What went wrong and what next for Ipswich?

Ipswich Town's rapid rise to the top is now starting a descent the club itself has been braced for.

Successive promotions from League One to the Premier League ended their 22-year exile from the top flight last summer, but they have been unable to stave off an immediate return to the Championship.

The Tractor Boys' fate was sealed on Saturday afternoon by Champions League-chasing Newcastle, who capitalised on Ben Johnson's first-half red card to secure a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Ipswich's relegation is not a huge surprise, even within Portman Road. They are in better shape than fellow relegated sides Southampton and Leicester - financially and in terms of strategy and togetherness.

But that did not make the sound of Michael Salisbury's final whistle at St James' Park any less painful for boss Kieran McKenna and his players, who looked crestfallen as they applauded their fans at full time.

"We're disappointed and gutted the dream is over," said defender Luke Woolfenden. "We've not been at it this season. I think we have probably let ourselves down one too many times."

McKenna, meanwhile, admitted he had come to terms with the prospect of relegation following the 2-1 defeat by Wolves at Portman Road earlier this month.

"We knew we had given ourselves too much to do," he told Sky Sports. "We knew the games had run out."

With the Saints and the Foxes joining Ipswich in the Championship next season, all three promoted sides have suffered instant demotion.

It is the first time in Premier League history that the identity of all three relegated sides has been known with as many as four games to go, and the second time after 2005-06 that all three have been confirmed before May.

It is not difficult to understand why McKenna cut a resigned figure after the Wolves defeat, which left the Tractor Boys 12 points adrift of safety with seven matches remaining.

His team have lost a league-high 27 points from winning positions this season - including the loss against Wolves, who recovered from 1-0 down to triumph 2-1.

They have also struggled to turn Portman Road into a fortress, collecting just seven of their 21 points so far in front of their own supporters.

Only rock-bottom Southampton have picked up fewer points on home soil this season.

"There are so many lessons," McKenna said. "Ours might be different from other clubs' because we've climbed so quickly from League One. It's been a massive challenge.

"There are many things we have done positively that will set us up well for the years ahead, and there are some things we could have done better and things we will learn from."

Injuries have not been kind to Ipswich either this season. They were without 10 first-team players at Newcastle on Saturday, with Leif Davis' suspension leaving them without a recognised left-back.

Discipline - or a lack of it - has also been an issue. Johnson's dismissal was Ipswich's fifth red card of the season - only Arsenal have had as many red cards in the top flight in 2024-25.

"[Red cards] have been costly," McKenna told BBC Match of the Day. "I think we had one in my two-and-half years before this season.

"To have five this season is a reflection of a lot of things."

For a club who were in League One two years ago, the step up to the top flight was always going to be huge - and Ipswich needed to recruit significantly to try to bridge the gap.

The Tractor Boys spent around £120m last summer and added £20m Jaden Philogene in January.

They targeted young English assets in a business decision – Liam Delap, Jack Clarke and Jacob Greaves – that the club expect to make money on this summer or beyond.

The investment did not work in terms of keeping them in the division, but Ipswich believe the value in their squad is there.

Striker Delap is the obvious example, with the striker poised to net the club a minimum of £30m because of the relegation release clause in his contract.

The 22-year-old's 12 Premier League goals have seen him become the club's standout performer and the expectation is he will move in the summer.

He has not been pushing to leave and Delap is understood to be conscious of making the right move, rather than jumping at the biggest offer from the biggest club.

They may also lose Davis or forward Omari Hutchinson but the cash is there to invest, those sales would help with any Profit and Sustainability concerns, and Ipswich are wary of balancing the books without harming the squad's quality.

McKenna's future will also be up for speculation.

He was close to joining Crystal Palace last February - before they appointed Oliver Glasner - while flirtations with Brighton, Chelsea and Manchester United ultimately came to nothing before he signed a new deal last April.

He will remain hot property, despite relegation, but there is currently no obvious pathway away from Portman Road.

McKenna is planning to lead Ipswich in the Championship, where they intend to back him again in the summer with the target an immediate return to the Premier League.

He said month: "I was proud to lead the club when we were in League One. I was proud to lead the club when we were in the Championship and I'm proud to lead the club now in the Premier League. So that doesn't change my perspective too much.

"We're already looking forward again, to be honest, irrespective of what division we're in. We're already looking forward to progressing the club further."