Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna says there's 'no upper limit' to what the club can achieve going forwards.
The 37-year-old has just penned a new four-year deal at Portman Road after guiding the Blues to automatic League One promotion in his first full season of senior management.
Ipswich averaged home crowds of more than 26,000 last season as a feelgood factor flooded back into a club that had been gripped by a growing sense of apathy and stagnation prior to an ambitious American takeover in 2021.
Such was the manner in which promotion was achieved - 98 points and 101 goals scored - there is a sense that positive momentum can be maintained in the Championship, a division the club spent 17 consecutive seasons in prior to relegation in 2019.
“There’s no upper limit to be put on this football club because it’s operated at the highest levels of English football before and operated at the highest level of European football before," said McKenna, who is set to be well-backed in the transfer market again this summer.
“You can see and feel it as soon as you come here. You could see last year, when we were filling the stadium, the difference it’s making to people’s lives and the whole community.
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"We know we’re going into a really competitive division and the first challenge is to show we can compete.
“We’re going into the season, and I’m going into the next four years, humble. The players and the staff will be the same.
“But I think there’s a massive scope for this football club to keep growing.
“We know we’ve got big challenges ahead, we know what we’re going into, but we also saw last season the power of this football club and how things can move in the right direction at a good speed. We’re going to work really hard to continue that."
On signing his new contract, which puts to bed speculation that Celtic or Leicester might try and tempt him away from Portman Road, McKenna said: “It’s a nice sign of commitment from the football club to me and nice sign of commitment from me to the football club - we all want to build this together.
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"It’s a joyous day really. I'm very proud to continue to represent this club and very grateful for the faith that they’ve put in me.”
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time so far and it’s on to the next step now. We’ve made a lot of progress, we’re in a good direction, but it's about pushing on with the ambition that myself, (chief executive) Mark (Ashton) and the ownership have now.
“It’s about looking forward. Of course we all loved last season, it was a really special season, but it’s about making the next memories now.
“I had a good holiday because I didn't take one last year – I'd only been in the job a few months, there was lots to do and it was a shorter off-season.
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“There have been little bits of work going on in the background. Now I'm looking forward to getting back to the early starts in the office, seeing the players again next week and getting into pre-season ahead of what should be a really exciting season."
The Portman Road pitch is currently undergoing a major renovation, the Playford Road training base has undergone significant upgrades, while various new members of staff have been added over the last 12 months.
“Stability in football is hard to find these days," said McKenna. "Myself and the staff know we have to keep trying to win as many football games as we can, but what I do see from the club is the desire to make good decisions not just for the short-term, but also the medium and long-term.
“We’re investing in things that haven't been invested in in a long time and putting work into things that might not help us today or a few weeks down the line, but they might help us a few months or years down the line.
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“We’re custodians of this football club. It’s been here for a long time before I came along and it will be here for a long time after I’ve gone. My feeling is we have a responsibility to keep growing the club in a sustainable way and trying to make sure we leave a good legacy.
“The good thing for me is that feeling is shared by Mark, the board and the ownership group. We all feel that responsibility to do the right things. That’s not easy to find in football these days when you get judged on a result once or twice a week.
“The bit that excites me is the plan to build for the future."
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