McKenna Celebrates Three Years as Town Boss

McKenna Celebrates Three Years as Town Boss

Today commemorates the third anniversary of the Blues’ appointment of Kieran McKenna as manager.

Following Paul Cook’s dismissal, the Northern Irishman was poached from Manchester United, where he worked as a member of the backroom staff under Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and briefly Ralf Rangnick.

Since then, McKenna, now 38, has orchestrated an incredible turnaround in the Blues’ fortunes, as well as days and nights that no fan will ever forget.

His debut game ended in a 1-0 home win over Wycombe Wanderers, thanks to a James Norwood goal, and Town finished 11th in League One during his first half-season in command.

However, in his first full season as manager, the former Tottenham academy midfielder and coach guided the Blues to promotion from the third tier after four seasons, with Town going on a remarkable run of 13 wins in 14 from late February to secure second place with a stunning 6-0 home victory over Exeter at Portman Road.

Last season, the Blues achieved back-to-back promotions for the first time in their history, finishing second after battling the three relegated former Premier League sides all season, and confirming their promotion from the Championship with another famous Portman Road celebration, this time following a 2-0 defeat of already-relegated Huddersfield.

That success sparked interest from more established teams in the summer, with negotiations reportedly taking place with Brighton, Chelsea, and Manchester United, while Crystal Palace made an offer even before the season ended.

McKenna eventually decided to stay at Town, signing a very expensive new contract that spans until the summer of 2028, ahead of the Blues’ first season back in the Premier League in 22 years.

Despite an unavoidably difficult first few months, Town celebrated McKenna’s third anniversary in charge of the Portman Road club by defeating another WWFC, Wolverhampton Wanderers, 2-1 at Molineux on Saturday, thanks to Jack Taylor’s last-gasp goal, and reached their manager’s three-year milestone while still in contention to retain their hard-earned top-flight status.

McKenna’s overall record as Town manager is 148 games played, 77 wins, 43 draws, and 28 losses, for a win percentage of 52.03, which is higher than that of the club’s most successful managers, Sir Bobby Robson, Sir Alf Ramsey, and George Burley.