‘Are you in?’ – Ashton reveals key conversation with McKenna after relegation

‘Are you in?’ – Ashton reveals key conversation with McKenna after relegation

Ipswich Town chairman Mark Ashton, left, says boss Kieran McKenna is fully committed to getting the club back into the Premier League.

Ipswich Town chairman Mark Ashton says boss Kieran McKenna is committed to getting the club back into the Premier League.

 

Speaking to Jim White and Simon Jordan on talkSPORT, the Town chief admitted there ‘will always be noise’ around his highly-regarded young manager.

 

McKenna was courted by a host of top tier clubs last summer – Chelsea, Brighton and Manchester United were all linked – and he was recently among the favourites for the Brentford job, which ultimately went to ex-Town loanee Keith Andrews.

 

“Kieran and I talk on a daily basis,” Ashton stressed. “I gave him his opportunity when we took him from Manchester United, he took it with two hands and he’s done extremely well.

 

“Success brings challenges, he’s been coveted. We sat down right at the end of the season at my house one night, we looked each other in the eye and I said, ‘Are you in? Are you in for this, Kieran?’. And he was very clear, ‘Absolutely, Mark. I’ve got a job to do, I want to take us back up’.

 

“There’s always going to be noise around him but there also has to be a bond of trust and he’s looked me in the eye and said, ‘I’m in, I want to rebuild this football club’. We work very closely.

 

“There will always be noise around him, that’s the nature of the beast, but he’s a man I believe has integrity, he’s told the fanbase he’s going to be here and he wants to get us re-promoted.”

 

Ashton said the Premier League campaign was ‘really brutal’

Ashton said the Premier League campaign was ‘really brutal’ (Image: PA)

 

Reflecting on the Premier League campaign, Ashton said: “Brutal, really brutal.

 

“Toughest league in the world and having been out of it as a club for over 20 years, time was our enemy.

 

“I think as a club we did ourselves proud, we tried to do things the right way, but ultimately fell short.

 

“But we’re still rebuilding this incredible football club, and fully looking forward to what’s going to be a really tough Championship season ahead.”

 

Was the gap between the Championship and Premier League bigger than expected?

 

 

“I think it’s what we expected, it’s really tough,” Ashton insisted. “Even the clubs on parachute payments, Leicester and Southampton, they found it really tough and ultimately couldn’t stay in there.

 

“For a club like us, who have been out for so long, the gap’s even bigger. So it’s tough, but it’s the biggest and best league in the world for a reason, and we’ve got to find a way around that, we want to get back to the Premier League as quickly as we can and we want to try and stay there.

 

“But we can’t underestimate the Championship, this league is tough.”

 

Ashton said Dara O’Shea had real interest from the Premier League before signing his new deal

Ashton said Dara O’Shea had real interest from the Premier League before signing his new deal.

 

Asked by Jordan what his messaging was around the upcoming campaign, Ashton stressed that keeping the squad together will be key.

 

“Everyone’s excited that the fixtures are out, but if I’m honest with you, I’m in no mood for frivolity,” he said.

 

“We’ve have a job to do – add the cup games in and we’ve got a 50 game season ahead of us, and we’ve got to be ready.

 

“Our first port of call is to try and retain the squad that we’ve got, because we’ve recruited well.

 

“The likes of Irish international Dara O’Shea, who had real suitors from the Premier League in the last month, has just signed a new extensive contract with us, he’s staying.

 

“So we’ve got to retain what we’ve got and then add the right players to that.

 

“I’m excited for the season, on a personal note, I’m delighted that there’s no VAR – I’m not going to miss that! – but it’s going to be tough and we’ve got to be ready.

 

“Anyone can beat anyone in the Championship, it’s a really exciting league, it’s Saturday-Tuesday or Saturday-Wednesday, it’s back to back, the depth of the squad will be tested, emotions will be tested and, whilst I’m looking forward to it, we’ve got to be mentally prepared.”

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