Kieran McKenna, Sir Alf Ramsey, Sir Bobby Robson... anyone else?
On occasion, Ipswich Town has given young, hopeful managers their first chance in a prominent role, and they have gone on to achieve spectacular success. Despite the fact that he lacked required qualifications and had little coaching experience at the time, the Tractor Boys offered Ramsey his first management position when they were relegated to division three. The club won the Debut Division title in his first season as manager, seven years after joining them from the lower division. Without a doubt, he would go on to guide England to their lone World Cup title in 1966.

If Ramsey is recognized as England's greatest ever manager, Robson will be hailed as the second-best manager in the country's history. He was fired less than a year after starting his first position in England because he was unable to prevent Fulham from getting relegated. A chance to play for Ipswich was given to him, and the Suffolk club was revived as a contender. While at Portman Road, he finished second in the league twice, won the UEFA Cup, and won the FA Cup before departing to join the Three Lions.

It is unlikely that any new manager will achieve the universal acclaim and beloved position that those two men did, but McKenna would welcome the opportunity to use Ipswich as a springboard for his own managerial career.

It has been a year since Ipswich Town were relegated to League One after finishing bottom of the Championship. For a club of this caliber, it was assumed that they would return to the Premier League immediately. However, as the likes of Sunderland, Portsmouth, and Bolton Wanderers have experienced, the third division can be a difficult place to climb out of.

On December 4, Paul Cook was fired by his club after his team won only twice in nine games and began to fall down the standings. He was the latest manager to fail at the difficult assignment this season. An emotional farewell to Manchester United had been addressed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer twelve days previously, following a run of poor results that all but destroyed United's title challenge.

In addition to being a significant position in the Norwegian's coaching staff, McKenna was also a key figure in Jose Mourinho's coaching staff before him. He was highly regarded for his tactical nous after rising through the ranks at Manchester United. His role was to assist caretaker manager Michael Carrick in keeping the ship afloat and achieving some positive outcomes while a replacement was sought. The interim coach, Ralf Rangnick, was hired to replace Carrick until the conclusion of the season, and Carrick was able to leave with his head held high.

Ralf Rangnick and Kieran McKenna.

After working alongside the German to help him adjust to life in Manchester for a short period of time, McKenna joined him in the dugout for his first three matches, then the position at Ipswich opened up. It became quickly apparent that McKenna was the preferred choice for the position. The company gave him permission to speak with them about the position, and on December 16, he was officially confirmed as the company's 19th manager in its history. After taking over, his team was in 12th place in the table, and while they have only risen three spots since then, there has been a noticeable improvement in their performance.

Ipswich had only gathered 28 points from 22 games prior to McKenna's debut, but they have now amassed 33 points in only 17 games since his arrival. With seven games remaining, they are just six points away from the play-offs, but there is still a slim chance of promotion. It would be a monumental task to get there, but the fact that it is even a remote possibility is a testament to the work McKenna has put in during his first managing position.

McKenna's style of play, results, and atmosphere at Portman Road have all improved, according to Stuart Watson of the East Anglian Daily Times, who spoke to the Manchester Evening News.

It has been a pleasure to see the sport in this style. " Those who are interested should watch the highlights of the 4-0 victory over Gillingham - some of the one-touch football that led to goals in that game was excellent. In terms of fundamental possession principles - Ipswich have been averaging close to 600 passes per game - McKenna has been unambiguous, but working from a 3-4-3 formation, he has rotated forwards and devised unique game plans.

The atmosphere in the club, as you might expect in light of everything that has transpired, is extremely favorable. "The number of people in attendance routinely exceeds 20,000."

McKenna is still only 35 years old, but he has already established a successful coaching career, having worked with Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, and the Vancouver Whitecaps, all while pursuing a degree in Sports Science at Loughborough University. Following graduation, he became a permanent member of the Tottenham team, first serving as the Head of Academy Performance Analysis before taking over as manager of the Under-18s. The next year, he joined Manchester United, where he worked with the junior teams before being elevated to the senior coaching staff by Jose Mourinho in 2018. He remained with United in a coaching capacity for the following four years.

Making the transition from being part of the background team to being the man in command may seem frightening, but McKenna is looking forward to the challenge and is looking forward to being in charge.

"Yeah, I've really liked it," the Northern Irishman told the MEN after his first defeat as manager, against Bolton Wanderers, on January 15. Since then, he has only lost once more in the league, to Blackburn Rovers on February 5.

We're still very much a team here, and when you're a coach like I was at United, you're part of a staff team, and now I'm working with a staff team here as well." As a result, I'm loving my time spent with them. However, the ultimate responsibility for certain matters rests with me.

That has been a pleasure for me, as has been leading the players, and considering the club from a broader perspective in order to see how we can enhance things on the training ground. Working extremely hard with other members of the club to figure out how we can make some improvements in the long run is a priority. I have enjoyed attempting to develop the team on the training field and improve their performances on the field in order to achieve positive outcomes, however this has been a short-term endeavor.

Ipswich are on the way up under McKenna

"So, yeah, it's been a pleasure, and hopefully I'll be here for a long time, and we'll be able to develop the club in the correct path," he says.

The Iron have won seven of their last 13 games, drawn five others, and suffered a close defeat to fellow playoff contenders Sheffield Wednesday in their third encounter since that first defeat in his third match - after winning their first two games by an aggregate score of 5-0. McKenna has quickly gained the trust of the Ipswich fans as a result of the club's turnaround, even if a promotion from League One is doubtful this season.

Watson believes that McKenna's frank honesty, as well as his great eye for finding and implementing any minor edge his squad can potentially capture, have gained the trust of players and spectators alike.

'From day one, there was a distinct self-confidence that he was ready for this chance,' he says of McKenna's demeanor in his first job as a boss, which he attributes to years of mastering his trade at premier clubs.' "However, that belief is conveyed in a pleasant, humble, and understated manner."

Calm, considered, methodical, and logical are just a few of the adjectives that have been used to define the Northern Irishman on numerous occasions. In the short term, he's already looking for ways to improve the training ground's flow and the pitch's size, as well as the team's transportation. Players and spectators alike have embraced his approach of being upfront, honest, and forthright in his communication.

In comparison to his more experienced predecessors at Portman Road, such as Roy Keane, Paul Jewell and Mick McCarthy, as well as former manager Paul Lambert and former manager Paul Cook: "He obviously has a very different personality."

When it comes to people to learn from, McKenna has had a lot of them during his coaching career, and some of them are clearly still supportive of him now. Both Solskjaer and Carrick attended Ipswich's away encounter against Doncaster Rovers on February 8 to show their support for their former colleague as his team triumphed 1-0. This was their first public appearance since leaving Old Trafford in December.

Afterwards, McKenna said of the players, "They're clearly two terrific footballers, two Champions League winners, but they're also two good friends and two Ipswich Town supporters now." "Their interest in the games has been piqued by the use of iFollow, and I believe they have expressed a desire to visit Portman Road at some point in the future.

"They arrived at the hotel this afternoon and met with a few of the players and members of the team's management team. They went out of their way to make the trip, and I'd like to thank them for it. Two colleagues who also happen to be two good pals The two of us are in touch and talk about football as well as other topics. Likewise, they have been quite supportive of both myself and Martyn (Pert). For Ipswich Town, it means two additional supporters."

McKenna, on the other hand, is determined to follow his own instincts and be himself in the part, despite the advice he has received from numerous former coworkers. In an interview with the MEN, he said that he had sought guidance from "a number of individuals," with Ole among them.

"As well as a large number of other individuals with whom I have worked. You gain a diverse variety of experience when you've been coaching for as long as I have; you've worked with a diverse range of people and gained a great deal from each one. But, at the end of the day, it's critical to be yourself and to put your own unique stamp on everything.

"I believe that being myself and being truthful is my primary goal. Going after what I want and seeing things through my own eyes. Ultimately, I have confidence that this will lead to the gains that we want to see as a team and as a club."

So McKenna has been in his first managerial position for a little over three months, and things are going well for him now that he is out of the shadow of Manchester United. With three of the top four still to play in the remaining six games of the season - the first of which is against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday - Ipswich face a difficult final stretch. However, for the first time in a long time, there is reason to be optimistic.

As Watson puts it, "Even if Ipswich finally fall short." The club, which was purchased by a group of ambitious Americans last year, appears to be headed in the right way, according to the analyst.

Because of what McKenna has been able to pull out of the group he inherited, it is fascinating to imagine what he could be able to do in the summer transfer window, which will be backed by the club's management.

McKenna watches his team in action at Portman Road

When Watson was asked how far he believed McKenna could progress in the game based on his initial view, he responded as follows: "Who knows what will happen? Even with a strong start, it is important to remember that senior management has only played 16 games thus far. There will be greater pressures in the future.

"There's no doubt in my mind that he has the personality traits and coaching skills to be a real success in the modern game, though. As evidenced by Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, Ipswich Town has a long history of giving new managers their first managerial opportunity. Let's hope this is a marriage made in heaven.

In the event that McKenna does go on to greater and better things in the future, it will be because he has left Ipswich Town in a better situation.