Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town talks about overcoming Charlton’s loss.
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Amidst a roar of jeers inside Portman Road, the Blues collapsed in the second half after controlling the first. This is the first time McKenna’s team has lost back-to-back EFL league games, following a 2-1 loss at Middlesbrough.
Before tomorrow’s lunchtime match against West Brom (12.30pm), the Blues manager was asked about the atmosphere in the camp and responded, “I think probably where you’d expect it to be, where you’d want it to be.” After the other night, we would be worried if everyone was bouncing about the building with such joy. Players and staff alike are quite irritated with the way the evening transpired. However, it all depends on how you handle it. We’ve had a few productive sessions where we’ve examined it honestly and frankly, focussing on the aspects of the game where we performed well because there were some, but more significantly, the aspects where we struggled.
“We have dealt with it, and as a team, we will attempt to emerge stronger from that experience. We’ll attempt to use that as a benchmark for when we experience more setbacks over the season, as they will undoubtedly occur, and maybe we’ll be stronger for it.” He went on: “We are aware that the outcome of both games—Friday night and Tuesday night—could have been drastically different. We could have improved our standing in the league by six points if we had won both games. The viewpoint would be very different.
And that isn’t just wishful thinking. These are actual situations that, in my opinion, might have resulted in us winning both games. Thus, we can be in a very different situation. “However, there will be challenging times during a championship season. You will have a challenging evening. Your run of games is going to be challenging. It all depends on how you handle issues, how you respond to them on the pitch, and how you prepare for your upcoming games. “We are aware that a variety of factors made the season’s beginning challenging. Many of the players weren’t even present when the season began.
“Results have been fairly consistent, typically positive, and performances have been improving since the first international break and the group’s reunion. Then we got two really bad outcomes. “We didn’t want it, but it has given us a chance to talk about how we must be in adversity, how we must respond when things don’t go our way, and how we must unite as a team during the tough times. Over the past few days, we’ve had that and discussed it.
“Hopefully, those lessons have been internalised in some way. They have, I believe. When things got tough in both games, the players all agreed on what we weren’t doing well enough. “It will be crucial how we remain united as a team throughout such times. I believe that knowing that you can remain together through tough times boosts your confidence because you know that your teammate will support you whether things are going well or not.
“The season still has a tonne of games left. We can only hope that getting through these two unfavourable games quickly after one another will make us stronger. “I’m confident that our group is excellent. I can tell how much the boys care and how hard they are working. Although it wasn’t evident throughout the second half the other day, I genuinely believe in both our players and their character.” “That’s the job,” McKenna remarked when asked how he personally handled the highs and lows of the past few weeks. I’ve dealt with that before, both at this club and at others.
“Every time you win a game, the sun appears a little brighter. Additionally, it becomes somewhat more hazy when you lose your games. “However, I’ve been a manager for a fair number of games and a coach for a long period. To be honest, I think I’m quite excellent at maintaining equilibrium and being even-handed in how we treat people and maintain the vibe here. You make every effort to keep it apart from other aspects of your life. The only thing you can control is what happens next.
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