[Albion] Kieran McKenna

[Bold Seagull]

He most certainly didn't keep us away from the relegation zone. In his first season we finished 15th, winning just 9 games out of 38, the same as 17th placed Aston Villa. The season after was even worse with the same number of wins and 16th place. Burnley in 17th won a game more than we did.

The above - and the fact that most of the non-wins were at home - is exactly why I don't like him. Looking at the bloke's record objectively he's had one good season in the UK. Finished mid table with Swansea in the Championship. 15th and 16th with us, 9th (admittedly decent) and then sacked by Chelsea mid-season for, erm, not winning games.

Well he did in reality, 19/20 we never dropped below 16th. Even finishing 17th in 20/21, we were 13 points above the drop zone, never really in any danger. We also only lost 15 games that season which was up there with the top half teams. The progress was clear and probably more so behind the scenes. RDZ has gone exactly the same way though in terms of converting wins once you lose a few good players.

I personally wouldn't mind him back as a manager and coach, but I wouldn't want him back because of the baggage.

 

[Dibdab]

Well, I’d say Montoya, even Bruno and possibly an up for it Propper…

Martin Montoya over Joel Veltman, Adam Hinshelwood and Tariq Lamptey? Wow.

 

[Kosh]

Blimey. I always think we have a great squad until I come on here and hear we're in extreme decline.

We are 1 or 2 good purchases away from. A top 6 side again, injuries permitting.

Yes, but we will sell this summer - I’d be amazed if we do t cash in on Mitoma at the very least.

 

[Stato]

Why are we managing decline? Why are you happy to say some players are declining but not acknowledge others improving? You appear to have sold a few players this summer and assumed we have not brought any in. It is the most pessimistic take possible!

We did not want to seek caicedo last summer but you can’t reject 110 million for him. It is crazy money. Yes our squad has a couple of holes but the injuries have been a joke.

Barber always makes it clear that progress is most often non linear. We saw periods of consolidation in the Championship and EPL and are probably looking at one at the moment. You're right to distinguish this as something different from decline. There has been a bit of talk about us having an advantage in terms of profit and sustainability this summer. I'm not looking at this in terms of who we can sign, but more who won't find it so easy to buy our best players. Hopefully, after picking Palace' s corpse clean, the monied clubs won't be able to come back with huge offers for Mitoma, Ferguson and Pedro.

To get back to the thread's purpose, having watched some tactics videos on McKenna, I'm warming to the idea. His tactic of getting strikers to drift out onto fullbacks to win high possession for two number tens seems to be made for a fully fit Ferguson/Welbeck and Pedro/Buonanotte/Enciso, perhaps even Mitoma. The overlapping left back would seem to suit Barco and Estupinan very well too. We would need a disciplined DM to fill the gap this would leave. My concern would be over whether he is a big enough personality to follow RDZ in leadership terms. He would need the support of the senior players and I hope that, in the absence of Lallana, some of them would step up and encourage squad buy in.

Might never happen of course, but I'm starting to understand the attraction.

 

[Joey Jo Jo Jr. Shabadoo]

But they weren't exactly in awe of him.

View attachment 182889

I don't know how far into his tenure as assistant manager those quotes are from, however I do know the Ipswich players have raved about how he coaches. The level of detail he goes into, how he helps players improve, how he lives and breathes football. We heard exactly the same thing from our players about RDZ, they sound very similar in their approach to the game. If the Man Utd players couldn't see this then more fool them, the fact he last 3 years as assistant manager (to 3 different managers) suggests the came round to his methods in the end.

My best mate is an Ipswich fan and we were talking this week about McKenna's potential move to Brighton, I mentioned the story told by PBOBE about RDZ leaving the Athens ground on the coach and he was already on his laptop watching another game. My mate mentioned a story he'd heard that as the Ipswich team were travelling back from a midweek game they were watching a video of their weekend opponents because McKenna wanted them focussing on that game straight away as there wasn't as much training time as normal.

 

[Kosh]

Martin Montoya over Joel Veltman, Adam Hinshelwood and Tariq Lamptey? Wow.

Yeah, given that Hinsh was broken by RDZ and Velts can’t stay fit and Lamptey is finished… I’d say Montoya would have played, you didn’t stipulate the fully fit squad bit… sorry.

 

[Silverhatch]

may be a coincidence, but Potter is house-hunting in the area.

Falmer

 

[TomandJerry]

McKenna drifting out on the odds

 

[Flounce]

They probably have. It is symptomatic of the instant gratification that is embedded in the sport; everyone wants instant decisions and actions that work. The sugar rush lasts a few minutes then 'its oh shit, that didn't work better try something else'.

Emotion quickly becomes the master of the rational; that is why TB is the best football club owner in the world, a leading poker player, and very rich. He doesn't let emotion intervene with decisions.

Very true, I grabbed a word with TB, immediately after the semi final defeat feeling very gutted with how it had turned out and thanked him for a great season. He looked at me at said “it’s not over yet”

I thought it was, how wrong can you be!

 

[Da Man Clay]

McKenna drifting out on the odds

View attachment 182904

Just means someone has had a tenner on Potter. These markets are always all over the shop. Bookies have effectively no liability in them and close as soon as there is a whiff of someone being close to the job. Looking at them as some sort of realistic indication of where we are is comical (not that I’m saying you are - but seen plenty do it)

 

[peterward]

We aren't even mentioned in this piece on SSN:

Kieran McKenna: Manchester United meet with representatives of Ipswich boss amid Chelsea interest

Manchester United and Chelsea could be about to go head-to-head for Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna; McKennas reps have met with Man Utd, Sky Sports News has learned; United have yet to decide whether to stick with Erik ten Hag next season; Chelsea are looking for a new boss

www.skysports.com

Its end of the night in a club down west street, you've already decided you've had enough of her indoors and shes getting binned off, you've got your eye on a couple of really fit types and you're feeling confident you might get a chance with at least one of them.

Another approaches you and says "I really fancies you , do you want to go back for coffee and maybe more", you give her the once over, she's alright, pretty decent body, better than her indoors for sure, nice smile but you're not quite sure about the face, you glance across at the original 2 you had your eyes on and think to yourself.... well still hopefully...... but if all else fails.

 

[tstanbur]

The assertion I was challenging was that we weren't ever in a relegation battle, which was clearly bollocks.

Everyone will have their own take on GP of course. But Hughton's first PL season (with a Championship squad) was:

15th
W9 D13 L16 Pts 40 GD -20

Potter's second season when he'd had a year to bed in tactics was

16th
W9 D14 L15 Pts 41 GD -6

They're pretty much exactly the same season, though in 20/21 GP had the below squad available to him after the transfer window in January.

View attachment 182903

Yeah similar top level metrics although plenty of other variables that come in to play e.g. how had other teams improved/played that season.
If our finishing hadn't been so awful then we'd have picked up a lot more points and been having a different conversation. The chances were there.

The link below has our "xG per 90" stats by season which overwhelmingly shows

a) the massive improvement in xG in Potter's time compared to Hughton
c) how poor our finishing was under Potter compared to how many good chances we created:

17/18 : 1.08 (17th in the xG table, first season in the PL)
18/19 : 0.90 (20th, bottom, Hughton sacked)
19/20: 1.53 (8th, Potter's first season)
20/21: 1.63 (7th, Potter's first season)
21/22: 1.58 (7th)
22/23: 2 (3rd, Potter leaves after 6 games RDZ takes over)
23/24 (1.64, 6th)

Premier League xG (Expected Goals) | FootyStats

Expected Goals data for the England Premier League - including xG, xG Against (Conceded), and xG at home and away. Stats use advanced xG modelling for the Premier League.

footystats.org

 

[Mancgull]

This will run until the end of next week United won’t make announcement on Ten Hag until after the cup final, Chelsea are talking to lots of candidates with McKenna being one of those and we have probably made a strong statement that we want him as first choice.

His stock is high so however frustrating it is it’s pretty normal for someone to weigh up options and see what they want to do. Club will be close to this and will know how confident they are in appointing their preferred candidate and will be working on back up options just need to trust them.

Spot on.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Yeah similar top level metrics although plenty of other variables that come in to play e.g. how had other teams improved/played that season.
If our finishing hadn't been so awful then we'd have picked up a lot more points and been having a different conversation. The chances were there.

The link below has our "xG per 90" stats by season which overwhelmingly shows

a) the massive improvement in xG in Potter's first season compared to Hughton
b) the continued improvement over the next two seasons
c) how poor our finishing was under Potter compared to how many good chances we created:

17/18 : 1.08 (17th in the xG table, first season in the PL)
18/19 : 0.90 (20th, bottom, Hughton sacked)
19/20: 1.53 (8th, Potter's first season)
21/22: 1.58 (7th)
22/23: 2 (3rd!)
23/24: 1.64 (6th, Potter leaves after 6 games RDZ takes over)

Premier League xG (Expected Goals) | FootyStats

Expected Goals data for the England Premier League - including xG, xG Against (Conceded), and xG at home and away. Stats use advanced xG modelling for the Premier League.

footystats.org

I've spent most of my life expecting to doink Angelina Jolie, but it doesn't make me Brad Pitt.

Another good reason for keeping Potter away is so that we don't have to spend every waking minute on NSC discussing 'top level metrics', xG and 'long term plans'.

 

[fruitnveg]

I've spent most of my life expecting to doink Angelina Jolie, but it doesn't make me Brad Pitt.

Expecting to, or simply hoping to?

 

[tstanbur]

I've spent most of my life expecting to doink Angelina Jolie, but it doesn't make me Brad Pitt.

Another good reason for keeping Potter away is so that we don't have to spend every waking minute on NSC discussing 'top level metrics', xG and 'long term plans'.

Are you more of a "just get it forward and stick it in the mixer" kind of man?

 

[jackanada]

Its end of the night in a club down west street, you've already decided you've had enough of her indoors and shes getting binned off, you've got your eye on a couple of really fit types and you're feeling confident you might get a chance with at least one of them.

Another approaches you and says "I really fancies you , do you want to go back for coffee and maybe more", you give her the once over, she's alright, pretty decent body, better than her indoors for sure, nice smile but you're not quite sure about the face, you glance across at the original 2 you had your eyes on and think to yourself.... well still hopefully...... but if all else fails.

Reminds me of a mates tale about Kiwi birds being filthy.
He was out at a club in NZ having a ciggie outside when a decidedly average looking young lady came up and said "You're a good looking fella and I'm sure you can do better than me, but if you don't and you fancy a root I'll be out here at 1 o'clock"

 

[Guinness Boy]

Expecting to, or simply hoping to?

Well, if you measure it the same way as xG then I only have to hope enough times to then hit a high expectation.

Feeling particularly deluded I reckon my xFAJ would be about 0.0001 but I only have to be deluded in that manner several times a day to start having a better xFAJ than, say, a street drinker.

 

[um bongo molongo]

Yeah similar top level metrics although plenty of other variables that come in to play e.g. how had other teams improved/played that season.
If our finishing hadn't been so awful then we'd have picked up a lot more points and been having a different conversation. The chances were there.

The link below has our "xG per 90" stats by season which overwhelmingly shows

a) the massive improvement in xG in Potter's first season compared to Hughton
b) the continued improvement over the next two seasons
c) how poor our finishing was under Potter compared to how many good chances we created:

17/18 : 1.08 (17th in the xG table, first season in the PL)
18/19 : 0.90 (20th, bottom, Hughton sacked)
19/20: 1.53 (8th, Potter's first season)
21/22: 1.58 (7th)
22/23: 2 (3rd!)
23/24: 1.64 (6th, Potter leaves after 6 games RDZ takes over)

Premier League xG (Expected Goals) | FootyStats

Expected Goals data for the England Premier League - including xG, xG Against (Conceded), and xG at home and away. Stats use advanced xG modelling for the Premier League.

footystats.org

The return of having to look at xG is a major reason not to reappoint Potter!

 

[Nobby]

He most certainly didn't keep us away from the relegation zone. In his first season we finished 15th, winning just 9 games out of 38, the same as 17th placed Aston Villa. The season after was even worse with the same number of wins and 16th place. Burnley in 17th won a game more than we did.

The above - and the fact that most of the non-wins were at home - is exactly why I don't like him. Looking at the bloke's record objectively he's had one good season in the UK. Finished mid table with Swansea in the Championship. 15th and 16th with us, 9th (admittedly decent) and then sacked by Chelsea mid-season for, erm, not winning games.

This. Crazy that people on here don’t mind him coming back.