On what basis is ETH a 'top class manager'? Because he won the league in Eredivisie and once had a good cup run?
Kieran McKenna | Ipswich manager
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Performances in Europe? He reached the highest level with Ajax since 1995.
The United job is just too big for him.
What do you mean by 'he reached the highest level with Ajax since 1995'? And you think his performances in Europe put him in the 'top class' category?
Absolutely loving the love in for McKenna & frothing at the mouth to bring him back after he was dismissed as a “PE Teacher” this will never get old for me
Why is this funny? I was not one of those people, but: what's wrong with people changing opinions and admitting they were wrong? Getting a club promoted from League One and having them first in the league in the Championship the very next season is seriously impressive. It's not like he's got a really great crop of players who are all absolutely destined for PL football, either.
To see that, and acknowledge the job he is doing, even if you initially misjudged his [mostly unquantifiable] role here, is just... kind of being an adult?
You don't have to staunchly hold incorrect opinions in perpetuity.
It's a relevant point but McKenna also did really well in League One, it's not too dissimilar from Eddie Howe's ascent at Bournemouth. I don't think we'll appoint McKenna any time unless things get really desperate.
I honestly don't know if it is, if he hadn't opted to go for this suicidal 1 man midfield then he'd probably be having a fairly comfy season. Then again opting for this 1 man midfield in the first place could be an indication he's out of his depth.
It’s laughable because it was never an opinion.
People shat on him and Carrick just for the sake of it, just because they wanted heads to roll, and formulated their « opinions » based on absolutely nothing.
So yeah, the turnaround in « opinions » is nothing more than the other side of the same coin where people overreact to everything
I remember @RedSky hated them because they were letting Solskjaer down.
Completely agree. It's almost as if football is a fluid game that has loads of variables and ups and downs.
If you are calling someone a PE Teacher in the first place, it just means you are an idiot. Jibes like that against anyone are pathetic. People changing opinions is fine but if you were calling him a PE Teacher and now you are advocating his return for United that is funny.
Great post however, thats the problem with this forum and social media in general. Its all or nothing, there's never any nuance, someone is either world class/elite or useless. EtH before coming here was the former, now he's very much considered by many to be the latter.
I suppose its not about changing opinions, but pretending you didnt hold the opinion in the first place
Spot on. There's next to no middle ground when it comes to managers on here.
Nail meets head.
Fair responses. I have honestly wiped a lot of the end of the Ole era from my memory (owing to the depressive state it was) so I don't remember the full extent of the comments.
Same people? You keep track of posters opinions on different matters?
Certain names keep popping up. Glad to see they now view him as the messiah.
I think it's likely he was the one letting them down, especially McKenna who seemed to be the brains of the coaching staff.
Par for the course on here I'm afraid.
Yes all of that makes him way out of league for McKenna and also - Ten Hag made a pretty horrible United finish 3rd and win a cup last year, beyond all expectation.
I have a lot of criticism for Ten Hag but comparing him to McKenna is not serious. Maybe McKenna in 5 years but I personally doubt McKenna will reach those levels
This place NEVER ceases to amaze. He was regularly rubbished as of Ole's assistants on here. Now y'all want to pretend to rate him. Even daring to place him in ETHs league. Pure madness....
Indeed. A house of hypocrites we have aplenty in hereAbsolutely loving the love in for McKenna & frothing at the mouth to bring him back after he was dismissed as a “PE Teacher” this will never get old for me
The two aren't even close in comparison, Burnley were the big club with big resources after dropping down from the Premiere league after many years and were in competition with the likes of Sheffield Utd and Luton, the other was promoted from League One and is in competition with Leeds, Leicester and Southampton.
At the very least though he needs to finish this season, he could end up doing amazing and pipping Leicester to the title or he could just as easily capitulate under the pressure and end up not even getting promoted after losing in the play offs.
Can you even name one person that wants him here now that said he was useless when he was Ole's assistant?
Yeah, I seriously doubt they were 'opinions', more just things people say for effect.
I'll never understand how anyone on here feels they have any clue what our coaching staff are responsible for, or how good/bad they actually are.
Exactly. McKenna would be the wrong choice as the next Utd manager anyway. I would want him to prove himself in the Premier first. Look who ran away with the Championship last season and where is his team now?
at this point why not haha. Def would need us to fix the structure this season before he arrives. Whatever manager comes in i hope the club lets them have a completely clean slate. No more trying to fit round pegs into square holes. Move on from Rashford and bruno and this whole counter attack hollywood style crap where we have no control of anything. Seems like Ipswitch play nice footy i want to see nice footy
Ole confirmed in club interviews that McKenna and Carrick lead training, he would tell them how he wanted the team to play but he was hands off, as he was at Molde and it is the style of manager he think works best.
If someone told you Pool had just hired a new manager but he wasn't going to be hands on + they had hired two up and coming, highly rated coaches from the Championship to run their day to day training, it would seem a bit weird. That's basically what we did. Fantastic experience for both of them and no doubt incredibly useful for them to draw on here but the club let itself down putting so much responsibility in the hands of two very green coaches who sat under an underqualified manager.
I really hope we see both Carrick and McKenna push into the PL with their current teams and make a name for themselves. If Ratcliffe comes in, we will go to a head coach system like Chelsea have in my opinion, in which case maybe we would look for a younger more progressive coach who wouldn't necessarily need to have won major trophies.
Fergie the same in later management years with René I believe?
Yes SAF basically went through the full cycle, by the end Rene or Queiroz were leading the day to day, he was running the club and managing the players. Personally I think that's what really separates him from the rest, to be at the same club and put up with the pressure (something it seems no modern managers can do anymore) but constantly evolve without the ego to think he knew best + trust others with different approaches in order to build very different teams over the years.
Nothing against McKenna, I think he is doing an amazing job at Ipswich, but I wouldn't have him at United.
Not because he's not good enough, but because we have no footballing structure and our standards are piss poor. Any manager attempting to rectify that without the backing from the higher ups is doomed to fail. Until we sort our footballing structure, I don't want any promissing manager near the United job
Nearly 60% win percentage. Took over Ipswich when they were 12th in League One (2 years ago, in december), now they're 2nd in the Championship, with a 10-point lead over 3rd-placed Leeds. Even with the lack of experience as a manager, I'd happily give him a go to be honest, and then hopefully Radcliffe can sort out the structure.
Mckenna needs to choose his next steps carefully.
Make a wrong decision over the next 18 months and you are never be considered for even a medium sized job again.
He presumably can't carry on this constant rise with Ipswich so will ultimately need to leave to achieve his ambitions. I'd like to see him have a couple of years managing in Europe before giving him serious consideration for the United job.
Make a wrong decision over the next 18 months and you are never be considered for even a medium sized job again.
He presumably can't carry on this constant rise with Ipswich so will ultimately need to leave to achieve his ambitions. I'd like to see him have a couple of years managing in Europe before giving him serious consideration for the United job.
I have been following McKenna’s Ipswich fortunes closely ever since he joined them as I rated him highly before but I never knew he was this good. I’m not gonna say I have watched every ipswich match full 90 minutes but I have seen a few and I can tell you about the passing of that team. It’s so crisp, so confident, so clean. It’s sometimes direct sometimes transition. Feels like they know every type of football I swear. One thing also I have noticed is that they always make space to carve out chances. The belief in that team is running so strong to the point they even score absolute worldies every now then. Reminds of a bit of klopp’s Liverpool of 2017-20.
He needs to test himself into another job at a higher level before he can even remotely be considered for the Utd job.
Once you build momentum in the FL, it's quite easy to ride the wave and go up the table/leagues. It will be interesting to see how he fares in another job or if he hits a tough run with Ipswich. Wilder did it with Sheff Utd and looked like a terrific manager but he hasn't done to well in his jobs since.
Once you build momentum in the FL, it's quite easy to ride the wave and go up the table/leagues. It will be interesting to see how he fares in another job or if he hits a tough run with Ipswich. Wilder did it with Sheff Utd and looked like a terrific manager but he hasn't done to well in his jobs since.
Because most of them don’t acknowledge that they were wrong? They just plough on as if nothing happened. But that’s football fans for you. Complain about nothing, then overhype
I wouldnt insult him by putting him in ETH's league
Getting an absolute footballing lesson from Farkes Leeds today.
Not really a surprise considering the difference in wages and transfer fees of the two clubs.
Really? Considering Ipswich are second in the table, ahead of Leeds, yet now find themselves 3 down and could have been more?
McKenna certainly has Ipswich punching well above their weight, but this is a poor show so far today, interesting how they approach the second half, looks like they are going for it.