Sam Morsy gives his insight into Kieran McKenna’s methods at Ipswich Town

It came as a very large surprise when Paul Cook was dismissed as Ipswich Town manager this season and that shock was only increased when he was replaced by Kieran McKenna.

McKenna arrived in Suffolk with no managerial experience having previously worked as a first team coach at Manchester United.

The Tractor Boys’ performances and results on the pitch have gone up a level since McKenna walked through the door, offering some vindication for the left field appointment.

It may be narrowly too late for Ipswich to break into the play-offs this season, but that said they will be a menacing prospect next season if they do run out of games in this campaign.

Sam Morsy explained how McKenna has been so successful since arriving in the dugout when he was interviewed on The Totally Football League Show.

He said: “Brilliant from day one, his meetings, his level of detail, what he wants and the structure has been really eye-opening to me.

“People say he’s inexperienced for this role, but he’s been preparing for this for the last ten to 13 years, he’s definitely not inexperienced and you can see that he’s learnt from the best.

“He’s got everyone firing, everyone’s really enjoying it, they know their roles and everyone’s improving.”

McKenna seems to have embraced Ipswich’s deep squad more than Paul Cook did, creating a greater sense of cohesion and harmony off the pitch to produce better performances on it.

The Verdict

It is a great first opportunity in management for McKenna.

Ipswich are a huge club for League One level and have the finances to compete right towards the top of the division.

Working at Manchester United, where the expectations and demands are always so high, will have certainly prepared McKenna well for the atmosphere