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Outside the manager’s office hangs a large framed print of Sir Bobby Robson smiling as he cradles the UEFA Cup and reminding Kieran McKenna each time he opens his door of the footsteps he follows.
Around the corner, another image features Robson’s wonderful team packed with talent and the familiar faces of legends such as Terry Butcher, John Wark and Mick Mills.
Forty years have passed since these glorious times and not everyone finds it useful to cling to the past, but McKenna politely declined the chance to have the photographs taken down when appointed Ipswich Town boss.
Northern Irish Kieran McKenna was appointed manager of Ipswich Town in December 2021
There is a print of Sir Bobby Robson cradling the UEFA Cup outside of McKenna's office
‘It’s the reason we are playing in front of a full house at Portman Road,’ said McKenna, who, having graduated through the coaching ranks of Tottenham and Manchester United, will appreciate the power of history when harnessed properly.
‘It’s the reason we have been taken over by ambitious American owners. It’s because of the success, and the managers and players who have been through here. They have shown the potential, what this club can do and where it can get to when it’s all going in the right direction.
‘It’s the reason I’m here, the reason the players are here. Everyone has the hunger to bring the club back to the highest level and we have to embrace it, take pride in the past while knowing we have to move forward, modernise all areas.’
Mckenna (left) had coaching experience at Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur
Ipswich, finally, are stirring. They have languished outside the Premier League for 20 years and are embarking upon their fourth successive season in League One but hope has been rekindled since a US-based consortium called Gamechanger 20 bought the club in April last year.
They have invested in new players and sit top after nine games, still unbeaten as they prepare for Sunday’s clash at third-placed Plymouth Argyle, and their 36-year-old manager is earning a fine reputation.
The Northern Irishman was linked with the vacancy at Brighton before they opted for Roberto De Zerbi to succeed Graham Potter.
McKenna was linked with the job at Brighton before manager Roberto De Zerbi was appointed
‘It hasn’t felt like a big step,’ McKenna told Sportsmail, 10 months into his first managerial role. ‘It was always the goal from the start of my coaching career at 22. I had the path from that moment and pretty much wrote it down and discussed it. The end goal was always to move into management. As a lead coach at big academies, you are managing players and staff, and building your playing style. A lot of the roles are similar and you develop confidence.
‘I’ve had the exposure at Manchester United, the biggest club in the world, with world-class players in the latter stages of the Champions League and upper echelons of the Premier League.
‘Coming to Ipswich as a manager for the first time, you are in front of the media and the face of the club at times, but day-to-day it’s felt very similar and very natural. It feels like the right time, with the right preparation behind me. I feel fully ready for
