Kieran McKenna Discusses Team Updates, Striker Options, and Three-Year Tenure

Kieran McKenna, manager of Ipswich Town, addressed reporters ahead of the club’s Premier League fixture against Newcastle on Saturday, scheduled for a 15:00 GMT kick-off. The following are the main points from his press briefing: Regarding player injuries, McKenna stated there was “nothing new” to report since the previous weekend. However, Liam Delap faces suspension following a booking received in the tunnel during the match against Wolves. McKenna commented on the incident, saying: “The referee told me that if there’s a fracas on the pitch at the end then the rule is that he has to book a player from both teams. I take him at his word on that. We’re disappointed, because I don’t think Liam did much wrong.” McKenna remained reserved about revealing who would step in for Delap in the attacking role, noting: “Ali [Al-Hamadi] is the most natural striker we have, but there are four or five options in the building. There are some obvious ones, Wes Burns has played there, Omari Hutchinson has taken up some centre forward positions. We have a starting team and finishing team in mind. Both are as important as each other.” Discussing the team’s late winning goal against Wolves, he remarked: “We’ve had quite a few draws this season and every point is precious but it’s the three points that make the difference. We want to be a team that pushes for the margins to go in our favour.” Regarding the upcoming match against Newcastle, McKenna stated: “They’re in good form and have outstanding qualities. We’ll go into it humble but we believe in ourselves and go into it excited. The game before Christmas always feels extra special.” Reflecting on completing over three years in his managerial position, he commented: “I wouldn’t have imagined it would have been as quick as this [being in the Premier League]. We knew it was the ultimate destination – destination is probably the wrong word because we want to build, we wanted to rebuild a Premier League football club and we are competing in the Premier League at the moment but we’ve still got some strides to go.” McKenna further indicated that securing a victory in their last home fixture before Christmas would represent an “incredible present,” elaborating: “A good performance and a good result – a win – would be an incredible Christmas present that we could give everyone associated with the club so we’ve got to fight for that with every single ounce of strength we have and that’s what we are going to try to do.”