Ipswich have been desperate to try and get back into the Championship and have even invested heavily in a bid to do so this year.

Their efforts have faltered at times so far this campaign though and after sliding down the division slightly under Paul Cook, the Tractor Boys decided that they had seen enough and parted ways with the former Wigan boss.

Instead of going for another experienced EFL head though or plumping for someone who had knowledge of how to get out of League One, the club gambled and decided to appoint a young up-and-coming coach in Kieran McKenna.

The youngster has only been a coach at Man United and has never held the head role at a top team until now - but it has been so far so good for McKenna since taking over at Portman Road. Here then, are three words that could sum up the start to his Ipswich tenure.

Winning

It could come down to 'new manager bounce' that fabled phrase to describe the way a team performs after putting a new boss in the head role at a club but McKenna really has done well in his first management role so far.

Since taking over at Portman Road at the end of December, he has lost only two league games and has picked up a respectable 12 points out of a possible 18. In fact, their form in the last five games would see them in the top six in the third tier and their form based on the last ten games would see them at seventh place.

There's also been a gradual climb up the division because of the way in which McKenna has picked up results - he's won the games he hasn't lost instead of perhaps just sealing draws - and that means they are now only gradually closing the gap on the top six.

If he can keep up this streak - and hope that some other teams drop points - there is every chance they could sneak into those play-off places come the end of the season.

Attacking

Not only are the side now winning more games, they're also looking a lot more creative and attacking in doing so. For example, a game under Paul Cook in which Ipswich beat relegation-threatened Crewe in November saw them manage only 50% of the share of possession and 13 shots - although not many on target.

Picking another game against another relegation-threatened side under Kieran McKenna - the Gillingham one - tells a completely different story. The Crewe result saw the Tractor Boys seal a 2-1 win. The victory over the Gills was an emphatic 4-0 steamrollering of the opposition instead.

Ipswich managed a whopping 75% of possession and forced an absolute onslaught onto Gillingham. They managed 15 shots, five of which were on target and had 605 accurate passes. Against Crewe, they managed just over half of that amount.

Under McKenna, they are playing more attractive, attacking football and picking up big wins because of it.

Exciting

I've alluded to this already in terms of the football being exciting but I mean it more here in the sense of the future looking exciting under the new manager.

Under Paul Cook, the results were being picked up here and there but there was less of a buzz around the club. Under McKenna, it seems like there is a real excitement growing about the way he is making his team play and there is a clear trust in the manager from some sections of the fanbase.

If he can keep up the level of football that he has produced so far for the rest of the season, then it is clear to see why.