Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna is among the bookies’ favourites for the vacant Brentford job. Stuart Watson assesses whether the move would appeal.
THE DOMINO EFFECT
A chain reaction was started with Tottenham deciding to sack Ange Postecoglu (June 6) following a 17th place Premier League finish and Europa League triumph.
Long-serving Brentford boss Thomas Frank was appointed as his replacement last night. The hold-up regarding the announcement, it has widely been reported, is due to the fact the Bees offered highly-rated assistant boss, Justin Cochrane, the chance to step up as No.1 (as was the case when Frank took over from Dean Smith back in 2018). Ultimately, however, Cochrane decided to follow Frank to North London.
BOOKIES’ FAVOURITES
First thing’s first, it’s important to stress that talk of McKenna being Brentford’s number one target is pure speculation at this juncture.
Yes, some bookies have him as short as 5/4 for the job at the moment. But that could have been driven by just a handful of bets being placed.
Various respected media outlets have stated that McKenna is on Brentford’s three-man shortlist. Scott Parker, having just guided Burnley back to the Premier League, is said to be another.
There is another man whose odds have plummeted. Keith Andrews (who you might remember from a prolific loan spell at Town in 2011) has just become the new odds-on favourite (1/9). The 43-year-old joined the Bees as their set-piece coach last summer, having previously had broader coaching roles at Sheffield United, the Republic of Ireland and MK Dons.
Behind Andrews and McKenna, the likes of John O’Shea (Republic of Ireland assistant), Chris Wilder (Sheffield United), Roy Keane (pundit), Brendan Rodgers (Celtic), Christian Streich (ex Freiburg boss), Kjetil Knutsen (Bodø/Glimt) and Parker (Burnley) are all listed between 8/1 and 10/1.
WHAT MCKENNA SAID
It was clear, following a 2-1 home defeat to Wolves back in April, that Ipswich were heading for the drop.
At that juncture, I asked McKenna outright if he was committed to leading the club again in the Championship.
He could have tried to dodge the question with a politician’s answer. Instead he replied: "The short answer is yes.
"I'm still happy here. This year was always going to be a challenge. The fact it was going to be a big challenge was one of the reasons why I wanted to stay last year.
"I felt it was the right thing to do. And, as I've said a few times, I think the club has a fantastically bright future in many, many different ways. I think it's a club that's on the up, irrespective of a backward step this year.
"I think there's still a great potential to make some big strides over the next few years. So I'm excited to be part of that. I'm proud to lead it.”
WHY HE’D GO...
*If* Brentford were to offer McKenna the job, then he’d have to do some careful risk-versus-reward consideration. Let’s start with some reasons why it would appeal...
Brentford have established themselves in what’s looking like the increasingly closed shop of the Premier League. Since promotion in 2021, they’ve finished 13th, 9th, 16th and, most recently, 10th.
Owner Matthew Benham’s Smartodds data analysis has allowed the Bees to be ahead of the curve when it comes to recruitment. Ipswich, who are currently paying to use Brighton’s data system, are trying to bring their scouting/analysis up to elite standards, but McKenna’s admitted that ‘other clubs are way ahead’.
Frank, a meticulous coach with top emotional intelligence, is in the same mould of McKenna. He has built a strong culture at Brentford, so there would be an element of McKenna simply taking over the reigns and adding his own tweaks.
Pressure-wise, it's not the most vociferous fan base and a club that doesn’t come under the brightest of media glares. There would be no instant expectations to suddenly qualify for Europe.
McKenna has turned down chances to go to Crystal Palace and Brighton over the last two years. Having just watched the former win the FA Cup and the latter narrowly miss out on European football, it would be natural for him to have some ‘what if’ thoughts.
The 39-year-old's reputation within the game, quite rightly, hasn’t been knocked by what was always going to be challenging season. He’s clever enough to know that Premier League job offers won’t keep rolling in if he fails to get Ipswich promoted at the first time of asking. Just look at Sheffield United. They got 90 points, lost in the play-offs and now there's talk of Chris Wilder getting sacked. You can go from hot to not very quickly in this brutal business.
McKenna’s made no secret of his ambitions to get right to the top. There’s definitely an argument that Brentford represents a solid stepping stone move.
WHY HE’D STAY...
One, McKenna’s young family are settled and happy in Suffolk. They feel the love of the community. Imagine how Kieran felt when hearing his name chanted during the recent Fabio Wardley night at Portman Road. There’s a lot to be said for that.
Two, Ipswich rewarded him with a lucrative new four-year deal last summer to ward off suitors. His reported £6m a year contract made him one of the best paid bosses in the Premier League. It’s highly likely that will have dropped following relegation, but, even so, I can’t see Brentford being able to blow it out the water.
Talking of money, the Brentford’s wage bill is said to have been ranked 19th in the Premier League last season (Ipswich 20th). That speaks of a club punching above its weight. There’s a strong argument that the West London club can’t keep that up indefinitely.
Star man Bryan Mbeumo looks set to depart this summer, striker Yoane Wissa is now in the last year of his contract, while defensive lynchpin Nathan Collins is attracting interest. Yes, Brentford coped after the departure of Ivan Toney last summer, but there’s no guarantee they can keep finding gems.
McKenna has seen first hand, at Old Trafford, how stepping into big shoes at a time when a team has just peaked can be dangerous. Look at Manchester United’s struggles since the end of the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Ipswich, meanwhile, feel like a club with plenty more room for growth. The owners have deep pockets and a long-term vision. McKenna has built a talented young squad and will be excited about getting his teeth into a first proper pre-season with them. Chairman Mark Ashton has been bullish that the plan is to get up and stay up. There’s still plenty of unfinished business.
Does history really count for anything? Probably not, because it’s the here and now that matters most. Ipswich obviously win that comparison hands down though. McKenna has a Sir Bobby Robson picture in his office and has spoken of ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’.
In terms of infrastructure, the now always at capacity 30,000 Portman Road, with its traditional charm, beats the newly-built 17,250 Gtech Stadium. There's only one winner when it comes to fanbase too. I doubt Brentford sold in excess of 100,000 replicas shirts last season.
Ipswich’s academy is about to be upgraded to Category One status, while Brentford’s - which only reopened in 2022 following a six-year hiatus – is currently a Category Three.
Both clubs are in the middle of major training ground revamps. Brentford’s temporary Performance Centre, built by Portakabin, is better than what Ipswich currently have at Playford Road, but there’s a confidence at Ipswich that their new multi-million pound development is going to be truly elite. McKenna, a stickler for small details and work flow, has been able to personally guide a lot of the designs.
THE VERDICT
McKenna’s a smart man and, if there’s a decision to make – again, I stress ‘if’ - he’ll weigh up all of the above.
For me, trying to look at it as coldly and objectively as possible, I honestly do think his career would be better served staying with Ipswich than moving to Brentford.
WILL ANY MORE PL JOBS COME UP?
If not Brentford, then are we going to get this all again with any other Premier League clubs this summer?
My biggest fear was if Adoni Iraola was spirited away from Bournemouth. Now the Real Madrid and Tottenham jobs are taken, he seems likely to stay put though.
West Ham would be an interesting one. If they were going to sack Graham Potter, who was only appointed in January, it would probably have happened by now though. Marco Silva, meanwhile, looks set for one more year at Fulham.
There was talk that Leeds might sack Daniel Farke after promotion, but that didn’t happen. If Scott Parker were to leave Burnley, then I couldn’t see the Clarets appealing to McKenna.
One thing’s for sure, the quicker this managerial merry-go-round stops (there are current vacancies at Bristol City and Middlesbrough, plus talk of sackings at Leicester and Sheffield United) the better.
