Ipswich Town

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We asked for your views following Kieran McKenna's announcement he was stepping down as Ipswich Town boss after a hugely successful spell with the club.

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: A little bit sad reading the announcement, but he's given us the best five years in a long, long time. Wishing McKenna nothing but the best for his next chapter. Anxious for who we'll be able to get in next.

Matt: Kieran dragged us from the depths of League One to the Premier League. He helped to rebuild this club and return us to the top table. He goes with our thanks and appreciation, but also with sadness that the bond he has built with the supporters will not see us fight together to survive next year. Thank you for the memories, Kieran.

Danny: A sad day filled with many happy memories. The journey we've been on has exceeded our wildest dreams. Just a huge thank you for restoring our club and giving everyone a sense of pride that we've been trying to find for so long. Can't imagine a world without him in the dugout! To address the elephant in the room, then... who's coming in?!

Reuben: What an incredible journey we have had with McKenna. A true Town legend. Three promotions. Thanks, Kieran.

Alex: Probably the best four or five years of supporting Ipswich in the entirety of my 26-year-old life. Great bloke and a fantastic manager with a win rate right up there with Robson and Ramsey. Will not be forgotten in a hurry, especially the back-to-back promotion seasons.

Bernard: The man has done a brilliant job and has left on his own terms. Clearly destined for big things, he goes with my thanks and best wishes for the future.

John: He has given me the best memories of supporting Ipswich Town. More than that though, he always conducted himself as a true champion of the club and someone to be proud of. Gutted.

Julian: Can't say I'm surprised but I'm definitely shocked at the timing. The benefit of gaining automatic promotion and giving ourselves that extra time to prepare for another monumental challenge in the Premier League has just evaporated. Huge respect for Kieran and what he achieved for the football club and the community, that can never be taken away from him.

Jesper: Thank you, Kieran, for dragging the Blues out of the mud we were stuck in for more than 20 years. You are leaving the club in a good position - hopefully the club will find a suitable successor to continue the job and re-establish the Blues as a recognised Premier League club.

Ben: I'm absolutely gutted McKenna's gone, but he's done incredible things at Town and I'll always be grateful for that. Following Ipswich wasn't fun for my first 20 years, but he made it enjoyable. Best of luck to him, wherever he ends up.

Graeme McLoughlin
BBC Radio Suffolk reporter

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Kieran McKenna's time in charge of Ipswich Town has been nothing short of incredible.

Just four full seasons in charge have brought with them three promotions and a first taste of Premier League football at Portman Road in more than 20 years.

What's more, the football seen during those first two promotion-winning campaigns was the best at Ipswich Town in a generation, with a group of players who thrived under the Northern Irishman's lead.

Relegation from the top flight just over a year ago, coupled with a slow start to Town's most recent campaign in the second tier, meant McKenna had not been without his critics leading up to the New Year. However, two morale boosting wins over runaway Championship leaders Coventry City, and the club's first East Anglian derby victories in more than a decade helped a new look Ipswich team book their seat at English football's top table once again.

Town's travelling support have enjoyed some of the most memorable away days, while Portman Road has come back to life, but as McKenna alluded to on the final day of the season and in his latest statement, it has come at a cost to him. He is exhausted and he needs a break.

Ipswich fans will wish him well in their tens of thousands. This departure is a sad moment for them, but McKenna leaves their club in a far better place, and he leaves it a very attractive proposition for his successor.

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Departing Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna says managing the club has been "an absolute privilege" as he prepares to take a step back from management after nearly five year with the Tractor Boys.

The former Manchester United and Tottenham youth coach stated he is taking this break to spend some time with his family after a whirlwind four-and-a-half seasons with the team, gaining back-to-back promotions to reach the Premier League in 2024.

Speaking to the club's website, McKenna said: "It is with a mixture of gratitude, pride, sadness and contentment that I have decided to step down from the honour of managing this historic football club.

"When you have the connection that we have built at this club there is never a good time to say goodbye. However, having achieved a second promotion to the Premier League last season, with another memorable final day in our stadium, and after reflection over the last couple of weeks, I feel this is the right time for me to step aside. I do so with great pride at the incredible progress we have made and with huge hope and optimism for the future of the club.

"To manage this club has been an absolute privilege. Over the last five seasons we have been on an incredible journey that has brought so many of the best experiences in my professional and personal life.

"After giving so much to the role over the previous five seasons, I now look forward to taking a break from management and dedicating some time to my family, who have been with me every step of my career so far.

"There are so many people I would like to thank who have played their part in this journey. Firstly, to Mark Ashton and the Board for giving me the opportunity, at 35 years old, to manage such a massive football club, and for the unwavering support and trust they have shown ever since.

"To my coaching staff and all the wonderful staff at Portman Road and our Playford Road training centre, who work tirelessly to progress the club in every way. To all of the players who have represented the club with professionalism and passion over the past five years.

"Most importantly, thank you to the amazing fans and supporters of Ipswich Town. You have followed this football club through wonderful highs and difficult lows. I will be forever grateful for the way that you welcomed myself and my family, both to the football club and to the county of Suffolk. I will cherish the memories that we have shared together for the rest of my life.

"Ipswich Town will always have a special place in our hearts."

Get in touch with your thoughts on McKenna's departure here

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Kieran McKenna has announced he will be stepping down as Ipswich Town boss this summer after five hugely successful seasons with the club.

The 40-year-old joined the club when they were down in League One but achieved back-to-back promotions to take the Tractor Boys up to the Premier League in 2024. Then, after relegation in their first season in the top flight, they bounced back up this past campaign.

On the news, Ipswich chairman Mark Ashton said: "The job Kieran has done at this football club over the last five years is simply incredible.

"When I first spoke to Kieran prior to appointing him, I knew we would be getting an extremely bright, hugely driven coach who craved the opportunity to make his own mark on a football club as a manager. To say he has done that is an understatement.

"Achieving three promotions in four seasons, in what is your first role as a manager, is an achievement which means Kieran is now rightly discussed in the same breath as the legends of this club. The mark he, his staff and his players have made on Ipswich Town and its community will live forever. It has captured a generation.

"It's been a true honour to stand side-by-side with Kieran over these five years and watch him grow and achieve so much. I know just how much of himself he has given to his job and he should be incredibly proud of all he has achieved. I know I am.

"Like so many, I am of course gutted that our journey together has come to an end, but I understand and respect the decision he has made after five incredibly intense years.

"Kieran will be greatly missed but he and his family leave us with our immense gratitude for all he has done. He will always be welcome at Portman Road.

"Thank you for everything, Kieran. It's been an absolute pleasure."

How do you feel about the news McKenna will be stepping down? Surprised or expected? And what have been your favourite memories of his time at Portman Road?

Get in touch with your thoughts here

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Former Ipswich Town owner David Sheepshanks has been in conversation with BBC Radio Suffolk.

As he prepares to release a new book, Sheepshanks reflected his sale of the club to Marcus Evans in 2007.

Speaking to BBC Radio Suffolk's Brenner Woolley, Sheepshanks said: "I wasn't involved during the later years of Marcus. I was still a fan. Looking on it was simply awful for all fans, painful to watch.

"But at the beginning when we found him, he came in, I first met him, we interviewed him, the board interviewed him, he made all the right noises and did the right things. He invested, heavily. He made a lot of money available, initially to Jim, then Roy Keane, then Paul Jewell.

"But after a while he stopped. Mick McCarthy really gets lot of stick from fans and I think unfairly as he did an amazing job for the club on a shoestring. The way he kept us in the thick of things, when Marcus wasn't giving the club any money, Mick was deflecting all the flak and still kept a competitive team.

"Marcus did well by the club when he came in. His intentions were good but after a few years when it doesn't go so good, I don't think he would mind me saying he might of got some slightly more experienced people around him.

"I left in 2011 completely but effectively in 2009. There wasn't a lot of expertise around him. Whoever was in his ear, some of the decisions that got made were maybe things he will reflect on. But he tried. I give him credit for coming in, trying to do the right thing and putting a lot of money in."

Listen to The Blue Hour below or on BBC Sounds

Fulham are weighing up whether to trigger the £8m release clause of Ipswich head coach Kieran McKenna, who leads their list of candidates to replace Marco Silva. (Talksport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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We asked for your views on which players Hull should keep, loan, and sell this summer.

Here are some of your comments:

Peter: One player who has been on the fringes who should be kept and why? Not so much the fringes, but returning from injury and not featured as much. Wes Burns - he's such a trier and has electric pace. Able to get a cross in front some difficult angles - we love him. One player who should be loaned out - Sindre Walle Egeli. He hasn't really set the world alight and looks low on confidence at times. Maybe a loan back to the Championship will do him some good. One player who should be sold - without a doubt, I would be selling Chuba Akpom. He hasn't looked anywhere good enough, and I think this will be magnified in the Prem.

Tom: For me Ipswich should keep Wes Burns, he's not had a huge involvement this season mostly due to injury, but he showed he was good enough last time we were in the prem, he's been nothing but class for Ipswich and he deserves his chance again in the top flight. Sindre Walle Egeli needs to be loaned out, after paying a Championship record fee for him as a 19-year-old last season, he has not delivered. There is clear potential however he would massively benefit from a loan spell. It's obvious, but George Hurst should be sold in my opinion. As much as he's been fantastic for the club, sadly I think his best days are behind him and we need to be looking for a couple of new strikers in the summer window.

Niall: Keep Dara O Shea, he's blossoming in town colours. Loan out Ivan Azon as experience elsewhere may benefit him. Sell Sammie Szmodics because just hasn't worked past season. Buy a striker please. We badly need a scorer for the Premier League.

Thomas: Keep Wes Burns. Sell Ivan Akpom.

James: I would like to see Chiedozie Ogbene kept and given a chance to prove his fitness and his quality. Chuba Akpom, on the other hand, should be allowed out on loan after a thoroughly uninspiring season. And Sammie Szmodics has played his last game for the club - we should look to recoup some of the transfer fee we spent on him and reinvest in that part of the pitch.

Peter: Ben Johnson has been Mr Versatile & has Premier League experience, not let us down at all & a very good athlete. Elkan Baggott should be loaned out as needs regular matches but has huge potential. Sammie Szmodics to be sold.

Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter

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Fulham remain in the hunt for Marco Silva's long-term replacement amid suggestions that Kieran McKenna is the frontrunner.

However, it is understood that any deal to appoint the Ipswich Town manager is complicated by a number of significant costs.

The first is a compensation fee, thought to be around £8m, payable to Ipswich, which would be likely to reduce Fulham's transfer budget for next season.

There are also his wage demands, which are among the highest in the Premier League, as well as the added expense of bringing in his backroom staff.

A number of BBC Sport sources believe Fulham have shown interest without making formal contact with the Suffolk club, but there are questions over whether the overall cost will prove prohibitive.

At Ipswich, there is a mixture of optimism that he will stay, but also uncertainty over the possibility that he could effectively leave if the right figures are hit.

It was a similar situation when Bournemouth opted for former Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig manager Marco Rose over McKenna after Andoni Iraola announced he would leave the south coast at the end of the season.

Sources at Fulham have been approached for further clarity but have so far been cautious about outlining their managerial search.

The situation follows Silva's decision to join Portuguese side Benfica at the end of his contract at Craven Cottage, having turned down a competitive offer to remain in the role.

Meanwhile, BBC Sport has previously reported that Fulham hold some interest in Coventry City boss Frank Lampard.

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The future of Kieran McKenna was a talking point on the latest episode of The Blue Hour, a show on all things Ipswich Town from BBC Radio Suffolk.

Fans were in touch with the show over reports and rumours manager Kieran McKenna could move to Fulham., external

Michael wrote: It's not all about money, Kieran is a nice bloke and Town will have him for a few more years. His roots are established and it would be a shame to see him go. There's no chance. And he has a good chance of keeping Town in the league.

Dave offered: Why would he go to Fulham? A sideways move at best. I'd understand if it was Spurs or Manchester United. Fulham are a mid-table team. With the ambition of our owners, I can see us staying in the league for a few more years and building on that for future European challenges - just look at Sunderland. He is loved here at the club and it can only get better. At Fulham he'd have to start again and build up any momentum.

Listen to The Blue Room on BBC Sounds here

You can listen to a full show from Brenner Woolley at BBC Radio Suffolk in an episode of The Blue Hour.

There's discussion on the possibility of signing Newcastle United keeper Nick Pope, debate on Kieran McKenna's links to Fulham and an interview with David Sheepshanks.

Listen on BBC Sounds here or hit play below

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The countdown to the World Cup is well and truly on, so here's a reminder of the Tractor Boys selected to represent their countries from 11 June to 19 July.

The expanded 48-team competition is set to be the biggest in history, with the United States, Canada and Mexico hosting.

Ipswich Town's World Cup contingent:

• Ali Al-Hamadi (Iraq)

• George Hirst (Scotland)

Take a dive into each of the 48 squads here

Read more about the World Cup squads in numbers

Find out more about how to follow the competition on the BBC

Click here to download your World Cup 2026 wallchart

Change is inevitable at football clubs during the summer months and we want to ask you something specific about Ipswich's squad as they prepare to return to the Premier League.

Tell us:

• One player who has been on the fringes who should be kept and why?

• One player who should be loaned out

• One player who should be sold

We would love names and reasons for all three - get in touch with your views using this form.

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BBC Radio Suffolk have ranked Ipswich Town's top five away days under Kieran McKenna and as they head to the Premier League once again, they could be looking for a repeat over number four Sunderland.

BBC Radio Suffolk's Graeme McLoughlin and Harvey Bell agreed Ipswich's 2-1 victory at the Stadium of Light on opening day of the 2023-24 season, was worthy of a top five spot as it became a building block for back-to-back promotions.

"I had to go for that because I'd been to Sunderland the season before [last] and we'd lost there under Paul Cook and it was quite an uninspiring performance," Bell said.

"I remember it being such a long journey and thinking 'oh we've been promoted from League One, we're going there on opening day of the season, we're not favourites to win this so this could be a really miserable long way up and long way back'.

"But then Nathan Broadhead scores against Sunderland, which was his former club, and I think at that point beating Sunderland who are seen as quite a big club at Championship level, really made us all think even though it was only the first game of the season, that we could really be on to something."

Radio Suffolk sports editor Graeme McLoughlin said: "That's why it's on my list. It was the belief. It set the tone for what was a glorious season."

Click play below to hear the full list or listen on BBC Sounds here

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Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric is to leave Ipswich Town and join Serie A side Sassuolo.

The 27-year-old spent last season on loan with the Italian club, making 32 appearances and keeping six clean sheets as Sassuolo finished in 11th place.

Muric, who is a Kosovo international, joined Ipswich from Burnley for an initial fee of £10m in July 2024 but only featured in 18 league games as the Suffolk side were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

He started his career with Manchester City, making five appearances in the League Cup, before spending time on loan at clubs including NAC Breda, Nottingham Forest and Girona.

Sassuolo have exercised the option to make Muric's move permanent for an undisclosed fee.

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Ipswich Town striker Ali Al-Hamadi has been named in Iraq's World Cup squad with the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico kicking off next week.

The 24-year-old made only two appearances for Ipswich last season before joining League One's Luton Town, where he scored one goal in 14 appearances, on loan.

Al-Hamadi has made 17 appearances for Iraq's senior side, scoring five goals including one in their 2-1 play-off victory over Bolivia in April which qualified them for their second ever World Cup and first since 1986.

He is the second Ipswich forward going to the World Cup with 27-year-old George Hirst included in the Scotland squad.

Iraq are in Group I alongside France, Senegal and Norway and start their campaign against the Norwegians on Tuesday, 16 June.