Kieran_McKenna

Kieran McKenna

Kieran McKenna

Association football manager (b. 1986)

Kieran McKenna (born 14 May 1986) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player, who is currently the manager of EFL Championship side Ipswich Town.

Quick Facts Personal information, Date of birth ...

Early life

McKenna was born in London but was raised in the Northern Irish county of Fermanagh.[3]

Playing career

McKenna began his footballing career as a youth team player at Northern Irish sides Enniskillen Town United and Ballinamallard United.[4][2]

He joined Tottenham Hotspur as a youth player in 2002, after signing a scholarship contract with Spurs.[5]

He 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.[5]

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.[4]

Coaching career

Early roles and development

After retiring from playing, McKenna started his career in coaching whilst 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

Upon graduating from Loughborough University, McKenna was hired as the Head of Academy Performance Analysis at Tottenham Hotspur.[6]

McKenna was offered the role of Academy Coach at Liverpool,[4] 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.[7] During his tenure at Tottenham, McKenna guided the under-18s to the semi-final of the FA Youth Cup in 2015.[4]

Manchester United

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.[8] In his second season in charge of the under-18s, McKenna guided Manchester United to the Premier League Northern Division title.[4]

McKenna coaching Manchester United U18 in 2017

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.[9][10]

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,[11][12] and retained both McKenna and Carrick in their coaching positions.[12] McKenna was retained in his role by Interim Manager Ralf Rangnick following Solskjær’s departure as United manager in November 2021.[6]

Managerial career

Ipswich Town

2021–22

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.[13]

McKenna's first game in charge of Ipswich saw his side win 1–0 against Wycombe Wanderers at Portman Road.[14] McKenna's first away game in charge was a 4–0 win against Gillingham.[15]

McKenna's arrival saw a quick upturn in Ipswich's form, with the team's results and performances much improved. Ipswich won seven of McKenna's first 10 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.[16]

Despite the improvement in form, Ipswich were unable to make up the ground required 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.[17]

2022–23

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.[18] On 29 April 2023, Ipswich secured promotion to the EFL Championship after beating Exeter City 6–0 at home.[19] He was later awarded the Manager of the Month award for April.[20] Ipswich finished the season in second place in League One to gain automatic promotion to the EFL Championship, following a 19-game unbeaten run.[21]

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

Ipswich started the 2023–24 season in impressive fashion following their return to the EFL Championship, following a run of four wins and a draw, this 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, keeping up the pressure in the hunt for automatic promotion.[24] McKenna was named as the Championship Manager of the Season for the 2023–24 season.[25]

Reception

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."[4]

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."[4]

Personal life

McKenna is married with two children.[26]

Since his childhood, McKenna has been a supporter of Manchester United, with reports claiming that his love for the club persuaded his decision to leave Tottenham Hotspur for the Red Devils in 2016.[4]

Furthermore, McKenna also played underage Gaelic football for the Enniskillen Gaels club.[27]

Managerial statistics

As of match played 13 April 2024 [28]
More information Team, From ...

Honours

Manager

Manchester United U18

Ipswich Town

Individual

References

  1. [1]
    "Kieran McKenna - SportsMole". www.itfc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  2. [2]
    "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. [3]
    "Fermanagh man Kieran McKenna takes up Manchester United role". The Irish News. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  4. [4]
    Who is Kieran McKenna? All you need to know about the Fermanagh man coaching Manchester United with Solskjaer, Belfast Telegraph, retrieved 4 April 2020
  5. [5]
    "Anthony Martial, Kieran McKenna and how a career trajectory is not a smooth diagonal line to the stars". The Irish Times.
  6. [6]
    "Who is Kieran McKenna? A look at Ipswich Town's new manager". East Anglian Daily Times. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  7. [7]
    "Who is Kieran McKenna? Manchester United coach taking training with Michael Carrick". Sky Sports. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  8. [8]
    Kilpatrick, Dan (29 August 2016). "Tottenham U18 boss Kieran McKenna joins Man United – sources". ESPN. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  9. [9]
    Jackson, Jamie (12 May 2018). "Manchester United assistant manager Rui Faria to leave Old Trafford". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  10. [10]
    "Manchester United coach Kieran McKenna subject of bold prediction". Manchester Evening News. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
  11. [11]
    "Jose Mourinho: Manchester United sack manager". BBC Sport. 18 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  12. [12]
    "Ole Gunnar Solskjaer named Man Utd caretaker manager until end of season". BBC Sport. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  13. [13]
    "Welcome Kieran McKenna". Ipswich Town FC. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  14. [14]
    "Ipswich Town 1–0 Wycombe Wanderers". BBC Sport. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  15. [15]
    "Gillingham 0–4 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  16. [16]
    "Morecambe 1–1 Ipswich Town - Match Report". TWTD. 26 February 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  17. [17]
    "Ipswich Town 4–0 Charlton Athletic". BBC Sport. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  18. [18]
    "Sky Bet EFL March Manager and Player of the Month winners!". www.efl.com. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  19. [19]
    "Ipswich Town 6–0 Exeter City: Tractor Boys promoted to Championship with win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  20. [20]
    "Sky Bet EFL Manager and Player of the Month: April winners". www.efl.com. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  21. [21]
    "Fuller Flavour: Why no-one outside Town will ever understand our incredible journey". 16 May 2023.
  22. [22]
    Jacob Henderson (16 June 2023). "Kieran McKenna signs new four-year contract". Ipswich Town FC. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  23. [23]
    "Boss wins Manager of the Month prize". www.itfc.co.uk. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  24. [24]
    "KIERAN NAMED MANAGER OF THE MONTH". www.itfc.co.uk. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  25. [25]
    "Kieran McKenna wins the Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Season". EFL. 14 April 2024. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
  26. [26]
    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.
  27. [27]
    "Big names show support for Fermanagh minors' ItsNotMinorItMatters fundraiser". Hogan Stand. 29 March 2021.
  28. [28]
    "Managers: Kieran McKenna". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  29. [29]
    "Fleetwood Town 2–2 Ipswich Town". BBC Sport. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  30. [30]
    "Kieran Named Manager of the Month". Ipswich Town F.C. 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  31. [31]
    "Boss and Chappers Pick Up EFL Awards". Ipswich Town F.C. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
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