Kieran McKenna has once again proven why he was linked with the Celtic manager’s job, guiding Ipswich Town to yet another monumental promotion.
By helping Ipswich to an automatic Premier League promotion spot on the very last day of the Championship season, the Northern Irishman is showcasing why he is one of the most exciting up-and-coming managers in the game.
For Celtic fans, watching McKenna rise again will inevitably stir up a lingering sense of ‘what if’.
| McKenna’s games | Wins | Draws | Defeats | Goals scored/conceded |
| 222 | 106 | 60 | 56 | 396/272 |
Back when the Celtic Park hot seat was vacant, following Brendan Rodgers’ brutal exit in October, McKenna’s name was circulating in the Glasgow rumour mill, alongside then-Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy.
Fast forward to the summer, and Celtic can wave goodbye to bringing in somebody like McKenna, even if the powers that be wished to do so.
Should Celtic make a decision on Martin O’Neill’s permanent future before the end of the season?
Kieran McKenna proves why he was linked to the Celtic manager’s job
If Celtic had managed to lure McKenna to Parkhead, then you can’t see how he would have done a worse job than Nancy.
Either way, Martin O’Neill is still picking up the pieces, and remarkably, he has Celtic still pushing for a domestic double.
But come the summer, the Hoops will need a new coach, and it looks like it won’t be O’Neill, and certainly not McKenna.
The initial mention of McKenna’s name certainly split opinion among the Celtic support; while a section of the fanbase was excited by the prospect, others quickly questioned his overall pedigree, given that the Ipswich role was his very first managerial job.
To boast three promotions on your CV by the age of 39 is a staggering achievement, particularly when you consider he has accomplished this while completely rebuilding a club that had spent over a decade languishing in the wilderness.
Despite the obvious draw of winning trophies and European nights in Glasgow, tempting the former Manchester United coach away from Suffolk was always going to be financially out of Celtic’s reach, not to mention he is now firmly back in the self-dubbed ‘best league in the world.’
Celtic hero Chris Sutton can’t help but stick the boot into McKenna’s Ipswich
Celtic fans love Chris Sutton, not just for his time at Parkhead as a player, but also because of his mischievous nature as a pundit.
The former striker loves sticking the boot in now and again, and given that he played for Ipswich’s bitter rivals, Norwich City, during his heyday, he couldn’t help but give McKenna a backhanded compliment on social media.
‘Fair play to Ipswich and Kieran McKenna,’ wrote Sutton on social media. ‘They’ll probably have a thoroughly miserable time though next season…’
It’s going to be interesting to see how McKenna, who was relegated with Ipswich last season, gets on in his second crack at the Premier League.
If he keeps the Tractor Boys up, his status will only rise, further proving that the champions of Scotland should have pushed for his signature.
But as long as Celtic are in calmer waters this time next season, with trophies being put in the cabinet again, then good luck to McKenna and how the rest of his managerial career unfolds.
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