Ipswich on the up thanks to McKenna's drive to succeed

All the next great managers tend to be described in the same way: obsessive, a perfectionist, a details guy with a personal touch who always remembers the kit man's birthday.

- LAWRENCE OSTLERE

Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna is certainly one of those: he has amassed more points than any manager in English football since taking charge in League One in 2021 and is on the verge of leading Ipswich to back-to-back promotions. A point against Huddersfield today will seal their return to the Premier League after 22 years away.

McKenna has big tactical ideas and a distinctive way to play. He conveys energy and enthusiasm and earns the trust of his players. But what stands out is that, first and foremost, McKenna is a coach: he doesn't just get the best out of players, he makes them better.

His talents were honed during his academy work at Tottenham, Leicester and Manchester United. The blossoming career of Ipswich's prolifically creative left-back Leif Davis tells the story: he is the Championship's top assist-maker and among Europe's most productive players, an attacking full-back who credits McKenna for his rise.

"I can thank him for all the assists because of the way he has helped me improve in the final third of the pitch," Davis told The Athletic. "He has helped me so much in my decision-making and knowing which pass to choose. I'm not just getting my head down and crossing. He's developed me in so many other ways my heading, my one-v-one defending..."

Davis could soon be hurting defences in the Premier League after a transformative three years for Ipswich Town. New American owners began investing in the roots of a club that had long been neglected. Director Ed Schwartz and CEO Mark Ashton sifted through a spreadsheet with 450 names to find the right manager. Ashton, who gave Brendan Rogers his first managerial job at Watford, took another calculated gamble on McKenna.