“They should certainly not turn” – The pressure on Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town ahead of Sheffield Wednesday clash: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Ipswich Town have dropped off at a crucial time in the League One automatic promotion race and are facing an uphill task to make up the six-point gap between them and the top two.

The Tractor Boys have invested very heavily in the playing squad since the summer of 2021, and promotion will be demanded by the board and supporters.

Kieran McKenna represented something of a risky appointment but the Northern Irishman has shown a lot of promise in the dugout since replacing Paul Cook at the helm.

We gathered the thoughts of a selection of FLW writers to see if they believe that McKenna is under pressure due to recent form, ahead of hosting league leaders Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday…

Ben Wignall

No, Kieran McKenna absolutely should not be under pressure at Ipswich regardless of what happens against Sheffield Wednesday.

Whilst recent form hasn’t been good enough at all and has seen the Tractor Boys lose touch a bit with the top two, they have the players in their squad to blow other teams away in League One and they just need to find that spark once again.

The January additions of George Hirst, Nathan Broadhead and Harry Clarke all need to bed in as well, and it may just be a case of McKenna tweaking his system or tactics to get the best out of everyone.

The Northern Irishman has done a fantastic job since arriving at Portman Road, albeit he has been backed significantly – supporters should not be too disheartened if they slip to defeat against the Owls this coming weekend and they should certainly not turn on their head coach.

Absolutely.

Should he be under pressure, absolutely not.

I know things have been poor of late, but I feel like in getting them into that position in the first place, McKenna has credit in the bank from the club’s supporters and hierarchy.

I don’t think there’s any need for the club to panic.

That being said, Saturday is obviously a huge match, with Ipswich potentially facing a nine-point gap to the Owls if they are defeated, and Darren Moore’s side have a game in hand.

No, though, McKenna shouldn’t be under pressure.

Marcus Ally

It would be a huge mistake for the Tractor Boys not to back Kieran McKenna at this juncture, and that includes support from the stands.

Ipswich’s performance data has been consistently excellent this season and they still have a great chance of clawing back the deficit and sealing automatic promotion.

Derby County’s incredible form beneath them will be a concern, but should only act as further motivation as we approach the business end of the season.

Quiz: Are these 20 Ipswich Town facts real or fake?

1 of 20

Ipswich were founded in 1878

Real Fake

Even if they do not make the cut for top two, Ipswich would have a great chance of going up via the play-offs and McKenna’s job is not as easy as it looks given the club’s investment.

McKenna is the right manager to stabilise them at Championship level, and it still feels like in time he is on the right path to do that.