What Kieran McKenna said after Ipswich Town's shock Charlton loss has got fans talking - 'shambles' claim dropped | OneFootball

Ipswich Town suffered back-to-back defeats on Tuesday night against Charlton Athletic

Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna's assessment of his side's shock 3-0 defeat to newly-promoted Charlton Athletic at Portman Road has certainly caused plenty of intriguing reactions from supporters on social media.

The Northern Irishman would have hoped to have seen an immediate response from his side's underwhelming collective performance against high-flying Middlesbrough in a 2-1 defeat in front of the Sky Sports cameras on Friday night.

However, what was served up by the Tractor Boys, particularly in the second 45 minutes, almost certainly wasn't predicted by anyone associated with the club or their opponents, who still arrived in Suffolk off the back of a recent string of impressive results under Nathan Jones.

Inconsistency and a lack of cutting edge have been two major criticisms of the previous Premier League outfit in the opening two months of the Championship campaign from both those in the stands at Portman Road and those on the outside, and they certainly came to the fore after a frantic 12-minute spell which followed the interval.

Despite seeing Alex Palmer withdrawn through injury midway through the first period and being replaced by Christian Walton, it was still unexpected tht goals from the in-form Sonny Carey, Macaulay Gillesphey and Miles Leaburn would condemn Town to a first home defeat of the season and back-to-back defeats for the first time this campaign too.

McKenna's stock within the game has very much been well-documented, with the former Manchester United assistant constantly linked with vacancies higher up the food chain, despite staying loyal to the club where he won back-to-back promotions from League One to the top flight between 2022 and 2024.

However, with expectation levels at an all-time high compared to recent years despite a major squad overhaul, the 39-year-old's assessment of the performance certainly grated with many after the full-time whistle.

On top of losing 3-0, Ipswich players, staff and supporters will have been even more frustrated when looking at the end statistics, which included just five shots on target from 30 overall attempts, despite the well-documented attacking threat at McKenna's disposal in the starting lineup and on the substitutes' bench.

Speaking to official club media channels, McKenna issued a rather honest assessment, stating that his side have looked "soft defensively" against Middlesbrough and the Addicks, and that general improvements must be made despite the occasional bright spark that was provided by certain individuals.

One supporter believes that the reason his side have lost their way in terms of combativeness is through their summer transfer activity, which saw long-serving players such as Conor Chaplin, Sam Morsy, Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess leave the club temporarily or permanently, whilst being replaced by players who, perhaps, have a greater technical ability.

Another Town supporter was left bemused by the performances of Chuba Akpom, Sammie Szmodics and Jack Clarke in particular, with two of the trio previously winning the division's Golden Boot in 2022/23 and 2023/24 respectively.

Another fan understood McKenna's viewpoint in terms of Town's attacking play, but stated the obvious that it counts for nothing if their continuous defensive errors aren't eradicated.

One Ipswich fan then debated whether McKenna has lost the 'Midas touch' which served his side so well in the past.

As such, another supporter was in agreement, albeit his thoughts were more straight to the point.

Kieran McKenna must address Ipswich Town inconsistency ASAP

Prior to the international break, it had seemed that whilst things were far from perfect, Ipswich had turned a corner with a five-game unbeaten streak that had shot them up to ninth place.

However, in the space of four days, the Blues find themselves back at square one through a lack of attacking penetration and a series of defensive mishaps.

McKenna, unsurprisingly, has become the subject of the fans' frustration through his tactical decision-making, with his side way too easy to play through, which gives them a mountain to climb in terms of gaining results regardless of the attacking depth and talent he can call upon.