Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna is wasting ‘talented’ former Sunderland star Jack Clarke

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Ipswich Town drew 1-1 with Birmingham City in the first game of the 2025/26 Championship season, on a turgid night for Jack Clarke.

Ipswich Town travelled to newly promoted Birmingham City on Friday evening for the Championship curtain-raiser.

A first-half strike from Jay Stansfield opened the scoring for the Blues after some brilliant work from new signing Kyogo Furuhashi.

Late in the second-half, Ipswich were awarded a dubious penalty which was then dispatched by George Hirst to snatch a point for the Tractor Boys.

Throughout the game, it was evident that one Ipswich star looked lost under the instruction of Kieran McKenna, in a waste of his game-changing abilities.

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Kieran McKenna is wasting ability of Jack Clarke at Ipswich Town

Jack Clarke started for Ipswich against the Blues, and it proved to be another frustrating night for the former Sunderland superstar.

Ipswich shelled out £15m, with £5m in add-ons, for Clarke to Sunderland at the beginning of last season.

In an ironic turn of fate, after making the move due to his Premier League ambitions, Clarke is a Championship player again less than one year later with Ipswich’s relegation coinciding with the Black Cats’ promotion.

Against Birmingham, Clarke was instructed by McKenna to drift inside the half-space and pick up pockets of space in close proximity to central striker Hirst and Sammie Szmodics.

McKenna has failed to learn the error of his ways, after Clarke failed to score in the top flight last season by playing this way, as it led to the winger being unimpactful against the Blues.

Clarke made only four accurate passes, created zero chances, had only five touches in the opposition box, and zero shots before the dejected left-winger was withdrawn on the 79-minute mark by McKenna.

McKenna is a highly-rated coach, but it’s bewildering to see a talent who has the proven ability to tear Championship defences to shreds, being mis-profiled and utilised in a way which negates his best strengths.

Clarke is one of the most devastating touchline wingers in the Championship, as all Sunderland supporters will attest, and his game is primed to isolate his opposing full-back, not drifting inside the midfield half-spaces.

McKenna must change his tactics regarding Clarke, disengage his handbrake, and enable the 24-year-old to rediscover his unplayable best form.

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Jack Clarke has the ability to fire Ipswich Town to promotion

After scoring 15 goals and notching four assists in 40 Championship outings for relegation-threatened Sunderland in 2023/24, Clarke has failed to rediscover that form so far at Portman Road.

McKenna has defended Clarke since his switch from Sunderland. He told The Independent: “You can’t underestimate the jump and the change for someone like Jack (Clarke).

“Trying to settle into all that change in the toughest league in the world as an attacking player is not easy.

“We know how talented he is. He’s a player who we signed to help us this year, which he is, and for the future as well. I’m sure he’s going to keep improving.”

Clarke’s dejected demeanour when walking off the St Andrew’s pitch after being withdrawn by McKenna on Friday evening was an encapsulation of his time at the Tractor Boys.

With the success of Sunderland since his departure, the former Leeds United youngster could be ruing his potentially trigger happy decision.

Clarke can redeem himself at Ipswich this season, but only if McKenna takes the shackles off his feet by playing to his seismic strengths, which saw him become one of the greatest talents in the second tier at Sunderland.