This time two years ago, Kieran McKenna was preparing for his first full season in charge of Ipswich Town after steering them away from danger during the 2021/22 season.
Two seasons later and the former Manchester United coach has now begun a Premier League campaign after back-to-back promotions.
While McKenna's concern will be the squad, the club's hierarchy has been busy preparing the stadium for Premier League football.
The Portman Road redevelopment has been on the agenda for a while but has been accelerated due to the club's rapid rise through the divisions over the past two seasons.
Over the summer, the club made a number of upgrades to Portman Road to make it Premier League-ready and as the new season started in the middle of August, time was of the essence.
Portman Road redevelopment: Expansion of away allocation involved
One of the biggest developments this summer was installing a safe standing area in the Cobbold Stand. This is the part of the stadium where away fans are based on Portman Road, so visiting fans can expect rail seating when they visit Ipswich in the Premier League.
The away allocation inside the Cobbold Stand was increased from 2,000 to 3,000 to comply with Premier League rules on away allocation percentages. As a result, more than 700 Ipswich season ticket holders based in the Cobbold Stand have been moved elsewhere.
Other expansion projects at Portman Road
The floodlights were upgraded at other parts of Portman Road, while a new television studio was built above the control room. Because Ipswich can expect more media and television coverage, the club deemed an updated studio necessary.
Last season, there were five or six cameras at the ground, but according to the club's chief executive Mark Ashton, this is expected to increase to around 47 for this season.
The stadium's West Stand will receive new executive boxes, which are currently being built. When the stadium redevelopment was announced at the start of the summer, this particular project was expected to be completed by mid-August.
Overall, Ipswich had 104 projects to complete at Portman Road in preparation for the 2024/25 Premier League season. The total cost of all of these projects is expected to come to several million pounds, but the Tractor Boys still spent ambitiously in the transfer market, buying the likes of Omari Hutchinson, Jacob Greaves, and Liam Delap and spending over £100m.
In July 2024, Connor Bennett and Jack Maclean of BBC News, Suffolk, said: “While some projects are visible within the stadium, many more are taking place behind the scenes.
“This includes revamping the home and away dressing rooms, as well as facilities for officials, plus creating a new media suite for press conferences, upgrading the reception area and creating a new “mixed area” for players and media.”