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McKenna: It's the Setbacks That Make You Stronger Tuesday, 22nd Apr 2025 14:29
Boss Kieran McKenna says it’s his experience that setbacks make you stronger and that everyone at the club will use this season’s all-but-certain relegation from the Premier League as fortification to keep moving forward.
The Blues’ return to the Championship after one season looks set to be confirmed at St James’ Park, Newcastle on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking at Friday’s press conference ahead of Arsenal’s visit, McKenna was asked whether he will be a better manager for this season’s experience.
“I think so, I’d like to think so,” he reflected. “I think if any of us - staff members, manager, players - if you don’t come out of this season wiser, stronger, better, then you’ve probably not tackled the challenge in the right way.
“I think I am and I certainly will be and I think that’s been the case right the way through my career.
“When you do well at something, people always think that it’s been a straight linear progression but my experience, whether that’s as a player or as a coach, it’s the setbacks which have generally made you stronger, have made me stronger.
“It’s the bumps in the road that sort of fortify you to keep moving forward and I think that’s what everyone at the football club plans to use this bump in the road as.”
Quizzed on how he deals with those bumps in the road, he added: “There’s lots of different ways. I think the biggest way is to stick to your values, how you want to behave, how you want to conduct yourself day to day, how you want to relate to your staff, how you want to relate to your players, how you want to represent the football club in the right way.
“These things are in a lot of ways a lot easier to do when you’re winning all the time and not so easy to do when you’re not winning.
“For me, it’s trying to stick true to the values of how I want to be as a person, first and foremost, and if you do that, then I think you represent yourself and the group and the club in a much better way. That’s been the challenge and that’s how we’ve tried to tackle it.”
The Blues have won only four of their 33 games this season but McKenna says he doesn’t need the validation that victories bring, even if they make his job easier and maintain a positive mood in the camp.
“Not massively,” he reflected. “Probably not as much as players need it, or certainly new players need it, and certainly not as much as the external perception is.
“I think I’ve always trusted my own gut on whether I believe I’m working well, whether the staff’s working well, whether we’re working to our maximum, whether we’re helping the players to the best of our ability and working to our values and working to our qualities.
“And if we do that, I’ve always been pretty good at knowing that the result of a football match can be determined by a lot of things outside of your control.
“It doesn’t change loads for me. Of course, you feel a lot better and it helps the mood but in terms of validation, no.
“Of course, it’s a professional industry and you need to pick up results, but I’ve also believed that you need to have some other gauges for how you believe you’re working and I believe that the staff, myself and the players have done a lot of good work this year and work that will hopefully stand us in good stead.”
McKenna has now been in his role at Town for almost three and a half years having taken charge in December 2021. How does he compare the manager that gave his first team-talk ahead of the 1-0 victory over Wycombe in his inaugural game in charge and the boss he is now?
“I’d like to think mostly the same,” he said. “It was my first day as a manager but it wasn’t my first day on the school run. I was the best part of a decade and a half into my coaching journey at that point, so I think most things were pretty well established in terms of how I wanted to train, be with players, how I wanted my team to play.
“There’s no doubt that you’re stronger for the rounding of the experiences. Taking over a team where they were in the middle of League One and then in the last three seasons we’ve had a season where on a personal level you’re in charge of a really big club in the division with a good budget for the division and a great fanbase, and that brings its own challenges. Of course, that was successful.
“Then last season we were in charge of a big club but really bottom-half, bottom-third budget and low expectations but we managed to do something incredible, something of that ilk hasn’t been done very, very often.
“And then this year you’re in charge of the team that has the smallest wage budget by far, hasn’t been in the Premier League for 22 years, but still has a great history and tradition and pride in the football club, and we tried to attack the division as well as we can.
“And that’s a completely different challenge to two seasons ago in League One in terms of the way that you can play, certain things you can ask of players and the level of the opponent relative to the strengths of your team has flipped completely in the last couple of years.
“That’s been a great challenge for me on a personal level and we’ve tried to do the right things and do it in the right way along the way.
“But I think compared to day one, I’d like to think I’m still the same person, same values but I’ve had an incredible range of experiences and everyone at the football club has been through the same.”
This weekend Burnley confirmed their return to the Premier League after one season in the Championship along with Leeds, who had been away for two seasons, and Town are already being talked about in terms of a promotion campaign in 2025/26.
“It’s a bit early, I have to say!” McKenna smiled. “I understand it, but we’re thinking about Arsenal. There aren’t too many other thoughts past that.
“Of course, planning for next season has already started, whether we’re 12th in the league or 18th in the league you need to plan ahead. Those conversations at this time of the season, they happen.
“The narrative around newly promoted teams, newly relegated teams, and the evidence is there, but we’ll deal with that challenge as and when it comes.
“We know in football nothing’s guaranteed and nothing’s given but we’ll see what the next challenge is, but in the bigger picture, whatever the next challenge is for the football club, we’ll try and tackle it with a lot of humility and with the right values.”
TWTD
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Albert Einstein: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Lets see what changes next season......
If all the set backs make you stronger then please can we beat the scum next season. They have had the bragging rights for far too long. We need to get bragging rights back to Suffolk and show everyone we are ultimately the best team in east anglia. Not saying we are not now but beating scum will prove it even more. I’d love to win promotion again but firstly do what we need to again them budgies. COYB’s
Agree that an important step next season is beating the Budgies. With their new manager (as yet to be installed) it could go two ways for them. They've really fallen away in the second half of the season after being play-off contenders for quite a while, and this might continue. Or, they might profit from the "new manager bounce" and come back strongly. Let's hope for the former, but NUFC are generally a side to be reckoned with in the Championship, so we need to be on our guard.
I just wonder where all these moaning fans think the money is coming from to buy proven Premier league players? The fact is that PROVEN Prem players cost £60 million or more each. We spent £100 million on players to try and survive without risking financial problems. Had we have survived then we would be spending more to improve the squad step by step, The hard cold truth is that the Prem is such a high standard now that you need regular Prem income to establish yourselves. The worst performing club of the Prem regulars are 15 points clear of the three promoted teams and have lost just 15 of their 33 games. So the worst of the Prem are far too good for the best of the Championship, and that happened last year too. The question arising is "Can Championship clubs build to a high enough level to survive in the mega rich Premier league anymore, or is the Premier League becoming a closed shop for the wealthy elite?" FFP was designed to prevent financial dominance but just how much would a promoted club need to spend to survive? Would even £250 million do it these days?
Looking back on this season, the standard for staying in this division has been ludicrously high. Teams that have spent a lot of money (West Ham, Man Utd, Spurs) are all battling it out to not be 17th. Say what you like about the quality of those teams, but two of those clubs are in the Europa semi-final and they have spent astronomically more money than us over on their squads.
I think between now and the end of the summer transfer window might be a bit bumpy, but hopefully we keep most of the squad we have, and are able to revamp the midfield. If McKenna doesn’t go elsewhere then we’ll be odds on to win the championship next season.
@dissboyitfc Come on with the Muric stuff now, why is he hated so much, and Palmer adored? Here is your stats All games (including cup) When Muric stopped playing we had 12 points GD minus 17 He conceeded 33 in 18 But 12 of those goasl were in 4 goal thrashings in 3 games take those "Team Beatings' off his stat is only 21 in 15
Walton coneeded 18 in 7 After Fulham game we had 16 points GD -15 4 Games later we are still on 16 points but GD minus 26
Palmer Joins So far Conceeded 24 in 11 (Including cup) Currently 21 points GD Minus 38 and counting
So Muric - 12 points in 18 Walton - 4 points in 7 Palmer -5 points in 9
So between Walton and Palmer we have made 9 points in 16 games conceeded 42 goals
Muric 12 points in 18 Conceeded 33 but take thec12 goal hammerings off and Muric got us 12 points in 15 games
Take the drubbings off with Walton and Palmer thats still only 9 points in 12 and that's taking off 22 goals in 4 games
So since Muric was dropped and including saints game 9 points in 16 games total Muric 12 in 18 so statistically in points and goals conceeded so far Muric is the better keeper and we only picked up 2 wins 3 draws this year With Muric 2 wins 6 draws hence why he is the better shotstopper and we competed more.
Little Championship stat too When Burnley won promotion from Championship Muric played 41 Clean sheets 19 Goals conceeded 31
Palmer this season in Championship Played 30 conceeded 27 clean sheets 11
So now I've given you all the stats can we stop the Muric nonsense, give him a chance he is a good keeper, rather him I our goal or bench than somebody else's.
Talksport think there will be a manager merry go round with Parker to Tottenham etc and Mckenna is in the mix, will he bail let's see.
On another note this is interesting I have an estate agent friend who couldn't give me name obviously and I wouldn't post but I genuinely don't know but 1 town player has bought a 1 mill pound plus house recently outright, how many of our team could afford that? Phillips maybe
I would like to congratulate km on one of the poorest seasons in itfc history...in particular to the great achievement of one win at home...please take a bow ...
To those too young to remember I would remind you that it took several years for Ramsey, Robson & Burley to put together their teams/squads that eventually brought Town the success that our friends up the A140 will never see. They also faced bumps in the road on the way so don't be too quick to condemn KMK. We've seen remarkable success and progress on and off the pitch with the club over the past couple of seasons and I believe there is more to come, we just need to be a little patient.
I have some empathy for McKenna, selling this narrative isn’t easy.
I can’t imagine there was a an expectation we’d go down. How do Ashton and McKenna sell the ownership group to invest £150 million in players, and give KM a champions league contract .., oh, and there’s a 75% chance we get relegated.
It’s obvious everyone bought in to a high probability of survival and long term growth and development.
And the ‘one step back’ narrative only works if you haven’t invested to that extent.
Otherwise you have to sell players, only the ones good enough by definition leave, and bouncing back isn’t guaranteed.
If Ashton and McKenna thought we might go down.., how did we spend so much, and yet we start next season with just ONE player in the squad that can play in McKennas crucial ‘double pivot’ roles.., and Sam will be 34.
That’s not the contingency of a management team that planned for that outcome.., I’m afraid we as a club we suffered with all the media bubble and hype last summer .
The whole management group and even ownership bought in to Ashton and McKenna being truly elite, and giving them amazing financial support, and they never were at those levels of hype.., as much as that hurts, it’s clearly true. Talented, yes. At these levels, no. Not close either.
If the owners use Luton Town as the benchmark, a club with no legacy investment before promotion, who spent just £25 million, and got 24 points. Which will likely be more than us.., then Ashtons ‘one step back for two forwards’ narrative I suspect will get him short shrift.
Only the internal group know the conversations last summer.., so let’s wait and see.
You don’t spend £150 million, give KM more money than Emry, Howe, Frank, Moyes etc etc .., and end up selling our best players 12 months later, and developing our talent at a level we already know they excel at, where they won’t be tested and improve to the required standards the year after. That doesn’t happen at that level of business.., there’s zero risk management in that plan.
I think as the owners previously said ‘don’t piss in my boots and telling me it’s raining’
The premier league is so good now, you don’t develop talent in the championship to make the adjustment. Maybe when Ashton was at WBA it was a viable strategy.
Look at Lewis Potter. Ripped up the championship, spends two whole years at Brentford adjusting to the level, now he looks good again.
If he was at Hull those years, he wouldn’t be at this level. Same for Bowen too and others. They only grow working at the higher level.
McKenna knows relegation is a disaster for development. He just can’t be honest.
We blew a generational opportunity isn’t good for his career or Ashtons.
He needs to be careful though.
We’ve got a lot worse this season, and he’s in danger of gas lighting very loyal fans who have backed him and backed him, and still do. He still rightly enjoys huge goodwill, but he needs far more honesty in his approach.
Some more honesty and humility wouldn’t go a miss.., mistakes have been made by ME and we learn and adapt.
He doesn’t strike me as being flexible and adapting very much lately. Leif incapable of getting goal side, ever, is a huge coaching failure, of the whole group, for many years, that’s a massive red flag in player development.
He’s still the talented championship manager he was 12 months ago.., not much growth evident so far.
As others have said a considered post Mariner, thanks. Plenty of words will be posted on here over the summer as we all look ahead to '25-26. Nothing is certain re. next season's outcome, but if we've learned from it, as KMcK and everyone we've heard from on here from inside the club have said, then it won't be wasted and we'll be stronger for it. Hopefully we can keep most of the players we'd like to keep and not forgetting that unlike '23-24 we've got Championship experience under our belt (and even got known quantities in Leicester and Soton to renew rivalry with!) let's look forward with confidence.
Mariner1974, great thought out post and I have nothing significant to add as I think you have covered everything other than I've been critical of some of McKenna's team selections and tactics but I couldn't think of and wouldn't want anyone else in charge and although I have no doubt it's going to be harder than many expect we can bounce straight back hopefully more astute and with a bit more savvy to stay there.
Relegation means many changes for many reasons - all this talk about ‘bouncing back’ is essentially ‘pie in the sky’ only, and just that. Look how many teams have struggled to even stabilise in the Championship, least of all bounce straight back as some are predicting. It will be TOUGH !! A MUCH tougher ask, expectancy. and pressure on McKenna and Ashton next season, than this season should have been. Only Idiots, and there were more than a few, predicted at least a Top 6 finish this season - that was NEVER going to happen, or indeed to be even expected - but with the ‘so called’ Best Young Manager, and two previous and consecutive promotions behind him, 17th should reasonably have been a definite. The Club is now NOT in an ideal position, in fact far from it in many ways. The Town itself will feel it too !! Let’s ALL hope the spiral doesn’t Kick In - it’s not unusual - as Tom sang !
Leejames you can qute stats all you like and whilst they may correlate to facts do you not also recognise the term " sliding doors" ? Whilst we haven't been good enough this season, not a pleasant one, but thats also a fact! For me this season has something very much in common with last season, Sarmiento's 97th minute helped promotion, it sealed a belief in both the fans and players, this season our home game went very different and that loss was very significant, had we of won it who knows! And who made 2 errors that day?
I will quote what i believe is a fact, Muric like Sereni was a very expensive mistake!
@dissboyitfc My gosh I've heard some excuses before, when Ipswich played Saints we were already 11 points behind West Ham but ourselves and Leicester only 3 behind Wolves but we still had 42 points to play for. As for the goals how can they be mistakes by Muric? The first goal is the same as every other goal conceeded, up the right, Davis running back, skinned by the winger, ball cut back shot goal, so we don't have to defend no? Second goal again how is that Muric fault, their winger allowed to run at our defence and get a shot away but Muric made a reaction save he did his bit, defenders meant to track their player and I might add had the ball been cut across the other Saints striker had a tap in, look where Davis is! Like Sereni, Muric is taking blame for relegation because once players are adored by Town fans they are untouchable. What was Muric mistake not palming first save away further he isn't a robot and the first goal tgat shot should never of got away and he saw it late!
If your saying Ipswich Town lost momentum that day with 14 games to play I'd say Mckenna had some serious questions to answer to the board. Our season was not defined on one game, we were super lucky to get point at theirs and they beat us and wanted game more, same vs Wolves, that was the game that ended our season. Had we beaten them with the 4 unexpected points vs Bournemouth and Chelsea we would still be very much in the mix to catch West Ham who have a much harder run in o paper and have to play us. If anything we should be piling everything at Newcastle, we beat Spurs away were leading United, leading Chelsea went to pens with Forest. Its a massive ask but get a win and West Ham under massive e pressure, I'd fancy our chances at hone to Brentford and away to Everton and Leicester if we can get past Newcastle, sure its a massive ask now and relying on West Ham losing every game but they have Brighton away, Spurs, Man City and Forest so losing all 4 is a realistic scenario. You never know in football if Newcastle have an off day and we can win it would be all to play for still, take a lead and park the bus. It's a big ask of course but right now still possible, that's the one game on Sat with last bit of hope, we may aswell throw everything at, change formation to baffle them with 2 up top just go 4-4-2 Palmer Tunazane O'Shea Burgess Townsend/Greaves Cajuste Phillips/Taylor Phillogene/Hutchinson J clarke Hirst Delap
Think Morsy needs benched as Newcastle far to good in middle. Take a 1-0 lead and the take off the wingers and a striker put on Woolfenden, Johnson and Enciso go 5-4-1 shut shop boring but need to try something. Stranger things have happened, Everton have nothing to play for, Leicester are down and we can surely take them, Brentford is home advantage and then it's West Ham if we have some fight in tank it can be done if the football gods watching.
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