Town boss Kieran McKenna says he has the resilience to deal with the Blues’ current situation, Tuesday’s 0-0 draw at Bristol Rovers having seen his side drop to fourth in the table having been top two months ago today.

The days since then have seen the first discontent among the Town support with the Blues having won only four of their last 15 matches.

“I’m absolutely fine, to be honest. I’ve got a really good team of staff around me,” McKenna said when asked how he feels at present.

“We’ve had a period of drawing games but you don’t get to the position I am at, at the age I am at, without having a load of resilience that I have needed throughout my life to cope with different situations.

“When you have a run of results in football that you don’t want, then you are never at your happiest. But you don’t get to this point where I am at now without having a whole load of resilience and willpower.

“I’m looking forward to the challenges ahead, to be honest. I think these periods ahead are, in football and in your career, periods where you can show your character and your true values — the way you behave and conduct yourself, the way you treat people and push to improve stand out more than when you are winning every game and everything is easy.

“I am enjoying the challenge and the players are in a good frame of mind. I have to say I was delighted with how the building was yesterday when we came in after a day off on Wednesday.

“There was a real determination, composure and real belief in the group about how we are doing things and a real fight for the next result to give ourselves a chance to build some momentum.

“I was really pleased with the reaction inside the squad yesterday and everyone is looking forward to Saturday.

He says it’s part of the manager’s remit to ignore outside influence and comment, including that from other bosses.

“That’s the nature of the job, the nature of football and the nature of society,” he added. “That’s the nature of being at a big club, relative to our position, and I am well used to it and well versed in it.

“Everyone is entitled to an opinion and when a football team doesn’t win, there will always be opinions out there about what a team could do better to win games.

“The main opinions, to be honest, are the ones inside the building between myself and my staff and our players and we are pulling in the same direction to turn some draws into wins.

“That’s where the focus needs to be and any energy spent on anything else is wasted energy really.”

Photo: TWTD

pragmatic added 16:34 - Feb 17 In McKenna I trust, not so sure about some of our other “followers” !!
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Texastom added 16:44 - Feb 17 Good luck McKenna but words mean nothing. Yes, deffo want you to succeed, really do. Biggest thing you can do is pick your best 11 and stick with them. No changing the Team every week to keep people happy. No mass Substitutions unless necessary. The Players need to know where they stand. Job done, rest will follow.
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Karlosfandangal added 16:58 - Feb 17 You only have to look at some of the foul comments on this forum to see why Morsy lost it. If your boss at work called you a c@#@ there would be harassment at work case on the go. Funny how so called fans abuse a player and feel hurt and upset when they get it back.
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Bazza8564 added 17:13 - Feb 17 I keep reading about this concept of our "best XI" but Im sorry I dont believe in it. Playing the same XI every week makes us more predictable than ever and leads to burn out as we've seen with Wes burns and Sam Morsy this season. How both of them need a rest..... McKenna trains with this group every day, he knows who is sharp ind who is carrying knocks, he knows what teh opposition play like and how to adapt tactically with and without the ball. The modern game is light years ahead of 20-25 years ago let along 45-50, 5 subs gives us so many options. By all means give the back three a settled run, but KM knows how to freshen a side up, and teh stats all prove we are making tons of chances. Our problem remains a lack of adequate chance conversion, sort that and we score 3-4 game. Do that and we win games. I hate the thought of the Oppo knowing what our side is in advance, so do what you need to do boss, its the players failing you not the other way round

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Stato added 18:18 - Feb 17 So according to you Bazza Burns and Morsy need a rest. For the little that it counts I'm not arguing. Tomorrow Burns and Morsy will start but you and the rest of the McKenna fan club will turn on any supporter who dares challenge his thinking. Basically you don't have the courage of your own convictions and that's because you don't have enough courage to call McKenna out publicly for doing things you yourself don't think are right which is why your lot are losing the debate. McKenna is failing. Not by much but certainly by too much. If he was our number 9 we would be calling for a change but some of you are just too embarrassed to admit that suggesting McKenna should have a statue alongside Bobby was dumb.

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Hatman2 added 19:32 - Feb 17 @BossMan calling out who does and doesn't have ‘courage' based on the level of criticism one is prepared to bash out on a keyboard. Heroic. Having all of us been focused on nothing but top 2 since August our current run of 4 wins in 15 games is hugely disappointing - no doubt. But Kieran has an excellent squad, the board are backing him, we've seen a far better style than we have for 20 years or so. Keiran is giving us a team that has the potential to go up. Cook didn't, Lambert didn't, and McCarthy's brand of football was abysmal to watch. We need win after win after win…, but Kieran knows that better than anyone. COYB.

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WestSussexBlue added 20:23 - Feb 17 Kieran has come out fighting, I was concerned by his silence but I have to say despite some disappointing results I am 100% behind him. I trust not just his decision making but the team of coaches he has around him. All processes have a beginning, a middle and an end and our processes will bring success in the end. Keep the faith.
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Carberry added 22:24 - Feb 17 How can 9 of you mark down Texastom for giving an honest, valid opinion. It really is a joke.
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ArnieM added 22:26 - Feb 17 Come on Keiran, let's get back on track , starting with a convincing win tomorrow 👍
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warfarinman69 added 22:27 - Feb 17 I am hearing things on here that were verbally expressed in the early days of Sir Bobby. We didn't have keyboard warriors in those days. Give McKenna time, like the Cobbolds did with Sir Bobby. When you applaud Sir Bobby tomorrow think about the hundreds and more who were calling for his head back in the day. All clubs have people who believe Rome was built in 24 hours...

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oldblue added 06:25 - Feb 18 Class comments from a class man...proud to have this man at our club...of course I would like us to be in a better position than we are..but those of us who really understand football accept that situations like this are part of the game...there are many examples I could cite..however let's keep behind our club and those that represent it and try to display class in our support.

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