Ex-Man Utd coach bans Sky Sports News from canteen but unusual methods pay off on team flies
IPSWICH TOWN boss Kieran McKenna has banned players from watching Sky Sports News in the canteen – as he aims to achieve Premier League status.
After five games, Ipswich, who have played outside the Premier League for more than two decades, now sit second in the league.
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The former Manchester United manager always dreamed of becoming a coach at the age of 35, he told the magazine Telegraph in an exclusive interview.
He said, “Why 35?
In December 2021, the former Tottenham star was appointed Ipswich manager – he was 35 and seven months old.
The Suffolk side failed to escape the mid-table position in League One during this time.
But McKenna managed to get promoted back to the championship in his debut season.
The Blues boss suggests the team’s success is down to his unusual method of banning Sky Sports News – the training ground’s main channel – from the TVs in the canteen.
Instead, there are recordings of the day’s training, always filmed by a drone, or highlights of a current game.
According to the Ipswich manager, this allows players to look up and recognize their work and its consequences.
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Mckenna added: “My principles are really, really strong and I don’t think I will ever deviate from them.”
“I believe that you have to try to play football in a certain way. It’s not just about playing from the back or pressing high. I want my team to be excellent in all aspects.”
“This is a progressive club and I know I want to compete at the highest level of the game.
“I want to be at that level again – back to the Premier League and make it to the Champions League.”
McKenna began his football career as a youth player with Northern Irish club Enniskillen Town before moving to Tottenham.
He was on the verge of making the Spurs first team team but moved to coaching at 22 after a long-term hip injury limited his playing career.
This inspired him to continue his coaching career and in 2016 McKenna was headhunted by the Man Utd fan club as U18 coach.