Ranking Ipswich Town's top 7 best managers based on PPG - Sir Bobby Robson in 3rd | OneFootball

Highlights

Ipswich Town are going through a golden era of managerial success with Kieran McKenna. His name will be up in lights forever, as he won The Tractor Boys promotion back to the Premier League, having last been there in 2002, during the 2023/24 season, some 12 months after they were in League One.

Despite being stuck in second and third division obscurity for a number of years, there have actually been a few quality managers at Portman Road. Not to mention one or two legends of the pre-Premier League founding.

The following list is sourced from statistics from Transfermarkt, based on points per game for every manager. Also, there will only be managers included who have led their team out on more than 25 occasions.

With that in mind, here are Ipswich Town's top seven managers, according to that metric.

7 Jim Magilton - 1.40

Jim Magilton had a substantial playing career at Portman Road before his managerial tenure. He made 262 appearances for The Tractor Boys before hanging up his boots and taking control of the East Anglian ship.

His pedigree as manager was non-existent, so it was a risk to take him on as gaffer. He had an okay season in 06/07, finishing a slightly disappointing 14th. The following season would be his best, where his side missed out on the play-offs by just one point. 08/09 would be a breaking point for owner Marcus Evans, who sacked Magilton after they failed to get into the play-offs again.

The Northern-Irishman has a legacy ingrained in the football club, both as a player and manager, so his name in this top seven list is a massive compliment. In 156 games, he recorded 59 wins, 43 draws and 54 losses.

6 Mick McCarthy - 1.40

Yes, both Jim Magilton and Mick McCarthy have the same PPG. The difference is in how McCarthy managed Ipswich for 130 more games, so naturally, that record is more impressive.

Originally appointed on 1 November 2012, the English-born Irish manager had one of the longer stints at the Suffolk-based side. A 0-1 win away at Birmingham City immediately broke the ice with fans, who had suffered a 12-game winless run under previous manager Paul Jewell.

He left the club following the expiry of his contract at the end of the 17/18 season, with much of his time spent at the club sitting around mid-table in the Championship. Unfortunately, the latter half of his tenure saw a fractured relationship with fans who were unhappy with a defensive style that wasn't seeing positive results - to which McCarthy replied, calling fans "numbskulls". In 279 games, he won 105 times, drew 78 and lost 96.

5 Sir Alf Ramsey - 1.46

Taking the list way back to the early days of Ipswich Town in the football league, we have Sir Alf Ramsey. He got his Ipswich side playing attacking football, frequently scoring over 100 goals in a campaign. He was also the first to get The Tractor Boys into the top flight in the 60/61 season, with much of the success in winning the second division title coming from 39-goal Ray Crawford.

He then went on to win the first division title at the first time of asking, in a remarkable feat that stands out in not just Ipswich's history, but footballing history as a whole. He only left to manage England in 1963, cementing an impressive legacy of 176 wins, 75 draws and 118 losses in 369 games.

4 Joe Royle - 1.54

Joe Royle is a bit of a forgotten man at Ipswich Town, filling the shoes of the dismissed George Burley after their relegation to the Championship in 2002. He had the near impossible task of getting the club back to the top flight, who were in financial trouble - resulting in a period of administration from February to May 2003.

His work at the club is underrated, getting them into the play-offs in both 2004 and 2005, but losing out both times to West Ham United. The frequent selling of players to Premier League sides was a contributing factor to their 15th place finish in 05/06, leading the club to sack Royle.

Royle managed 189 games, winning 81, drawing 48 and losing 60.

3 Sir Bobby Robson - 1.58

The man who led Ipswich Town to a FA Cup final victory over Arsenal and a UEFA Cup victory over AZ Alkmaar. These were legacy defining games for Robson, definitely the highlights of his 13-year reign at the club. He directed the club during some of their best years in the top flight, rarely finishing lower than sixth.

Robson liked developing new players and had a cultural formula as well as a playing one that found them success. In a staggering 709 games in charge, they won on 316 occasions, drawing 173 and suffering defeat 220 times.

His impact at Ipswich was compounded by the unveiling of a statue of him in 2002, also becoming honourary president in 2006.

2 George Burley - 1.60

Joining from Colchester United, George Burley took charge of Ipswich from 1994 to 2002, managing them through the early and primitive years of the newly founded Premier League. The 00/01 season was particularly exciting, as Burley won the Manager of the Year Award for helping The Tractor Boys finish fifth, putting them in the UEFA Cup for the first time since 1982.

The Scottish international is a club legend and has even try to re-apply for the job on two occasions, losing out to Mick McCarthy in 2012 and Paul Hirst in 2018.

The man who led Ipswich to 185 wins, 97 draws and 128 losses in 410 games was made President of Ipswich Sports Club in 2023.

1 Kieran McKenna - 2.01

Statistically, yes, Kieran McKenna is the most successful manager in Ipswich Town's history for points per game. The only one higher is Matt Gill, who managed just one in 2021, which he won.

He was appointed on 16 December 2021, to lead the club out of League One. Oh boy, did he do it in style and more. His first season was disappointing, finishing 11th in the third division, but his second (first in full charge) saw them gain automatic promotion and go on an astonishing 19-game unbeaten run.

The mind-blowing promotion to the Premier League just one year after leaving League One is the first time a club has got back-to-back promotions since Southampton in 2012. McKenna has made his name playing an effective 4-2-3-1 featuring a double pivot, with attack-minded full-backs joining an attacking quartet.

So far, McKenna has overseen 131 games, grabbing three points in 75, drawing 36 and losing just 20.