Ipswich Town won promotion from the EFL Championship to the Premier League for the second time in three seasons on Saturday, but Norwich City legend Chris Sutton has taken a shot at the Tractor Boys.
Kieran McKenna’s side earned automatic promotion with a 3-0 win over Queens Park Rangers at Portman Road, finishing with champions Coventry City.
They won promotion by one point over Millwall, who are in good form after defeating Oxford United.
George Hirst, Jaden Philogene-Bidace, and Kasey McAteer scored to secure the victory and begin the home side’s promotion celebrations.
Despite the achievement, Sutton was ready to provide a scathing assessment on Ipswich’s return to the top flight. He wrote on social media, “Fair play to Ipswich and Kieran McKenna—they’ll probably have a thoroughly miserable time next season.”
McKenna, who led Ipswich to an unexpected promotion quickly after their return from League One, was under pressure to perform again this season—and he did. The emphasis now moves to ensuring the club performs significantly better in the Premier League than during their previous term, which resulted in relegation after only four wins in 38 games.
Ipswich’s earlier top-flight troubles were mainly due to recruitment issues. Aside from Liam Delap, who scored 12 league goals, many of their newcomers struggled to adjust to the demands of Premier League football.
McKenna will be charged with strengthening the team to avoid a repetition of last season’s disappointment, while Sutton’s words add a layer of intrigue to their return.
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