McKenna: It is essential to block out external noise

Town manager Kieran McKenna believes he’ll enjoy the excitement of Derby Day while staying analytical until the whistle blows.

The Blues go to Norfolk to face Norwich City at Carrow Road this afternoon, hoping for their first derby win in 15 years and their first on enemy territory since 2006.

“We understand it, and I’d encourage it; I hope the supporters can create a great atmosphere, and I’m sure Norwich will want their supporters to create a great atmosphere,” McKenna said when asked if he enjoys the “hullabaloo” that comes with a derby.

“Our away fans will make sure they are heard, like they do every week.

“I believe matchday is different. In terms of our preparation, in terms of how we’ve attempted to work and recover since Monday, it’s critical that you can tune out all extraneous noise and not become distracted by anything that may be said about any one fixture.

“For us, it’s been about rehabilitation and training, as well as looking at Norwich’s strengths and weaknesses and preparing a game plan for Saturday. I believe that being able to block out all of that is critical in the lead-up to the game.

“But, of course, on the day, the match, whether it was our home game against Norwich or any other game this season or in my career, traveling away to large stadiums with enormous atmospheres, noise, anxiety, and high adrenaline levels all around, I think that’s something you truly love.

“Whether you are a staff member or a gamer, you must love it. We enjoy playing in those atmospheres, and I enjoy being a part of them, and Saturday will be no exception.

“We’ll embrace that side of it, but I’ll still have to be analytical and ready to make judgments to aid the club, and the players will have to be composed and do their tasks while adhering to our ideals and attempting to apply them to the best of their ability.

“I think you can probably make a distinction there between the build-up to the game where it’s about blocking the noise out and a big game where you have to enjoy the atmosphere and hopefully use that to spur you on in your performance.”

While there has been much discussion ahead of the derby about the Blues’ poor recent record against their main rivals, McKenna says everyone at Portman Road is aware of the club’s larger history and the achievements of Sir Bobby Robson and Alf Ramsey.”We go into every game and I think we come into work every day very aware of that,” he told reporters.

“Every player who has come to this football club, every staff person, and I’d think every manager who has come to this football club would immediately recognise the size of the football club and its place in not only the Ipswich community, but also the Suffolk community.

“It’s a one-club county, but it’s a wonderful one, with Ipswich Town at the heart of it. A club with a rich history and tradition, and one that we are all pleased to represent.

“We remember it every day, we’re grateful for that every day, and it means a lot to go out and represent the club in every game, especially in a derby match against a local opponent.

“There’s no doubt that the players will represent the club as well as they can on Saturday.”

When asked if he believes the Blues are the club that neutrals want to win the battle for the Championship title this season, McKenna replied: “I’ve certainly had enough of text messages, I have to say. I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from people in the game who have loved watching the team play, like the team’s identity, or are pleased of the club’s growth and wish us the best for the future.

“That’s always fantastic, and I believe it’s good for the English game and the English pyramid in general to show that clubs can move ahead by doing the right things.

“We have amazing owners, fantastic support, and funding, but we must comply with current Financial Fair Play standards.

“It would be hard to follow the EFL’s regulations and spend £10, £20, or £30 million on players, so we’ve had to do it in different ways, and we’ve loved doing so.

“And we’ve demonstrated that a team can grow in League One after a couple of bad seasons, achieve promotion and step up into the Championship, be competitive, and do so in a style of play and identity that people have really appreciated, and compete with major teams in the Championship.

“And, up to this point, we’ve demonstrated that we can compete with teams coming down from the Premier League, who are among the strongest the division has ever seen, and that type of trajectory can hopefully give a lot of clubs confidence.

“And I think a football pyramid where clubs can improve and develop the football club and give supporters reason to dream, I think it’s terrific for the game, and hopefully what we’ve done and the manner we’ve done it up to this point means that we have a very broad backing in the English game.

“But we realize that in terms of this season and the conclusion, it’s 40 games and we only have six left, and we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about these things on a daily basis.

“It’s nice to get messages and well wishes from people but it doesn’t really change our day-to-day world, our day-to-day world is the next game, the next session and that’s where our focus is.

“Outside of that, it’s nice to know that hopefully we’ve got the support and maybe we’ve shown a way that we’ve done things can be successful.”