Making hay and loving it
TRACTOR BOYS CHIEF IS LAPPING UP PLAUDITS
FANCY that – on the same weekend as the Old Firm squabble north of the border, it’s the Old Farm skirmish at Letsby Avenue.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking the battle for supremacy in the East Anglia derby is more subdued than its Glaswegian cousin.
This is the fixture where Ipswich legend Terry Butcher kicked a hole in the away dressing room door after their Milk Cup semi-final defeat at Norwich in 1985.
When manager Bobby Ferguson came in to commiserate with his players and inspected the damage, so the story goes, Butcher was still ‘wearing’ the missing part of the door around his ankle.
It’s 15 years since the Tractor Boys held sway, including a painful play-off semi-final defeat in 2015.
But under Kieran McKenna’s inspired leadership, Ipswich are top of the Championship and on course for back-to-back promotions.
But the former Manchester United coach is flattered by the suggestion that if they clinch a return to the top flight after a 20-year hiatus, they would be the people’s champions.
“The feedback from people within the game, who have enjoyed watching the team play, has been really nice,” said the Ipswich boss.
“It’s a healthy thing for the English game to show that clubs can be upwardly mobile.
“Within the current financial regulations it would be impossible to stick to them by going out and signing players for £20-30m, so we’ve had to do it a different way. To step up from League One and be competitive in the Championship, with a style of play people have enjoyed, is gratifying.
“That sort of trajectory will hopefully give a lot of clubs belief and give supporters a reason to dream.”
Ipswich would be a welcome addition to the top flight.
This is the club where statues of two revered former England managers, Sir Alf Ramsey and Sir Bobby Robson, stand like sentries from a golden age.
McKenna has a portrait of Robson on his office wall and he added: “I’d like to think every player and manager comes into work every day here recognising the size of the club and its place in the Suffolk community as a one-club county, where Ipswich Town is one of the jewels at the centre of it.
“This is a club with great history and tradition we’re proud to represent.”
Ipswich have become late-show specialists, scoring 25 goals in the last 15 minutes of games this season.
McKenna learned from the master in Sir Alex Ferguson and added: “It’s something we’re proud of because it doesn’t happen by accident.
“In such a tight league where the margins are so fine. We know we’re not going to blow teams out of the water every week but it reflects well on the whole group’s fitness and mentality.”
And the Portman Road boss is relishing the derby-day rivalry, saying: “We understand the excitement and we encourage it. I hope the supporters create a great atmosphere.
“The tension of going away to big stadiums and the adrenalin levels are something you have to embrace.”