incredible achievement. We know what it would mean to the town, to the football club, to the players, to the staff, to everyone and we're going to do our absolute best to try and make that happen.

“As we have done all year, there's no more we can do than that we can't give more than 100 per cent. The group has been giving 100 per cent day-in, day-out for a really long period of time and has showed an incredibly consistent level of that, and that's all we can do tomorrow.

“That’s what we'll focus on and that's what we'll give and hopefully three o'clock tomorrow will be the time to enjoy and think about what has gone before and what is to come.

“But honestly, we've really not allowed ourselves too many of those thoughts and certainly not any real discussions in the club or certainly nothing near the dressing room, it's all been about the journey that we're on and taking the next step.”

Photo: TWTD

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Bugledog added 17:29 - May 3 What a season! COYB!
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carlo88 added 17:30 - May 3 Genius.
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Bert added 17:38 - May 3 Some of his sentiments and words brought tears to my eyes. So proud of this man and what the whole club has achieved.
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Bazza8564 added 17:40 - May 3

“Again, it's not something I think about a lot, to be honest,” he said. “I'm proud to manage this football club. It's a wonderful football club. I'm proud to lead the group every day. I'm proud to lead the club out in front of a full Portman Road every single week, so that's where my focus is"

And EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US is proud of you young fella, you are an embodiment of everything that is good about our club, Just as Mark and his team are off the field.

Wonderful