'Deserves our respect' - Ipswich Town boss comes out fighting amid criticism of former Portsmouth and Leicester striker George Hirst
Former Pompey striker George Hirst has been getting criticism for his lack of goals for Ipswich Town in recent months
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has leapt to the defence of former Pompey striker George Hirst following criticism from fans amid an ongoing goal drought.
The 27-year-old, who spent the 2021-22 season at Fratton Park and scored 15 times, hasn’t found the back of the net in any of his past eight appearances for the promotion-chasing Tractor Boys.
The Scotland international also has just one goal in 15 outings, leaving him stuck on six for the season as the Portman Road side attempt to keep pace with Championship top-two Coventry and Middlesbrough.
After being unable to prevent Town crashing out of the FA Cup to Wrexham last weekend, Hirst admitted he was trying to take the flak that has come his way on the chin and had held talks with McKenna as his form played on his mind.
However, ahead of Ipswich’s return journey to the Racecourse Ground in the league on Saturday, the Tractor Boys boss has come out fighting the corner of his striker. Indeed, he believes the League One and Championship promotion winner deserves a lot more respect than what he’s currently getting.
Giving Hirst his backing, McKenna told the EADT: ‘I've spoken a few times on how important George is to us, what I think his role at the club has been and still is now.
‘For me, if we take a step back, he's a player that we signed for circa a million pounds in League One (2023), at a time when he was really early in his career and he wasn't getting the minutes at Blackburn.
‘He scored goals that got us promoted from League One. He scored goals that got us promoted from the Championship. He scored goals for the club in the Premier League. And he's scored goals this season.
‘In terms of output, if the club, or many clubs, have had better value for a striker for a million pounds in today's market for what this club has had from George Hirst... I think he's been an incredible player for the club.
‘He's always wanted to be here, he's wanted to stay through being a starter and not being a starter. He's had a real passion to play for the club, he's loved playing here and has had good season after good season after good season for us. And I think he's had some good periods this season.
‘Over the last run of games, maybe the last month or so, maybe he hasn't hit his top form. But I think he's a player who deserves our respect and deserves our support.
‘Of course, it's about what you do in the here and now, not what you've done previous. But what I see George doing now is working really hard every day and working for the team in every game.
‘He's been voted by his peers into the leadership group this season. He trains well every day and gives his all on the pitch.
‘Of course, you always want to play at your absolute best and, if you're a goalscorer like George, you always want to be scoring in every game. But it's inevitable you're going to have a period not like that.
‘For me, he still deserves the support and the respect because of what he gives us every day, but also because of the player that he's been for the football club over the last few seasons.
‘So he certainly has my backing. He's really keen to do well and help the team in every way possible and we're going to need him between now and the end of the season for sure.’
George Hirst’s career before Ipswich - including Pompey stats
One of the six goals Hirst has netted this season came against Pompey back in September when he scored Ipswich’s second goal in a 2-1 win at Fratton Park. His last goal came during a 3-0 win over Coventry on December 6.
The striker scored 15 goals for Pompey during his season-long loan from Leicester in 2021-22. However, 13 of those efforts came during the second half of the season.
Indeed, it took him 14 appearances to get off the mark for the Blues, with his first goal coming in a 3-0 win against Crystal Palace under-21s in the EFL Trophy in November 20-21.
Pompey were keen to get the striker back following the end of his loan, but Hirst opted for a move to Blackburn, where he failed to score in 11 appearances.
That prompted a move, inititally on loan, to Ipswich in January 2023. Since then, Hirst has registered 25 goals and 12 assists in 109 appearances.
For your next Pompey read: 'I love Portsmouth and I love the fans': £2m Wrexham target Terry Devlin addresses his Fratton Park future