624: Kings of Anglia: After the Lord Mayor’s Show at Fratton Park

31:13But I would say it probably took maybe four or five minutes to realise that those on the pitch were not capable of turning this game around, and Pompey were more likely to get a third than Ipswich were to get back into the game. quite early substitutions from Kieran McKenna I know Town chasing it obviously with two goals but I don't think we've seen too many triple subs from Kieran McKenna in the 58th minute turn to his bench and good options coming on Anis Mometi coming on for Azul Matasiwa which obviously sees Nunez drop deeper, Jadon Filagene on for Casey McAteer thought he was the best substitute which had on the night and then a really weird one with Darnell Furlong coming off and we didn't actually get to ask Kieran McKenna as to whether there was an injury involved there or what the situation was but it just really confused me and it totally switched the dynamic how much of Ipswich's play do you see being built from the back particularly from Dara O'Shea who starts attacks from deep areas and gets town going and within that substitution that is kind of like for like in taking Furlong off and bring Ben Johnson on, instead of making it a like-for-like sub, they changed the whole makeup of the back line, which really baffled me, to be honest.

32:33And I think it proved to be really detrimental to what Ipswich wanted to do. O'Shea moved to right-back, where he had less time on the ball. Kipre moved to right-centre-back, Greaves to left-centre-back, and then Johnson at left-back. It didn't work. Minetti had a poor game off the bench. Jadon Filagene had to try and do a lot of it himself. So those who had started and tried to change momentum weren't able to. Those who came off the bench to try and swing things couldn't do it. And Philogene probably had the best of it, but he couldn't do it all by himself. And it was one of those where no matter how much Town huffed and puffed and ended up towards the end with a really attacking team on the pitch, they got nowhere near Portsmouth.

33:18And their first shot on target was the 67th minute.

33:22Stuart Watson:Yeah, I'm just trying to think how the Ben Johnson sub could have been used differently. Ideally, I guess, like you say, you could have gone like for like for furlong and kept things as they were. But if Greed isn't working at left back, I think, again, this is where not having Leif Davis available, which maybe didn't have that wing-backy left-sided option in this squad. Ideally, you could have then, you know, had a Greaves-Kipre O'Shea, three centre-halves and maybe changed it to slightly more of that 3-4-2-1 system. Furlong looked like he had one of his more difficult nights. They seemed to be targeting him a little bit, getting diagonals out to Milialli.

34:09Stuart Watson:Was that part of it? Did he just feel that, you know, we talk about Furlong being Mr. Reliable, normally being 7 out of 10, very little gets by him. not that flashy going forwards but he's solid defensively this might have been a night where you know actually he was struggling a bit defensively and that that was part of the thinking and you put O'Shea as a more defensive minded right back and then you get a bit more attacking whip from from Johnson at left back but as you say you've already made quite a few changes at the start of a game and then you're completely sort of changing the makeup of of the team midway through the second half as well it can't help with chemistry can it no and especially through O'Shea I think that it goes under the radar how important because obviously he's a really good defender we saw how solid defensively he is with that Norwich game but ever since Wrexham which was his worst performance in an Ipswich Townsher I think he's been brilliant I really do I think he's been Ipswich's top performer since that game but it goes under the radar how important he is on the ball especially i know in home games where he has the the time and he's not put under as much pressure on the ball but also in away games to get town going from the back he's he's ends up and it might sound really stupid to say he's one of ipswich's most creative players in that sense because so much of the game comes from him and i get the logic behind you know furlongs having a difficult game you want to get johnson on because Greaves the left back isn't working but moving O'Shea out then changes the whole dynamic of what Town are trying to do and when you've got a team where Marcino Nunez who is it which is most creative player isn't having a good game Jack Clark struggling O'Shea I think was probably Town's best performer in this game shifting him to that wide right position might help you from a defensive sense and ensuring that there's a better kind of player who's better dealt with dealing with Milanicali but it then stopped a lot of what Ipswich tried to do going forward I thought I didn't think Kipra had an overly good game he had one moment where he played a nice ball over the top to Nunez defensively thought he struggled Jacob Greaves as we've seen Sheffield United, for example, this was one of those that didn't work with him at left back.

36:35And I just thought that changing the makeup of the back line proved detrimental, not only defensively in the end, but also going forward.

36:46Stuart Watson:Yeah, we've seen Clark on the right a few times now, Philogene as well. I think there's enough body of evidence to know now that it doesn't really suit either of them, does it? Was there anything you saw last night in that period to change your mind? no not at all uh philagine played on the left he was uh as i said it was his best um probably best attacker and definitely best substitute tried to make stuff happen jack clark was in this game after probably half an hour was pretty ineffective off the left and when he got moved to the right was ineffective there it doesn't work i don't know why town persevere with it i know there is clearly a gap in kind of the quality on the flanks but um what does that mean for sindra valarageli comes on on 71 minutes i cannot remember him doing anything he ends up with 13 touches of the ball and the block shot um it's again a concerning kind of balance when you don't have wes burns in this team where the left side is clearly in terms of quality so much better than the right that you're forcing one of your left-sided players onto the right to try and win the game, which also then doesn't help when one of your left-sided players is having an off day.

38:02I thought Casey McAteer was fine, kind of was a little bit surprised that he was hooked on 58 minutes. I thought he was one of those players who was making stuff happen in the first half, at least more than the rest. It was a game. How many times have we said that the balance of the team and the chemistry has felt wrong at times and then we've drifted towards some games where it's all clicked into place and it's wow this is brilliant and we saw that over the weekend where the all of the link up across the pitch was perfect spot on and then in the space of three four days it feels like there's a kind of a team of strangers and um we don't really know who's best in what positions and how to make up the the team defensively in midfield and attack um it's it's weird how things can change in such a short space of time isn't it yeah

38:53Stuart Watson:egli and akpom chucked on on 71 and by that stage it just felt like just throwing on every every attacking player at your disposal the only other time we've probably seen that was wrexham away in the cup game i think where that was similar sort of thing happened where it was just basically chuck them all on and hope for the best. Again, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Kieran McKenna, a big narrative around him has been no plan B, doesn't try anything different. It's always like for like changes. So this flies in the face of that. But yeah, for me, it's then sort of a lack of balance and a lack of relationships and connections on the football pitch.

39:36Stuart Watson:And I feel for somebody like Egerle, who's still trying to find his feet and has had the season. He's had an Akpom who's just not happened for him this season. And then all of a sudden you're being thrown onto the pitch in a difficult circumstance, 2-0 down. In Akpom's case, out of a position that he's not used to playing, it's very difficult to kind of change the opinion around you at this moment in time. Did you see anything from Tuba at all in that cameo? No. Sorry, no, I really didn't. I played 19 minutes. I talked about Syndra having 12-13 touches. Tuba had seven. Again, a blocked shot in the box.

40:17Didn't have the opportunity to do anything. To their credit, I thought Pompey defended incredibly well. But when it becomes almost like a makeshift team, a makeshift attacking team, which is all the attackers thrown on, you're not going to get players like Syndra Valarageli and Tuba Rakpom into their best positions. And I feel sorry for them in a way where, take Sindra, for example. This was his first appearance since the Millwall game. He played three minutes against Millwall. The appearance before that was the Sheffield Wednesday game where he was hooked at halftime. He's probably coming onto this Pompey game thinking, God, I really need to perform here to make sure that I put myself in the mind of the manager and the fans.

41:00And I have people clamouring to see me play minutes and to impact games. I really need to make an impact in this game. And how on earth, like, I know that he didn't necessarily play well, but how are you supposed to impact the game if you're coming on in that situation, especially if you're Syndra, for example, still getting used to the championship, you're thrown on into such a trademark championship game, a rainy Fratton Park, crowd are on you, Pompey defending incredibly well for their lives. you're not in a role that suits you in a team that suits you in a side that would get the best out of you.

41:40So I feel for him. I feel for Chubarakpom. The finale wasn't set up for anyone. Look, Town did better towards the end. Hurst forced a good save from a header, I think it was. He might have headed just wide. That was it. Philogene forced a good save from a corner. Daro Shea had a header cleared off the line. but aside from the O'Shea chance, there was not one that I really thought Town were going to score. And with 80 minutes on the clock, I didn't think they were going to get one, let alone two. So it felt so well defended by Pompey, so well managed, and they were really comfortable seeing it out.

42:24And Town need to figure out how to deal with that better because with all the attacking talent on the bench, they didn't come anywhere near to turning this game in the slightest yeah taylor as on and

42:36Stuart Watson:kayusta all unused subs and i think you can make a case that taylor probably put a lot physically into the east anglian derby as on's just coming back from a calf issue i think it is with him isn't it yeah but kayusta the fact that he's kind of at this stage where he's you know not making a matchday squad for the East Anglian derby and an unused sub in this sort of game I think speaks volumes of the season he's had in the championship and the trust or lack of that Kieran McKenna has in him at the moment which is a shame really it's mad that it's which have got a player on loan from Napoli at this level and they don't feel for whatever reason that he's in a position to make a contribution at this moment in time.

43:22Do you think that that is, can you read between the lines with that one? He's obviously not had the season that we've hoped for and that's something that Kieran McKenna said on the record. He's also said about how he's a top player that could play for any of the big European clubs including Ipswich and he has a part to play and things like that. Is it that it's not worked out and Town, as we've kind of hinted at, maybe We're not too sure, but say with Tuba Rackpon, there's this obligation to buy if Ipswich are promoted. We don't know if it's a case that it would be triggered only if he makes a certain amount of starts or appearances.

44:04Do we reckon that that could be the same with Jens Kijusta coming into these final games? Because even though it's not been his season, surely he could be impacting games.

44:14Stuart Watson:Yeah, I would imagine there's every chance that there's some sort of situation there with those two. The reality is Ipswich won't want to be locked into buying either Jens Kjusta or Tuba Akpom where they'd be promoted to the Premier League, even if they don't go up, to be quite honest. I don't think those are deals that they'll want to do. We don't know for a fact, but there's enough evidence in football where it's been spoken quite openly about managers saying, I'm not going to play this player again because it will trigger said clause and I've been quite open about it. It's certainly something that I can ask Kieran McKenna about in coming press conferences.

44:57Stuart Watson:I'm just having a look now. Jenski Ust has made 13 championship starts, if it's based on starts, plus a further 16 off the bench. So he's at 29 league appearances. Could 30 be a magic number there? I don't know. maybe it's 15 starts something like that, I'm just speculating Atpom meanwhile he's at 7 league starts and 21 off the bench which brings him to 28 so who knows it's something that I'll try and seek a bit more clarity on at the moment but it's not like either of them were ripping it up and then all of a sudden they've stopped playing but there might be something at play there

45:45Stuart Watson:perspective time then AJ it is the first defeat since Wrexham that 5-3 which was late February nine game unbeaten run leading into this which could have had more points in it as well when we talk about the penalty incidents against Leicester and Stoke in there as well so it's not a disaster Kieran McKenna talked about Portsmouth being better than their league position suggests. Yes, they are battling relegation, but they've had, certainly over that winter period, and that's probably what leaves a bit of a sour taste, a hell of an injury list. And Ipswich will have fancied their chances of winning there in January, certainly when that game got called off first for the frozen pitch, which I think, sorry, is it the frozen pitch the first time around?

46:34Frozen pitch first and then waterlogged.

46:36Stuart Watson:And I think that first one was the one that maybe Ipswich which weren't happy about. But that's by the by. They've beaten Millwall and Middlesbrough in 2006, so they've now taken three... 2006? Their last three wins, it should be said, are Pompey beat Nipswich, Borough and Millwall in their last three victories, which is also nuts, considering that in the meantime, they've lost 6-1 at QPR, and they've lost home to Swansea and home to Derby and all of those results. And their last three is that run. So are they a team that performed better against the better teams? Credit to them for the performance, but they very much had something to play for.

47:23They were desperate. They knew that a win against Town would give them a huge chance of survival now. They're on the brink of it. They host Leicester over the weekend. Leicester are already now on the brink of relegation. and if Pompey can go and make it three ones on the bounce, and I think they would probably push Leicester towards relegation at that point, then they're almost there ahead of games against Coventry, against Stoke and against Birmingham to finish. They had everything to play for. This is a team that was scrapping for their lives. And you saw that within the performance. They didn't look fatigued off the back of a long old round trip to Middlesbrough.

48:04and town did. This was a town team that I thought looked tired, looked lethargic, looked like not just the physical side of what goes into that Norwich game, but also mentally. I think they were drained from that, the amount of emotions that went into that game, both before, during, and after it. And this felt like a bit of a hangover, a bit of the after the Lord's Mayor show. and to an extent, I wouldn't say you can allow it, but it makes things more understandable, doesn't it?

48:37Stuart Watson:It does. I think you're absolutely spot on there. It's not the physical side of it. I think it's the emotional, mental side of the build-up to Norwich. Kieran McKenna said afterwards that actually we learnt from the previous promotion season and we didn't try and downplay it and play the game, not the occasion. No, lean into that. you haven't won here, this club hasn't won here for 20 years and they hyped them up and they talked about promotion heroes of the past and how you can write yourself into that sort of chapter of club folklore. And yeah, emotionally, mentally, a lot would have gone into that game, building up to it.

49:11Stuart Watson:You saw the scenes on the pitch afterwards. I'm not saying that Ipswich then, the celebrations sort of went over the top and how, you know, I'm sure it would have been full focus on the next game straight away, but a lot went into that match. and maybe naturally um that takes a little bit out of out of your body doesn't it um we've got a previous example of this in the last promotion season if you remember the the Sarmiento goal against Southampton 3-2 emotionally everything that went into that the scenes of Connor Chaplin sprinting off the pitch and the pylon and the noise at Portman road and all of that next game norwich away they were flat as a pancake weren't they at carrow road a few days after in that match and they lost 1-0 um so it can happen it has happened um to a degree as you say it's maybe excusable um but they need to get back on the horse now because it's still in their hands but post Norwich we were thinking the prize is in sight, it's there it's there to grab and now suddenly you chalk a game off and it feels a little bit anxious and nervy again sum up the promotion picture now for me Yeah, I do on the highlight, I saw this quite fun stats from a Norwich fan I would need to verified this, but he's backed it up.

50:45No one has won a league game after winning the East Anglian Derby in 15 years, which I do wonder to what extent that is an emotional hangover or even a physical hangover from those games. Yeah. Sum up the picture. Look, it's still a strong position for Ipswich to be in. There were whispers of, well, Coventry is still catchable after Sheffield Wednesday. There were one or two fans who said that after the Norwich game over the weekend. Forget it. Put it to one side. Coventry are going to win the championship title. That has been incredibly clear. This is not it's which is fight to go and finish first or to catch Coventry or anything like that.

51:27It is simply going to be to finish second. And they have the game in hand. They have the game in hand still on Millwall, on Southampton, on Borough, on Hull or whoever you put into this picture. but you can now start making arguments for other teams. I think that Borough are obviously in a really difficult spot. I would say that if they lose to town over the weekend, you could maybe put them out of the picture. With the others, that's where you can now start making cases for the Millwall's perspective. Running is favourable. QPR at home, Stoke away, Leicester away, Oxford at home. That is a nice set of fixtures to have, albeit that two of them are really scrapping for survival.

52:07Southampton have won every single game since March 14th in cup and league, including beating Arsenal. That is six or seven that they've now won on the bounce. Their run-in is Swansea, nothing to play for. Bristol City, nothing to play for. Preston on final day, nothing to play for. And then Ipswich, of course, with a cup semi-final against Manchester City in there. and knowing that Southampton can take points off Ipswich, they will feel that they're right in this fight as well. So Town have it in their hands. They have the advantage, but they have a difficult run-in and they've now put the door ajar for someone else to come in here and they need to slam it shut as quickly as possible.

52:58They've got plenty of opportunities to do that, but they could have really put their foot down and missed the opportunity to do that.

53:07Stuart Watson:Yeah, we've been talking for a few weeks about it being a three-way fight for seconds and I've alluded to this already in our post-match video, slightly chaotic post-match verdict video at Carrow Road on Saturday which involved some sort of windstorm whipping through the corner at one stage, Philippe Clement walking past the camera while we were slamming the short fallings of his side at that moment in time. I'm making excuses for myself here because you said Southampton to think about as well. And in a bit of a throwaway dismissive fashion, I said, Southampton, don't worry about them for second, Alex.

53:48Stuart Watson:Because in my mind, they were miles back and I thought they had too much ground to make up and I underestimated it. I didn't realise, I knew they were in good form. I'd watched them in the cup. and I knew how good they were looking. But it's six straight wins now, 15 unbeaten. They are flying up on the rails and they are the only team really that is in any kind of convincing form out of these four teams. Ipswich have been ticking over points-wise, but I'll have to look back on the Ipswich form in a second. But Millwall one win in five and Middlesbrough winless in six at the moment. It's really tight.

54:36Stuart Watson:And 10 is the magic number for Ipswich Town still. 10 points mathematically guarantees it because of that greater goal difference to Millwall. So the most Millwall can get to it is to 85. If Ipswich can get themselves to 85, they'll finish above Millwall. And Southampton and Borough can't get to 85. They can only get to 84 between the two of them. So 10 points from five games. And just to reiterate, this run in for Ipswich is Middlesbrough at home Sunday lunchtime, a midweek away trip to Charlton, West Brom away, Southampton away. So three away games in a row. And then QPR at home to finish. Plot me a route to 10 points from those five games.

55:32I've breached 10 points win the next three Southampton and get a point against the Southampton game is the one that is going to concern isn't it because that is the one A against the form team B away from home and C against the team that if they take points off town will close the gap The others can be seen in a couple of different ways. Borough, it's a massive, massive game for sure. And one that could either bring Middlesbrough right back into the mix or could cut them out of it entirely, I think. But it is against a team that are in really poor form without their star player at a stadium where Ipswich Town don't tend to lose games.

56:16Charlton, away from home, how much have they got to play for? Because their season, I think, is soon going to be done. They're almost mathematically safe now. The gap to Oxford is five points. They will be fine. It's just a case of getting it over the line, but they will want to do it mathematically and ensure that they are safe. And going to the Valley feels a bit like going to Fratton Park, so they'll need to guard against that. West Brom could have been on the beach, but now that game has totally changed. The dynamic has massively shifted because they could be heading for a points deduction.

56:51So they will need to rack up as many points as possible to ensure that when they have their hearing, I believe that's going to be at the end of this month, that any possible points deduction for financial breaches doesn't drop them into the relegation zone. They're in really good form at the moment, just taking points off Millwall. So that will be difficult. Southampton, go figure. QPR on final day should be a fairly simple game to win, given that the R's you would imagine will be on the beach. So there is a path there for sure.

57:19Stuart Watson:I don't like the word simple being thrown around, AJ. Well, that is true. I know what you're saying. It's the one I'm most confident about. But, yeah. Yeah. Pompey went to QPR thinking that would be a simple result and they lost 6-1. So there is that kind of thing. And hopefully it won't be simple for Millwall this weekend. But there is a pathway there for sure. If they go and win, let's say they... I wouldn't put it past Ipswich to go and win their next three games. Beat Borough, see something out at Charlton, maybe get a draw or even a win at West Brom, and then you're on the brink. And then Southampton have to beat you, and then you're looking at QPR having to force Town to drop points.

58:01There is a pathway there, but there's also a very clear pathway as to how Ipswich could screw this up.

58:06Stuart Watson:Here's what I think. I think Ipswich need to win their two home games. You only have to look at the away form. We've talked about this all season. I've just looked it up here. 10th in the away table. Ipswich, obviously another defeat on the road that yes, they've had their moments. They've won at Norwich. They've won at Coventry, etc. But it's been patchy, that away form. And three away games in the space of, was it eight days? That's a big ask to go and sort of string victory after victory after victory along there. At least four points from those away games, I would say. I think they need to beat Borough and they need to finish with a win against QPR.

58:45Stuart Watson:I think it could well go down to the last day. there's six of your 10 they might have to go to Southampton needing to get a result to stop them winning obviously if it's a draw the maximum that Southampton can get to is 82 and then you're looking what can you get from the other two Charlton away not an easy game we only have to look at the reverse fixture 3-0 they've won at Borough recently they've drawn at Saints that is not to be underestimated and then West Brom similar, under James Morrison they're looking really organised now a couple of 0-0 draws, I think they've had four clean sheets in their last five games West Brom, so no one should be looking at those two games and thinking there's a simple four six points or whatever it is and I remember back to the last promotion season, we've touched upon it already, that little period of Easter Monday, Southampton, flat against Norwich and there was a few draws in there wasn't they drew with Watford they drew with Borough at home and it all got a little bit nervy didn't it leading up to that now famous win at Coventry midweek penultimate game of the season could there be echoes of Southampton away again this time?

1:00:06Stuart Watson:We'll see I think seven points from the next three feels like what Ipswich will need if they can go and win against Middlesbrough, I wouldn't put it into a must-win category, but I think it's not far off. Win one of the two against Charlton or West Brom and draw one. Let's say they go and they beat Borough, they beat Charlton, they draw West Brom. That will put them on the brink. Then there's a margin for error. They'll know that if they went to Southampton and won, they'll be over the line. If they draw, they would only need a draw that they'd need. I'm not too sure. The math has gone out of my head there.

1:00:40But then they would go into the final day anyway, knowing that it's in their hands and that's what they need. So if you're looking at, from my perspective, next three games, obviously nine points will put them right on the brink, but seven I think is going to be the magic number for something that is a balance between realism and what they need really.

1:01:04Stuart Watson:I honestly think Sunday's huge. It's at home. That's where Ipswich have been strong. Borough winless in six at the moment. It sounds like Hayden Hackney is still a serious doubt. They seem to have been sort of, I wonder if they've been downplaying his absence because, oh, he's close, he's close, and there's still talk that he might, and he is such, you cannot overestimate how integral a player he is. He's the best player of the league. Yeah, and again, that's another conversation. If Ipswich had got him last summer, who knows how things would have played out, but if he's not available, I think if Ipswich win on Sunday, I'd feel quietly confident they'll get the job done.

1:01:47Stuart Watson:If they don't, I'd have some concerns about three straight away games, if I'm honest, and one of those being Southampton. So it's a massive game. It really is. We'll go into that in a bit more detail in our usual sort of boot room video and we'll come up with some predictions for the game and some starting 11s and stuff like that. I wanted to finish, AJ, sorry, is there something you wanted to mention around Borough? not really around borough what we what's the point we're going on to what are you i was going to finish by talking about um kira mckenna and bournemouth yeah i think we need to have a conversation around that uh here we go again i've lost count of the number of clubs that he's been linked to in his four and a bit years it's which town celtic brighton man united chelsea palace there's probably a few more on the list that I've forgotten about along the way Brentford yeah there's definitely one or two others that have been like if not fully linked at least kind of half linked I remember him getting linked very kind of speculatively to Ajax and Feyenoord and all sorts yeah I think some of them his name's always in the mix yeah fairly speculative in some cases but absolutely strong interest in the case of others.

1:03:16Stuart Watson:I think Palace wasn't made a massive deal of at the time, but it would have been around the time that Glasner took over from Hodgson. I think it was the February of the season Ipswich went up. And I think McKenna was basically offered that and thought about it very hard and decided to stay at Ipswich and see the job through in terms of getting them into the Premier League, which ultimately he did. Then off the back of that season, we had that intense, what was it, a week, two weeks? It felt like a lot longer than that. I think it was about two weeks, yeah. Brighton very much wanted him. I still wonder, and I don't know this for certain, whether Man United winning the FA Cup and ultimately giving Ten Hag a stay of execution helped Ipswich because I think Brighton got fed up of waiting around for McKenna, who was waiting to see maybe how the Man United situation played out and then Chelsea were in the mix as well.

1:04:16Stuart Watson:And then ultimately they persuaded him to stay and handed him that big new contract, which I think runs till 2028 from memory. Here we go again. And it's been debated on Talk Sport. And this is off the back of the news that Adoni Irreola is going to leave Bournemouth at the end of the season. talk that he wants to go back to Spain so there's a vacancy coming at Bournemouth and it's led to Kieran McKenna several news outlets have said that he's very much a name under consideration he's right up there in terms of bookies odds does this one concern you?

1:05:06no and i'll come on to it's reading into the stories basically and and what the latest is with it um there have been kind of conflicting reports i think ballmouth's interest is very clear there was a report from the eye that said that um kieran mckenna was keen on it and he saw it as the natural next step uh next step on from ipswich i don't know how true that is but that was what the Iowa were reporting. Clearly, Bournemouth have him on a list, as other clubs have done. The latest we've seen from TalkSport is that Bournemouth are in advanced talks with Marco Rose, who used to manage Borussia Dortmund, and that they are close to an agreement on terms, and that while McKenna was appreciated, he was viewed as expensive due to his release clause and the wages that he'd be looking for, as well as the fact that, with it being April, his full focus, As he said when asked about it last night, the full focus is on Ipswich and the promotion push.

1:06:05And that isn't just a cover-up. The full focus is on Ipswich and the promotion push. And I don't think that Kieran McKenna will be entertaining talks or getting drawn into things at this stage in the season. So would this one concern me? No, I don't think Kieran McKenna is going to be the next Bournemouth manager. I think as well that if Ipswich go up, that he will be Ipswich manager next season. There is a point at some stage that this story will end 100%. And the good thing is that when Kieran McKenna does leave Ipswich, I'm 100 % sure that Ipswich will be in a better position than when he left.

1:06:39But there is also a debate on what that next step looks like. And that comes down to the Talk Sport article as well. Bournemouth are not as big a club as Ipswich Town. I don't think that's going to be that argument to it. But Bournemouth have state-of-the-art facilities. Bournemouth have millions of pounds worth of talent. Bournemouth are pushing for European football. Ipswich are still fighting tooth and nail to get to the Premier League and there will be interest and is that the next step of a team that has cemented themselves in that division like a Bournemouth, like the Fulham job could become vacant Glasner's going to leave Crystal Palace so that's going to be a whole new kettle of fish at some point there may be a vacancy where a team comes to Kieran McKenna and says here's the offer and he has a decision to make Will that be one of those kind of mid-tier European pushing teams?

1:07:27We'll wait and see if Palace end up in the Europa League, if they win the Conference League and they have that vacancy over the summer to replace Glasner. What happens with Fulham and potential movement there? Yeah. What do you see with kind of the picture and Kieran McKenna and next jobs and the level of clubs as well?

1:07:52Stuart Watson:as someone strongly connected with Ipswich town I should probably come out all guns blazing and following Alan Brazil's suit on Talk Sport this morning and others to scoff at Bournemouth being on a level with Ipswich in terms of Ipswich are a bigger club than Bournemouth That phrase bigger club doesn't sit with me quite right though, to be quite honest. How much does history, and it's becoming increasingly ancient history, let's be honest, really play a part in managers making their decisions here? I know Kieran McKenna highly respects and puts a lot of stock in the fact that he's managing a club, you know, following in the footsteps of Ramsey and Robson and he has their pictures up in his office.

1:08:44Stuart Watson:and that means something and it counts for something. Of course it does. But we're talking about the here and now and let's not be disrespectful to Bournemouth and people kind of poo-pooing their stadium size, which they have plans to expand fairly soon on the horizon and where they're at in English football now, in the right here and now. And the reality is they're further ahead in their journey than Ipswich. They finished 15th, 12th and 9th in the last three seasons and they're currently 11th and could sneak into Europe, nine of the last 11 seasons in the Premier League. And I know Ipswich have come on miles and there's big ambition under the American owners and fresh investment has come and the plan obviously is to establish in the Premier League.

1:09:32Stuart Watson:But Bournemouth are further along in that journey and they've got big money behind them as well in terms of American money. Their owner Bill Foley's talked about the stated aim of being an established top eight side, regular European football within, I think, the next five years is the timeframe for them. This is a club that sold Housen, Kerkers, Zabani, Semenyo, Solanke for mega money in recent years and has been building up that transfer pot. Look at the players available. yeah i mean that you talk about the ones they've sold but even the ones they've got there alex scott i'd say is one of the most exciting english players going at the moment you've got the really excited brazilian ryan on the right marcus tavernier five goals four assists in the prem eban ilsen who cost what like 35 million pounds uh junior krupy who's been linked with a 60 million pound move to chelsea and liverpool um senesi at the back who i think has been linked to a number of top clubs as well.

1:10:39Young attacking talent, but also established players at this level who have delivered. And if you're any manager, you must be looking at that level of squad. And there are others who have that, like Palace, like Fulham. But Bournemouth are a great example and thinking, wow, I feel like I could get great stuff out of them, take them onto a continental stage and become a real success. And obviously, if you go do that with Bournemouth, with Fulham, with Palace, then you're going to get interest from Chelsea, from Man United, from City, from Arsenal, from whoever. It is... I don't think it's right to call it a stepping stone, necessarily,

1:11:22Stuart Watson:but the argument of it being the next step... Yeah. There's a lot of logic behind that. Agreed. And I think Kieran McKenna is... he's an intelligent, smart man. And he picked Ipswich so very carefully. Years of planning went into that first step away from coaching an assistant manager at Manchester United to pick all the right ingredients for Ipswich to be his first club. And yes, Ipswich are the club that gave him that opportunity. and I think he will respect that and put a lot of stock in that. But as I've touched upon, he's shown already, I think, a great deal of loyalty along the way. And I think he'll pick his next step very, very carefully as well.

1:12:16Stuart Watson:For me, when he was being mentioned with the likes of United and Chelsea and even Tottenham, I know given their current situation, but that doesn't feel like the next move for me, for Kieran McKenna. The right next move is that sort of mid-tier Premier League club looking to kick on and Bournemouth and maybe Palace or Fulham or others, that sort of level of club that ticks all of the right boxes for Kieran McKenna feels like that will happen at some stage. Ipswich might be able to persuade him that there's still a long way to go in this journey. They're moving into this new training, multi-million pound training ground in the summer that Kieran McKenna has got his fingerprints all over.

1:12:59Stuart Watson:He's literally helped design it and come up with various features. Don't underestimate family and how much that goes into it. He's got a young family and they enjoy life in Suffolk and they're settled. That becomes a big factor in choosing things. But if it's literally club for club, Ipswich and Bournemouth, both in the Premier League and who is in a better position to kick on. As much as I'm enthused about the direction of travel and the bigger picture of Ipswich Town, I just don't want people to underestimate where Bournemouth are at at the moment. I had a look back through Ipswich, which have made two£20 million signings in the last few windows, which has been Hutchinson and Philogene.

1:13:41Stuart Watson:Do you know how many Bournemouth have made over the last few years? Twelve. And a lot of those will roll off the tongue. Some of them won't, But that's the position that they've got themselves in. Big fancy new training ground themselves that they've already moved into last year. And you've reeled off some of those players there, you know, teenagers, young 20s. It's a good squad. So I'm not ready to completely sort of dismiss this and go, if Ipswich go up, there's no way he'd leave for Bournemouth. That sort of football club. and again, their brand of playing is a sort of McKenna style of football, I would say.

1:14:22Stuart Watson:It does give me pause for thought. And that's probably where I'm at on that one at the moment. So we had it all the last time Ipswich got promoted to the Premier League and as you've mentioned, Palace drop is coming up. Bournemouth's going to have a vacancy. I think we're going to maybe have another sort of crazy week or two in the summer when it comes to McKenna's future. A lot is going to ride on how Ipswich do over these next five games and what division they find themselves in I think. Yeah, I totally agree. It's going to come down to that but I also do think that a lot of all of Kim McKenna's focus is going to be on the task at hand and at that point decisions will be made over the summer as it was last time but yeah i agree with the viewpoints on bournemouth and those other clubs um should we end with a bit of fun to lift the mood yes we've done an hour and 15 minutes do you want to hear the crazy story of aj's trip to portsmouth because there was some insanity in this um ending with a bang quite literally that sounded much worse when i said it out loud that's not what i meant um um so this this was great first my first time going to cover a game at fratton park um i didn't realize that the press room was as small as it was so we got there two and a half hours before kickoff there was no space um and yeah that meant that we spent the two and a half hours before kickoff sat in the press box waiting for the game to kick off which was probably not my favorite experience, penned in properly Barry on one side, Callum on the other, shoulder to shoulder, great fun, anyway, head back to the hotel it's the Ives budget next to Pratton Park, which I'm sure a lot of town fans were in, it did give me slight horror film vibes, like there was a side toilet bit with a weird door, and I was slightly worried if I went to the toilet at any point, someone would jump out, I took a photo but there you go, look at that, that's quite spooky you that.

1:16:31That really threw me off. They gave me a bunk bedroom for some reason. There it is. There's my little bunk bedroom. All the photos to help paint. Please tell me you slept on

1:16:43Stuart Watson:the top bunk. I didn't, unfortunately. That would have been really good though, wouldn't it? Anyway, get in. I write the verdict. At this point, it's probably about 2am. Go to bed. Great. TV turns itself on in the middle of the night. Didn't like that. Already felt spooky enough as it is. Woke up again soon after that. It was really hot. I was like, why is this room so hot? Go over to what I think is the air con, and there's a sign over. It says, this is not air con. This is temperature control. If you turn this on, and the outside temperature is over 20 degrees, it will cool the room. If it's under 20 degrees, it will heat the room.

1:17:22So I realized that, given it was 3am, it was going to heat the room if I was going to turn it on. Go to the window. it's got one of those little like tag bits in that means you can only open it this much all the light comes in right by the busy main road all the noise as well um that wasn't great i might be able to find um room with a view as well uh look at this nice sea view for subscribers from the window uh that wasn't a cv by the way spoiler alert if you're not watching on video so yeah eventually managed to get myself comfortable go back to sleep and then the piece de resistance I get up go to the toilet I'm so tired so out of it I've hardly slept at this point and I get to a point where I'm literally about to crash and fall into bed and I do that like I literally fall into bed apart from the fact I forget there's a bunk bed and I whacked my head full pelt onto the bunk bed to the point that I could feel have you ever had a bump on the head like feel your teeth rattle like one of those proper whack um landed on the bed literally at this point couldn't move either a because i was concussed or b because i was exhausted um think i ended up sleeping for about three hours got up transcribed some kieran mckenna quotes and went home so there you go um moral of the story don't fall headfirst onto a bunk bed and collapse onto your own bed before falling asleep.

1:18:50Stuart Watson:It sounds like you're going to have a concussion check ahead of Sunday's game. Thankfully, I am available again, and I am available, touch wood, for the remainder of this run-in now.

1:19:05Stuart Watson:Middlesbrough. Middlesbrough on Sunday lunchtime. It's a mega clash, isn't it? It's a big one. We did say it was going to be a roller coaster, and there were going to be some unexpected results along the way. Ipswich beat Norwich. They lose to Portsmouth. It's still in their hands. Let's all remember that. We go again. On to the next one, AJ. Get that concussion checked and be ready for Sunday because it's a big one. Thanks for listening, guys. We'll see you soon.

1:19:51Thank you.

1:20:15Thank you.

1:20:46Thank you.

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