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Kieran McKenna

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Kieran McKenna
McKenna in 2024
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-05-14) 14 May 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth London, England
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Ipswich Town (manager)
Youth career
1997–2001 Enniskillen Town United[2]
2001–2002 Ballinamallard United
2002–2009 Tottenham Hotspur
International career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2005 Northern Ireland U19 5 (0)
2005–2007 Northern Ireland U21 7 (1)
Managerial career
2015–2016 Tottenham Hotspur U18
2016–2018 Manchester United U18
2021– Ipswich Town

Kieran McKenna (born 14 May 1986) is an English-born Northern Irish professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Premier League side Ipswich Town.

Born in London, McKenna was raised in Northern Ireland and played youth football for Enniskillen Town United and Ballinamallard United before joining Tottenham Hotspur in 2002. McKenna represented Northern Ireland at both under-19 & under-21 level before a hip injury curtailed his playing career.

After studying sports science at Loughborough University, McKenna coached Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at under-18 level, and also worked as a first-team coach and assistant manager at Manchester United before being appointed as manager of Ipswich Town in 2021.

Early life

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McKenna was born in London,[3] and was raised in the Northern Ireland county of Fermanagh.[4]

Playing career

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McKenna began his footballing career as a youth team player at Northern Irish sides Enniskillen Town United and Ballinamallard United.[5][2] He joined Tottenham Hotspur as a youth player in 2002, after signing a scholarship contract with Spurs.[6]

McKenna represented Northern Ireland at both under-19 and under-21 level. He was made captain of Northern Ireland's under-19s side at the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Championship by coach Mal Donaghy.[6] In 2009, at the age of 22, McKenna retired from playing due to an ongoing hip injury which prevented him from making a senior first-team appearance for Tottenham.[5]

Coaching career

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Early roles and development

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After retiring from playing, McKenna started his career in coaching while studying a sports science degree at Loughborough University. During his time studying, McKenna spent time as a youth coach at Tottenham Hotspur, Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, and Canadian side Vancouver Whitecaps.

Tottenham Hotspur

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Upon graduating from Loughborough University, McKenna was hired as the Head of Academy Performance Analysis at Tottenham Hotspur.[7] He was offered the role of Academy Coach at Liverpool,[5] but remained at Spurs, coaching various age groups at the Tottenham Academy set-up, before being placed in charge of Tottenham Hotspur's under-18s side.[8] During his tenure at Tottenham, McKenna guided the under-18s to the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup in 2015.[5]

Manchester United

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In August 2016, McKenna left his role at Tottenham to join the academy set-up at Manchester United, becoming the club's under-18s manager.[9] In his second season in charge of the under-18s, McKenna guided Manchester United to the Premier League Northern Division title.[5]

Along with former United player Michael Carrick, McKenna was promoted to the first-team coaching staff and replaced Rui Faria as José Mourinho's assistant manager, ahead of the 2018–19 Premier League season.[10][11]

Following a poor start to the 2018–19 season, Mourinho left United on 18 December 2018, and was replaced the next day by former United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who was appointed as caretaker manager,[12][13] and retained both McKenna and Carrick in their coaching positions.[13] McKenna was retained in his role by interim manager Ralf Rangnick following Solskjær's departure as United manager in November 2021.[7]

Managerial career

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Ipswich Town

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2021–22 season

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On 16 December 2021, McKenna was appointed as manager of League One side Ipswich Town, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. He officially took charge on 20 December, alongside his assistant Martyn Pert.[14] McKenna's first game in charge of Ipswich saw his side win 1–0 against Wycombe Wanderers at Portman Road.[15] McKenna's first away game in charge was a 4–0 win against Gillingham.[16]

McKenna's arrival saw a quick upturn in Ipswich's form, winning seven of his first ten games in charge, keeping seven clean sheets in the process. Under McKenna, Ipswich went 11 matches unbeaten through February and March, including setting a new club record for not conceding a goal, surpassing the previous record of 547 minutes.[17] Despite the improvement in form, Ipswich failed to reach the League One play-offs, eventually finishing in 11th place in League One. Ipswich ended the 2021–22 season with a 4–0 home win against Charlton Athletic on 30 April.[18]

2022–23 season

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McKenna celebrates Ipswich Town's promotion to the EFL Championship in 2023

During the 2022–23 season, McKenna was awarded the EFL League One Manager of the Month award for March 2023 as his side maintained their automatic promotion push.[19] On 29 April 2023, Ipswich secured promotion to the EFL Championship after beating Exeter City 6–0 at home.[20] He was later awarded the Manager of the Month award for April.[21]

Ipswich finished the season in second place in League One to gain automatic promotion to the EFL Championship, following a 19-game unbeaten run.

At the end of the 2022–23 season, McKenna signed a new four-year contract, extending his stay at Portman Road until 2027.[22]

2023–24 season

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Kieran McKenna is thrown into the air by his Ipswich Town players after leading the team to back-to-back promotions in May 2024
McKenna is thrown into the air by his Ipswich Town players after promotion to the Premier League in 2024

Ipswich started the 2023–24 season well and a run of four wins and a draw saw McKenna pick up the EFL Championship Manager of the Month award for September.[23] He won the award for a second time in March 2024 as Ipswich won four of their five matches in March as Ipswich maintained their automatic promotion push.[24]

McKenna was named as the EFL Championship Manager of the Season for the 2023–24 season as Ipswich finished second in the EFL Championship to win promotion to the Premier League.[25][26][27] McKenna's Ipswich side accumulated 194 points and scored 193 goals over two seasons as they became the first club since Southampton in 2012 to secure back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.[28][29]

Despite being approached by fellow Premier League sides Chelsea and Brighton & Hove Albion,[30] McKenna signed a new four-year contract with Ipswich until 2028.[31]

2024–25 season

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McKenna lost three games in a row for the first time, after a home defeat to Liverpool, an away defeat to Manchester City, and then losing on penalties to AFC Wimbledon in the League Cup. Ipswich picked up their first point of their Premier League campaign with a 1–1 draw with Fulham.[32] His winless run with Ipswich stretched to nine games, after they fell to a home defeat to Everton on 19 October.[33] This was Ipswich's worst start to a season since 2018–19.[34] McKenna's Ipswich then hit the bottom three of the league for the first time that season following a 4–3 loss to Brentford.[35] McKenna picked up his first win in the Premier League in a shocking 2–1 away victory on 10 November against Tottenham Hotspur, bringing Ipswich out of the relegation zone. This was Ipswich's first top flight win since April 2002.[36]

Reception

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Following McKenna's arrival as Manchester United's under-18s manager, Indy Boonen, who was a teenage player for United at the time, praised McKenna by stating, "He changed everything. The way we trained was how the opponent played on the Saturday. If you played against West Brom, you trained how they are and focused on their weaknesses."[5]

Jim Magilton, the Irish Football Association's elite performance director, agreed with Boonen's appraisal of McKenna commenting, "He is a meticulous planner yet every session is spontaneous. Nothing is set in stone. He adjusts the session to how the players are and gets what he wants out of the session. Everything is linked and game related. Nothing is for show – it has to be about the game."[5]

Personal life

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McKenna is married and has two children.[37]

Since his childhood, McKenna has been a supporter of Manchester United, with reports claiming that his love for the club influenced his decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur for the Red Devils in 2016.[5]

McKenna also played Gaelic football for the minors of the Enniskillen Gaels club.[38] In 2024, McKenna was given a Honorary Doctorate by the University of Suffolk.[39]

Managerial statistics

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As of match played 10 November 2024[40]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
P W D L Win %
Ipswich Town 20 December 2021 Present 143 76 42 25 053.15
Total 143 76 42 25 053.15

Honours

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Manager

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Manchester United U18

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Kieran McKenna". Sports Mole. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b "From Enniskillen to Old Trafford: the 32-year-old Fermanagh native who's Jose Mourinho's right-hand man". The42.ie. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Kieran McKenna". Ipswich Town F.C. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  4. ^ "Fermanagh man Kieran McKenna takes up Manchester United role". The Irish News. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Who is Kieran McKenna? All you need to know about the Fermanagh man coaching Manchester United with Solskjaer, Belfast Telegraph, retrieved 4 April 2020
  6. ^ a b "Anthony Martial, Kieran McKenna and how a career trajectory is not a smooth diagonal line to the stars". The Irish Times.
  7. ^ a b "Who is Kieran McKenna? A look at Ipswich Town's new manager". East Anglian Daily Times. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Who is Kieran McKenna? Manchester United coach taking training with Michael Carrick". Sky Sports. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  9. ^ Kilpatrick, Dan (29 August 2016). "Tottenham U18 boss Kieran McKenna joins Man United – sources". ESPN. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  10. ^ Jackson, Jamie (12 May 2018). "Manchester United assistant manager Rui Faria to leave Old Trafford". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  11. ^ "Manchester United coach Kieran McKenna subject of bold prediction". Manchester Evening News. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  12. ^ "Jose Mourinho: Manchester United sack manager". BBC Sport. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  13. ^ a b "Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named Man Utd caretaker manager until end of season". BBC Sport. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Welcome Kieran McKenna". Ipswich Town FC. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Ipswich Town 1–0 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  16. ^ "Gillingham 0–4 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  17. ^ "Morecambe 1–1 Ipswich Town – Match Report". TWTD. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  18. ^ "Ipswich Town 4–0 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Sky Bet EFL March Manager and Player of the Month winners!". www.efl.com. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Ipswich Town 6–0 Exeter City: Tractor Boys promoted to Championship with win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Sky Bet EFL Manager and Player of the Month: April winners". www.efl.com. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  22. ^ Jacob Henderson (16 June 2023). "Kieran McKenna signs new four-year contract". Ipswich Town FC. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Boss wins Manager of the Month prize". www.itfc.co.uk. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  24. ^ a b "KIERAN NAMED MANAGER OF THE MONTH". www.itfc.co.uk. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Kieran McKenna wins the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Season". EFL. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  26. ^ "We Are Premier League!". Ipswich Town F.C. 4 May 2024.
  27. ^ Grunill, Paul (4 May 2024). "McKenna guides Ipswich back to 'promised land'". BBC Sport.
  28. ^ "Ipswich Town Premier League promotion parade sees fans pack streets". BBC News. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Ipswich Town promoted to the Premier League after 22 years away". Sky News. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  30. ^ Steinberg, Jacob (22 May 2024). "Chelsea contact Ipswich about Kieran McKenna as club step up manager hunt". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Kieran signs new four-year deal". Ipswich Town F.C. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  32. ^ Oscroft, Tim (31 August 2024). "Ipswich Town 1–1 Fulham". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  33. ^ "Results and Fixtures for Ipswich Town".
  34. ^ "Paul Hurst sacked as Ipswich Town manager – with Lambert set to take over". 25 October 2018.
  35. ^ "Bees sting Ipswich late on as winless run continues".
  36. ^ https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13250483/tottenham-1-2-ipswich-tractor-boys-shock-spurs-to-record-first-premier-league-win-of-season
  37. ^ Ames, Nick (14 May 2023). "Ipswich's Kieran McKenna: 'It's more satisfying because it's not been easy'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  38. ^ "Big names show support for Fermanagh minors' ItsNotMinorItMatters fundraiser". Hogan Stand. 29 March 2021.
  39. ^ "Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna awarded honorary degree". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
  40. ^ "Managers: Kieran McKenna". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  41. ^ "Kieran Named Manager of the Month". Ipswich Town F.C. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  42. ^ "Boss and Chappers Pick Up EFL Awards". Ipswich Town F.C. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  43. ^ a b "McKenna beats Guardiola and Arteta to win LMA award". BBC Sport. 22 May 2024. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kieran McKenna.
  • Profile at the Ipswich Town F.C. website
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