The football players from Loughborough University were having fun following a victory.
How is working with Kieran McKenna? To learn more, The MEN spoke with two individuals who are acquainted with the intriguing coach.
Happy as they were to enter the dressing room and take showers, one player was being followed into the inner sanctum by a very fervent Kieran McKenna.
McKenna was eager to talk to the athlete and offer advice. He stood next him, completely clothed, as he bathed, wanting to talk about something he’d noticed. The person receiving his message nodded appreciatively and paid close attention to what he had to say.
Professor Chris Cushion tells the Manchester Evening News, “It was a Tuesday night, we’d won, and Kieran was standing next to the guy in the shower and coaching him.”
He made a comment along the lines of, “Maybe next time, let up a little.” As he was washing his hair, the boy said to his supervisor, “That’s really helpful.” That only serves to highlight his passion and intensity.
“Kieran could have probably waited to provide the player that knowledge, but he had no choice but to go into the shower while still dressed and give him advice on how to do better the next time. To be fair, the players never urged him to shut up; instead, they consistently felt that his assistance was greatly appreciated.”
It has already been almost ten years after McKenna’s Loughborough graduation. With Ipswich Town, he won a second straight promotion into the Premier League this season, solidifying his standing as one of the most dynamic and skillful young coaches in the league.
McKenna, Eric Ramsay, a former United coach, and Matt Prestridge, a Premier League first-team coach at Sheffield United, were among the Loughborough coaching alumni.
“A group of them demonstrated a strong commitment to coaching and honing their art. “They’ve all gone on to get fantastic jobs in football,” adds Cushion, who continues to work at the esteemed university with an emphasis on athletics.
“You’re really proud of them for succeeding so well—watching them become accomplished coaches and change the game.” I’ve been a coach for thirty years, and even back then, it was evident that Kieran had skill and that, given the right circumstances, he would succeed. He was distinctive.”
After being cruelly forced to withdraw from professional athletics at the age of 22, McKenna attended Loughborough University to study sports science and then went on to pursue a career as a coach.
“He was a very talented midfielder and unfortunate with his hip injury,” said Cushion. “He played professionally with Tottenham, where he was well-liked. He plunged himself into the coaching space after graduating from university because of their immense admiration for him, which guaranteed him a job after that.”
Following his return to Tottenham following his first-class university degree, McKenna was given the chance to join Manchester United. He was appointed manager of the team’s Under-18 squad before being elevated to the first-team coaching staff by Jose Mourinho.
After Mourinho left, Solskjaer kept him on and he also worked under temporary manager Ralf Rangnick before taking the Ipswich managerial position, which was his first.
McKenna led Ipswich out of the lowest spot in League One, into the Championship, and then into the Premier League in just two and a half seasons after leaving United.
The Tractor Boys have made incredible progress, and McKenna—who just turned 38—deserves all the praise. He will begin the upcoming Premier League season as the youngest manager by a significant margin.
He’s seen as one of football’s top coaching prospects because of his work with Ipswich, but Cushion, who recognized his talent from the start, hasn’t been surprised by his success.
“He was a student of the game, very invested in understanding it and tactical ways of playing,” says Cushion. “He would formulate plans, consider counterstrategies, and assemble team formations.
“Back then, he was quite strategic, and I believe that’s evident in the way Ipswich plays now—they’re really well-organized both with and without the ball. I have no doubts about his organized style of play, as seen by his interviews, and the players are aware of it as well.
“He had an almost compulsive zeal for the game and was extremely eager to grow personally. He was also constantly considering methods to better.
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