After Brighton’s hard-fought 3-2 home victory over Tottenham, moving the Seagulls into sixth place, two points clear of their North London opponents, fans have already been waxing lyrical over the impact of new boss Fabian Hurzeler.
But things could have been so different back in May. The 2023/24 Premier League season had drawn to a close, Albion were without a manager after Tony Bloom and Roberto De Zerbi negotiated a mutual parting of the ways and their number-one target was seemingly Ipswich Town boss, Kieran McKenna.
SOURCE: Photo
In fact, for the best part of a week after Ipswich celebrated promotion back to the Premier League for the first time in over two decades, McKenna seemed destined for the Amex Stadium hotseat.
However, a last-minute change of heart saw the Northern Irishman stay true to Town, signing a new four-year contract at Portman Road.
SOURCE: Photo
It was interesting to see Ipswich and McKenna up close in our recent goalless draw in game week four. They defended resolutely and made life as difficult as possible for the Seagulls. However, they remain one of the prime candidates to return to the EFL Championship next season.
McKenna’s Tractor Boys are currently priced as -125 third favourites for relegation with bet365. The Stoke-on-Trent-based bookmaker is one of the oracles of English football odds, but it’s also made its name in other sports betting markets, most notably in North America. The bet365 Ontario platform is one of the most respected platforms licensed by iGaming Ontario.
What’s happened to Ipswich since the draw at the Amex?
The draw at the Amex was part of a four-game unbeaten run for Ipswich, who also drew with Fulham, Southampton and Aston Villa in that period.
However, their recent 4-1 loss at West Ham highlighted some possible shortcomings of McKenna’s managerial style.
The former Manchester United assistant manager has remained wedded to his style of play and philosophy that saw Ipswich blast through League One and the Championship in successive seasons.
This includes passing the ball out from the back to invite (and beat) the press, in a very similar style to Roberto De Zerbi.
However, Ipswich don’t appear to have the personnel to maintain this approach home and away. All too often the West Ham forward line pressurised the Ipswich defence and goalkeeper, Aro Muric, into sloppy errors which culminated in at least two of the four goals conceded at the London Stadium.
Hurzeler played a similar high line against Town, but found Muric in unstoppable form that afternoon.
There’s a general feeling that McKenna will need to adopt a somewhat more pragmatic approach if Town are to pick up many more points on the road this season.
It’ll be fascinating to see whether he has the bravery to tweak things or risk his team experiencing the same fate of Burnley last season, who arrived in the top flight playing a similarly swashbuckling attacking style and never veered from it.
Time will tell if McKenna has what it takes to keep Ipswich in with a fighting chance of Premier League survival. As Brighton fans, we know all too well how difficult the first couple of seasons are in establishing yourself.
If McKenna manages it at Portman Road, he’ll surely be destined for even bigger things than Ipswich and Albion.
