Ipswich Town are second in the Championship table with 10 games to go. Chief executive Mark Ashton and manager Kieran McKenna sat down with club legend Matt Holland to discuss a range of topics for TownTV.
On 'hunter mentality'...
KM: “The performances, the football we’ve played, the excitement of the games, especially here at Portman Road, the way the players have stuck together, the attitude, the effort, the comebacks... it’s been really exciting. The players have loved it, the supporters have loved it. We’re having a really good season.
“We’re proud of where we’re up to at this point. We vowed to ourselves at the start of the season that we were going to go with everything we’ve got for 46 games and that’s what we plan to do. We want to keep pushing on and keep trying to improve. There are some really great games to come."
MA: “We set our stall out, as we did in League One, to be brave and bold in everything we do. Both on and off the pitch we’ve attacked everything.
“We try and have a hunter mentality in the football club. We know that there are supposedly bigger clubs with bigger budgets than us, but we focus on being the very best version of us we can be."
On keeping a big squad happy...
KM: "Before anyone comes into the club I’ll have an honest conversation with them about how we see them fitting in and we have ongoing discussions with the players about that. When you do that, I like to think all the players have got a fair idea about what they’re contributing and what we need from them.
“We recruit really good characters and they're led by a really good leadership group. The players have their own code of conduct and standards that they hold each other to. They manage themselves really well.
"There are really good lines of communication with the coaching staff so any little issues can get addressed and dealt with in the appropriate manner.
"Whenever I need to have my input I do, but a lot of things are driven by the players and that’s where you want to be. If every issue has to come across my desk, if I'm constantly having to put our fires, I'd be using a lot of energy that could be better used elsewhere."
On the team's knack of scoring important late goals...
KM: “That's down to a multitude of things. Some of it is cultural. It’s about how engaged those substitutes are. It’s eight (outfield) substitutes these days and four of them could maybe not be dialled into the game, but I think everyone on our bench knows that they can have a big impact on the game ahead and are willing to make that impact.
“Tactically we try and have a plan. We try and prepare before the game for what it might look like if we’re chasing the game, what people will go into what positions, what shape changes of adjustments we might need to make. We prepare for all scenarios.
“Fitness is a big part of it. That’s something that I’m really proud of. Big credit to all the staff at Portman Road and to the players. I won’t go into the details, but it’s an incredible majority of our games this season where we’ve outrun the opposition.
“I said in pre-season that the Championship is one of the most physically intense leagues in Europe, so to be coming out on top in nearly all the physical parameters every week is a great reflection on the group."
On the recent January transfer window...
KM: “When one window closes the conversation about the next window begins.
“We tried as as much as possible to stick to the model that we’ve agreed on, which is predominantly signing young, hungry, athletic and technical players that can come here to improve and develop. Ali A-Hamadi would be an example of that type of profile.
"On top of that we were pragmatic in terms of looking at the division, the needs of the team and where we could improve. Kieffer (Moore) is a good example of someone who fits into that category.
“Jeremy (Sarmiento) and (Lewis) Travis have got experience in the division and both were up to speed. The four we’ve brought in have managed to hit the ground running."
On the club's fantastic support...
MA: “To reiterate to the fans, every penny that they put into this football club assists us with Financial Fair Play. The club will still lose a substantial amount of money. Why? Because we took over a club that had been run down for a decade and deteriorated. So we’ve had to continually invest in all areas and that money plays against our Financial Fair Play position. What gives us headroom is the money that comes in – whether that’s commercial, retail, gate receipts.
“I remember in my first season here we had a management meeting and I said 'we’re going to sell 18,000 season tickets' and I think people around the table looked at me with a bit of disbelief. But you know what, this fanbase stepped up. This fanbase delivered 18,000 season tickets. This fanbase then delivered 22,000 season tickets.
"Before we took over, this club had never sold more than 10,000 replica shirts. This season we've sold 43,000. We will have record numbers in commercial, we have record numbers in retail, we will have record numbers in conference, events, hospitality. This fanbase has stepped up every time we have asked and I couldn’t be prouder."
KM: “It’s fantastic feeling the buzz and the atmosphere around the town. We’re living in Ipswich, the kids are in school, my brother’s joined the university in Ipswich as well so he fills me in on the social scene that I don’t get to see too much of!
“Whenever I bring my daughter or son to something, everyone wants to talk about the game. There are Ipswich shirts everywhere. Kids want to ask about this player and that player. It’s wonderful.
“I can’t comment on how it was before, because I didn't see it, but this is a one-club county, Ipswich Town is the heartbeat of Suffolk and for the people to be so behind it, for the club to be stepping up and providing a good product to get behind, it’s just great to see and great to be part of."
On potential for Premier League promotion...
MA: "Does going up or not going up change our plans? I don’t think it does. Rome wasn't built in a day. We have a model of operation and we just need to continue being relentless.
“If we rest on our laurels and sit back then other clubs will move past us really quickly. The minute you think you’ve got this industry beaten it kicks you in the bum."
KM: “It’s about everyone trying to enjoy the journey. We’re having a record breaking season on top of a record breaking season last year. We’ve got a fantastic group of players who are so dedicated. The fans see their effort levels every game. We’re playing a brand of football that is admired up and down the country, we’ve got a wonderful support base that are selling out the stadium and backing us away from home.
"Ultimately we’d love to take the football club back to the Premier League, but we have to keep enjoying the here and now. It's about enjoying each little step along the way."
On support of US owners...
MA: "We’re in communication all the time. I’m doing a lot of travelling backwards and forwards to the US.
“Ed Schwartz plays a real lead role at ORG, representing Mark Steed and the pension fund, Brett (Johnson), Berke (Bakay) and Mark Detmer, the Three Lions, are consistently in touch. They'll be here for the Sheffield (Wednesday) game.
"One of the fantastic things they do for myself and Kieran is they give us the oxygen. They don't meddle in the day-to-day running of the football club. They agree to the strategy, they hold us accountable to what we say we're going to deliver and then they empower us to go and build. You couldn't ask for a better board.
"They are good people who have this club at heart and are with us for the journey. (Them cashing in if promotion is achieved) has never been been mentioned. The way the club’s structured, it just doesn't work like that. We've all bought into a long-term plan.
"From myself perspective they’ve been really consistent. There’s nothing we’ve asked for that they've said no to. I sat down with them mid transfer window, said ‘we want to be bold, will you support that?’ and they said ‘Mark, get on with it’. Fantastic."
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