cragswfc Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Irvine: We have a Championship squad Sat, 03 Jul 09:43:13 2010 Alan Irvine believes the squad he has assembled during pre-season is good enough to challenge in the npower Championship let alone in League One. The Owls manager spoke of his excitement as he prepares his relegated squad for the 2010/11 season after completing the signing of 27-year-old Preston striker Neil Mellor on a season-long loan. Irvine, who has now drafted in seven new recruits during the close season, said: "Neil is a player I know very well from my time at Preston and I'm delighted to bring him to Sheffield Wednesday for the season. "We've worked really hard to bring Neil and all the other new players to the club and I'm very pleased with the business we have done. I'd be excited about the squad we have assembled for the Championship, never mind League One." Sheffield-born Mellor, a graduate from the Liverpool academy, has had loan spells in the Barclays Premier League and the Championship with Wigan and West Ham respectively. He joined Preston for £500,000 in the summer of 2006 and went on to score 34 goals from 69 starts for the Lilywhites http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/03072010/63/irvine-championship-squad.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburghowl Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 We should win the league with this squad. Irvine's signings have been very impressive for this league and I have no doubt they are capable of performing at a higher level. Anything but promotion this coming season will be seen as a failure. Whilst I think challenging in the Championship is perhaps a step too far in optimism the Championship is a far weaker league this coming season. The 3 relegated teams are in no way certs to be challenging for the playoffs nevermind promotion. It's a huge shame we got relegated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesteel Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 (edited) It looks good on paper, if the players are as mentally strong as AI believes then thats what will help us. The travesty about last season for me was that the majority of the team had proved previously that they could finish comfortably in mid table, but for some reason they totally lost the plot between Nov and Boxing Day and didnt pick up a single point. There were worse teams than us who survived due to their attitude. Weve added to that group so Id agree it is a team that had we stayed up couldve held its own in a relegation battle. Edited July 4, 2010 by Bluesteel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malek Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Shame we didn't have one last season, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluesteel Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Shame we didn't have one last season, though... There was little difference between the squad that went down and the season that was 12th the season before. If anything Purse and Miller added to it. They let themselvse down and everyone else and that passing system we adopted eventually ruined their confidence. United should take note of that if Blackwell is going to try and do the same. That coupled with some attitude problems is what sent us down. I still think that other than say 8 or 9 teams in the championship the rest is just a merrygo round where you can finish either 10th or 22nd depending on all sorts of minute factors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelowl Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 It looks good on paper, if the players are as mentally strong as AI believes then thats what will help us. The travesty about last season for me was that the majority of the team had proved previously that they could finish comfortably in mid table, but for some reason they totally lost the plot between Nov and Boxing Day and didnt pick up a single point. There were worse teams than us who survived due to their attitude. Weve added to that group so Id agree it is a team that had we stayed up couldve held its own in a relegation battle. agree with that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plonk Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 / Too many players last year didnt give a flip. Hopefully the players who have stayed, and those that have joined will have a similar attitude to AI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nookiebear Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 It'll be nice to have an impressive season, particularly if the winning mentality continues into the following season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JonR Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Do you think we will sign Mellor once/If we are promoted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WBridgfordowl Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Irvine: We have a Championship squad Sat, 03 Jul 09:43:13 2010 Alan Irvine believes the squad he has assembled during pre-season is good enough to challenge in the npower Championship let alone in League One. The Owls manager spoke of his excitement as he prepares his relegated squad for the 2010/11 season after completing the signing of 27-year-old Preston striker Neil Mellor on a season-long loan. Irvine, who has now drafted in seven new recruits during the close season, said: "Neil is a player I know very well from my time at Preston and I'm delighted to bring him to Sheffield Wednesday for the season. "We've worked really hard to bring Neil and all the other new players to the club and I'm very pleased with the business we have done. I'd be excited about the squad we have assembled for the Championship, never mind League One." Sheffield-born Mellor, a graduate from the Liverpool academy, has had loan spells in the Barclays Premier League and the Championship with Wigan and West Ham respectively. He joined Preston for £500,000 in the summer of 2006 and went on to score 34 goals from 69 starts for the Lilywhites http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/03072010/63/irvine-championship-squad.html Let's hope he's right, but which of the players he's signed would a championship team pay a fee for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gurujuan Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 What poppycock, this man lives in a dream world. Well I suppose its that time of the year again, last year we had our dim witted chairman telling us how we had the squad to challenge for the play offs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Irvinesbarmyarmy Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 He could have said he had a Premier League squad, but that would have been a tad too optimistic I suppose :| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 We had a Chapionship squad when you took us down Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WBridgfordowl Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Do you think we will sign Mellor once/If we are promoted? If he was good enough do you think Preston would have off-loaded him for the whole season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Irvinesbarmyarmy Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Alan didnt take us down(well he did but I dont blame him for our relegation). Was down to a certain unambitious board and chairman who refused to stick their neck out and strengthen the squad. Alan did the best he could IMO; the players on that pitch were an embarassment to everyone associated with the club... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darra Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 If he was good enough do you think Preston would have off-loaded him for the whole season? or could it've been that him and Ferguson didn't like each other very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WBridgfordowl Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 or could it've been that him and Ferguson didn't like each other very much. That may very well be true. Neverthless, if he was good enough I suspect Ferguson would have made the effort to get on with him. You don't need to like a player to get the best out of him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Irvinesbarmyarmy Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Give the guy a chance ffs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Irvinesbarmyarmy Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Put it this way, we could have Sir Alex as manager and he probably wouldnt get us promoted within one season tbh (with the limited resources Irvine has) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteG_1984 Posted July 5, 2010 Share Posted July 5, 2010 That kind of comment from irvine sounds dangerously like "Europe in 5 years" Let's hope we don't follow the route taken after that comment this time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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