Ex Manchester United coach is ‘absolutely incredible’ with 29 wins in 36 games

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Two former Manchester United coaches faced off in the Championship last weekend with Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town maintaining their ‘incredible’ form with a 2-0 win at Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough.

There has been a whole lotta revisionism on the Twitter timeline this week.

They say absence makes the heart grow stronger and that certainly rings true amongst sections of the Manchester United support, Erik ten Hag’s Old Trafford struggles leading some to pine for the days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Kieran McKenna and Michael Carrick.

The stellar work McKenna and Carrick have done – and continue to do – in the Championship only serves to enhance the admiration for Ten Hag’s Red Devils predecessors.

Carrick took over a Middlesbrough side fearing relegation in 2021 and took them to the play-offs. McKenna, meanwhile, has Ipswich Town dreaming of a return to the Premier League after two decades away, a team who only secured an escape out of the third-tier in scintillating form and looking to make it two promotions in a row.

Kieran McKenna has Ipswich Town flying

“What McKenna is doing at Ipswich is just absolutely incredible,” says EFL expert and Not The Top 20 podcast host George Elek, the Tractor Boys trampling over Boro’s field and returning to Anglia with another three-point haul.

“(McKenna) went up against Michel Carrick. This is the first time they have come up against each other as managers. There wasn’t a great deal between the two sides, just the quality, I would say (of the Ipswich players made the difference).”

Ipswich have won a remarkable 29 of their last 36 league games, a run which begun when McKenna grabbed his chainsaw and chopped down Forest Green Rovers back in February.

And, while the cynics are still expecting a drop-off from a team who continue to punch well above their weight, Elek insists that there no signs of a Grimm end to this fairytale story.

29 wins from 36 games

‘I keep seeing people going ‘Yeah, Leeds and Leicester (are the favourites). Ipswich are going to fall away at some point’. I just don’t understand anyone drawing that conclusion,” Elek adds, an Ipswich side who took Brandon Williams on loan and signed Axel Tuanzebe too coming from behind to defeat Watford in midweek.

“They are continually putting in top-level performances, beating quality opposition, and they’ve got decent strength in depth.

“I don’t think there is any reason why they cannot continue into the New Year.”