Manager Kieran McKenna says all transfer windows have been tough but this one presented the most challenging situations in pre-season with the Blues going into an important final few days still needing to add to the squad and with more players perhaps moving on.

The summer has seen a number of key members of the team which won back-to-back promotions move on for various reasons, the likes of skipper Sam Morsy, who signed a lucrative two-year deal with Kuwait SC, Massimo Luongo, who was released, Cameron Burgess, who opted to join Swansea City on a free transfer, and Axel Tuanzebe, who departed for Burnley on a similar basis.

Nathan Broadhead left for Wrexham in a £7.5 million rising to £10 million deal and Omari Hutchinson, who signed for Nottingham Forest for £37.5 million last week. Liam Delap moved on for £30 million to Chelsea after one season at the club.

Luke Woolfenden could yet join them in moving on this summer with Coventry and Stoke among a number of Championship sides keen on the centre-half.

Town have added Azor Matusiwa, Ashley Young and veteran keeper David Button on a permanent basis and loanees Cedric Kipre, Jens Cajuste, for a second season and Chuba Akpom.

However, midfield target Hayden Hackney turned the Blues down after a £15 million plus £5 million add-ons fee had been agreed, while a loan move for Como striker Ivan Azon broke down over the weekend.

“I think they have all been tough, just different,” McKenna said when asked if this had been the toughest of his time with the Blues. “Certainly last year was really tough and so was coming to the Championship the first time round.

“I think it has had the most challenging situations to deal with in pre-season - that’s fair to say. We had incredible momentum and kept a core group together. But different situations and challenges, especially the players who have been with you a long time and we all have an affinity to, trying to balance all those things and build a squad that has been through so much change over the last few seasons, that has been a real challenge.

“We can only do our best as a club and try and do the right things - for the club and everyone involved.

“It has been a challenging summer but it was always going to be. That’s the job, it’s about how we come out of those challenges and come out of them in a really strong way, really together and really united. That’s what we need to work towards over the next few weeks.”

He added: “It was always going to be a big priority to keep the core of the group together, but it was always going to be difficult for different reasons.

“Some situations, like Liam and Omari, were always going to be clear and obvious. If you recruit highly talented young players and you do a really good job in developing them, which I think we did as a club, they are probably not going to be with you for their whole careers - even if we had sustained our place in the Premier League. 

“We were sad to lose both, but I think in the sands of time they need to be looked at as success stories for the club - two players who were seen as high fees when they came in that developed really well at the football club and both went for club record-breaking fees. Hopefully, both will go on to have really strong careers.

“With other situations, there are challenges of players who have been with us on a journey from League One. I think it is a fairly unique situation in most cases.

“While our wish, as a club, would be to keep the large majority of that group for continuity and consistency going into this season, you want everyone in the squad to be motivated and want to be here.

“Some fantastic characters, but some have had some life-changing offers, whether that’s financially or fantastic football projects. Different options that those players see as fantastic for their lives and their livelihoods and their futures.

“In that case, it is a very difficult situation for the club. You want to keep the squad together, but you also want players to want to be here and you want the best for those players.

“It’s not an easy situation. For example, the likes of Samy, you’d want him at the club. The centre-half unit has probably lost some experience with Cameron Burgess not being at the club.

“But it’s a free market. Players who have been here for the last few years have done fantastically well for this football club and that’s brought some really top offers for some players.

“We are trying to manage that situation as best as we can, but it’s meant a rather large turnover of the squad in some cases.

“But again, my focus - and that of the club - is that come the end of August we have a really strong squad that have fantastic motivation to help the club with their goals and that want to push themselves on individually and as a club.

“We are not quite where we want to be yet, but the hope is come the end of the transfer window, we will be.”

Quizzed on whether that makes it difficult for him to plan at the present time, he continued: “In terms of the dynamic of the group, you are waiting to see how it settles. From a tactical point of view, you are waiting to see what profiles of player are going to be here.

“We are always a team that has tried build around the strength of the players in terms of how we play. At the moment, we have different relationships on the pitch and people playing perhaps different roles that they haven’t done as much.

“We want to get the group together and really start building those connections on the pitch as well as our structures and patterns to utilise our players we have here.

“That’s a challenge for a lot of managers, to be honest, especially for a team that has come down and especially for a team that climbed so quick and has then come down a division.

“There’s always going to be that element of change and uncertainty through the summer. It’s up to us to make the best of it, deliver the best performances we can and to pick up points.

“We know we will have a lot of work to do in the autumn to pull the group together and build. Everyone is going to have a part to play in that - the players, the staff and also the supporters making the new players feel welcome. As they did against Southampton, they need to really push us on.

“If players give everything on the pitch, like they did last Sunday, the supporters will acknowledge and respect that, even if we don’t always get the win.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the months ahead to pull everyone together and go towards the direction we want to go. It’s a big, big job for everyone.”

Before the autumn work, there is the final stretch of the transfer window, which closes on September 1st.

“The reality is that the last few days are important, but it’s not where my focus is,” he insisted. “As a manager, my focus is on the players we have and not what may or may not come through the door.

“You can pin all your hopes on signing someone for a certain position, thinking it will solve everything and that player could then get injured on the first day.

“What really underpins success is culture, work ethic and the day-to-day process here, pushing ourselves to get better every day.

“To be successful, there is a certain talent level you want and need. To beat the teams we want to beat this season and to be successful over 46 games, you need a certain level of depth, physicality and experience. You need to have all those ingredients.

“But at the end of the day, what will make us successful is not whether we bring in one player or four players in the next week, or whether we lose one player, two players or no players. It’s going to be culture, how we work, how we push and how we do that together.

“That’s where my focus is. Hopefully we have a good last week of the window, but it’s all the other stuff that’s going to make us successful.”

Photo: TWTD

Bert added 17:48 - Aug 21 Transparent, clear and unambiguous. A well summed up situation. We would all prefer to have more signings in and less departures but fingers crossed that we get who we want by the time the window closes. Why we have transfer windows has always been a mystery to me as the disbenefits outweigh the benefits.
6

Bert added 17:48 - Aug 21 Transparent, clear and unambiguous. A well summed up situation. We would all prefer to have more signings in and less departures but fingers crossed that we get who we want by the time the window closes. Why we have transfer windows has always been a mystery to me as the disbenefits outweigh the benefits.
-2

poet added 17:51 - Aug 21 Yes culture is important, but it won’t win you promotion on its own, and at the moment, the strength in depth of the squad isn’t good enough. To be fair with McKenna, he has acknowledged that there’s more work to be done in that department, but with just 11 days to go, we are leaving it very late. In my opinion, missing out in this window, would be pivotal in whether we gain promotion or not, It’s that important. A good example, is only one fit left back in the squad, if that situation stays the same in September, then that’s tantamount to being reckless.

2

ITFCSG added 18:00 - Aug 21 Thought MA was boasting he'd get the deals done early? Obviously it is a challenge signing the right players for the right prices, GC has probably decided to cut costs after the wasteful splurge on players like Muric, J Clarke and Philogene last season all of which to this date have flattered to deceive Also, how did parachute clubs like Burnley, Leeds and even bloomin' newly promoted clubs like Birmingham managed to get their targets in and we are still considering Option C, D and E because A, B and C doesn't want to come? Too picky, aiming too high or just incompetent?

2

ArnieM added 18:07 - Aug 21 Anyone know if we still pay Brighton for access to their data matrix on players? I can't believe how poor we've been this window. We're just not getting players in are we.
1

Billysherlockblue added 18:13 - Aug 21 Let's face it ipswich is a town. Kids want the bright lights. This always going to be an issue.
0

dyersdream added 18:14 - Aug 21 Panic buy time
0

bluesissy added 18:27 - Aug 21 It's been a p#ss poor window so far...no excuses. If it doesn't drastically improve we will be playoffs at best. It's that simple. If hirst gets injured we are f##ked.
0

Cakeman added 18:32 - Aug 21 It seems like players were moving on for differing reasons. Delap and Hutchinson to keep in the Premier League and although the latter was handled badly it was understandable why they wanted out. Others have disappointed me somewhat. Broadhead again I understand he wanted to go back to Wales and in fairness to him for some reason he was never a nailed on starter despite arguably being our most naturally gifted player. Others such as Burgess and Tuanzebe I can only think they were not up for the fight to try to gain promotion again. Have they bettered themselves? Doubtful. I just don’t understand why we cannot attract players of a high standard. Geographically we are not that distant from London or the East Midlands, so I don’t think it’s that. Every summer window has been the same. I just hope we do not end up with new players joining just to fill the squad numbers. I would much rather give game time to the likes of Humphreys, Baggott and Barbrook. Either way we are a long way off being a promotion driving team this season. Finally and I have said this before but is everything ok behind the scenes? I don’t mean the players or coaching staff but from those above including the owners who have been very quiet lately.

0

flykickingbybgunn added 18:38 - Aug 21 Patience. There is a week and a bit to go yet. Judge it at the end of the month.
0

IP9 added 18:49 - Aug 21 Some of the over reactions on here over the past few weeks have been absolutely crazy. Can you. Or remember where we were 5 years ago? Scraping the bottom of the barrel for freebies, languishing in mid table in league one. Now you’re not happy with us not getting every single transfer target, or getting over the line every single rumour of who we’ve been linked with. I think some people need a reality check, take a few steps back, and think of where we have come from and where we’re still on a journey to… progression isn’t always linear, it doesn’t take a rocket science to understand that. Neither does it to know that the more we stick together and show unity, the better we will all be…

4

HighgateBlue added 19:07 - Aug 21 We have a bigger budget than almost all of the teams we are competing with. That is the bottom line. There is no excuse for not getting in what we need to be competitive at the top of the table. Let's judge at the end of the window, but this feels like we're being prepared for disappointment.
2

ArnieM added 19:49 - Aug 21 Quite agree with you. So it beggers the question, WHY cant we sign our primary targets? Something doesnt feel right ....and I have no idea what it is.
2

oioihardy added 20:04 - Aug 21 I dont buy this media soft answer. We have had a YEAR to find a st . We had delap and hirst we knew ali wasnt good enough for prem ..... in summer last year we had 2 prem level st we needed a 3rd in the summer of last year . We still haven't found another st . How can it take over a year to get a 3rd st in the building .
0

OliveR16 added 21:16 - Aug 21 IP9 wrote 'Can you . . . remember where we were 5 years ago?' This kind of comment crops up at times but is invalid. I could reply, 'Can you remember where we were 2 years ago?' Or, as in my case, 'Can you remember where we were 45 years ago?' In any great Football Club the reference point is not only the recent lowest point. The demanding comments are often quite reasonable - for Ipswich Town.

0

BurleysGloryDays added 21:38 - Aug 21 Superb, as always. Like last season, our biggest achievement as a club is keeping KMK. What a legend we have
0

darkhorse28 added 21:45 - Aug 21 If the strategy was to buy young, develop them, and now we’re saying we always thought they’d leave after just 12 months, doesn’t it suggest we k re our long term vision, was doomed to fail before it started. It’s hard to know who’s been fully in control of the long term planning, the owners have left it to Ashton and McKenna woukd be the guess, based on their willingness to sell, it does look like lots of promises were made. That were massively under delivered. A top European level salary for KM and £150 million investment couldn’t have come without a base case if staying up. As good a coach as KM clearly is, there are aspects of management at a stretch level and even at a player man management level, where it’s now obvious he is miles off the level above, and maybe this level too. Ashton obviously woukd have the strategic planning in his job description and it’s completely AWOL. No olanning, no vision, no strategy, no execution. It seems to change day to day now. We just seem to run around trying to sign (talented) players to develop for other people…, loans and players we can’t possibly retain unless they do badly. That’s a recipe for failure. Maybe not today .., maybe not tomorrow.., but failure, guarenteed.., because our completion (not Forest Green and. Cheltenham) do it SO much better. No wonder there’s references back to the third division and trying to compare a club that’s entire history is above that level, with the likes of Plymouth, Forest Green, Cheltenham. It’s sad.., seeing very well laid, top professionals struggle with their ego and make nonsense excuses. They need to look in the mirror. I empathise with Mark and Kieran for the ownership rug pull on finances this summer.., not ideal circumstances. But it’s 100% of their making.., and I empathise with Gamechanger too. You don’t give your manager a wage that even Brighton can’t compete with, and £150 million investment, to be so bad, be relegated without a whimper, and not be able to regain your best 7 players. Player scant wait to get out, and some are for footballing reasons. But some clearly woukd rather be at Wrexham, Swansea. And Stoke/Coventry etc That is a club culture that makes people want to stay. They simply can see the complete lack of vision.., leadership and strategic planning. We knew the finances and league we’d be in back in February! Make it make sense.., Mark spent all summer taking selfies at pop counter ts.., I don’t doubt he can do both, but why put yourself in the way of so many none essential distractions.., it’s amateurish. We were one of the top clubs in world football this time last year. It’s a woeful decline.., even if we have a great season.., this group has much less quality than the one that had the worst points total in the clubs history. It’s a strategic cluster f@ck on the highest order. This is the Mark Ashton that left football entirely at Wycombe. To be fair to him.., his weaknesses have always been obvious and he needed FAR more support from the owners a long time ago. You build and plan, and develop when you are strong, not when you are weak. It’s too late new.., new owners and ideas are our best hope.

0

darkhorse28 added 21:53 - Aug 21 Focus on culture. Our best 7 players didn’t want to be here.., I’d suggest that’s strong evidence that hasn’t worked. Young I’m sure will help.., but you can smell the pure ego. Clue.., if we had a culture where players believed we were getting promoted this season.., our 7 best players wouldn’t have all left, and some of the players to talk to you KM, wouldn’t have walked away and said ‘no thank you’ Culture is vital. Ours isn’t right. As a measur. Clarke and a few others have zero belief. So saying the words is easy, building it, more difficult. KM sounds like a broken soul.., it’s starting to look increasingly like the legacy player like Mass and SAM were FAR more important to that culture, mentality, and motivation than KM ever was. It’s always impossible to tell who is driving a group, there was obviously a leadership group. But KM wasn’t the king pin, the centre of the at group.., he’s just a brilliant coach, and vital cog, but wasn’t the king pin, or even close. This group have looked lost for over 12 months now. And many players are playing well below their best.., including Hutchinson too. KM just can’t get them believing in him, the tactics, each other, and themselves. You don’t build a culture by agreeing to join Brighton…, bagging youself a record pay day, refusing others the same opportunities, and throwing 21 year old players under the bus! That’s not how you build unity.

0

Blogs 298 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls