O’Shea: Important We Don’t Fear Anything
Friday, twenty eighth Aug 2026 09:40 by Kallum Brisset
Dara O’Shea says Town return to the Premier League with none concern, however is aware of the Blues will face considerably larger challenges than within the Championship final season.
Under the stewardship of latest supervisor Gary O’Neil, Town have gotten off to the proper begin to life again within the prime flight following Saturday’s victory over Sunderland on the opening day of the marketing campaign.
It means the Blues have already equalled their variety of dwelling wins from their final Premier League marketing campaign two years in the past, and leaves them seventh within the early season standings.
Tuesday’s 3-1 dwelling victory over Leicester City within the second spherical of the Carabao Cup continued the momentum and means O’Neil grew to become solely the third supervisor within the membership’s skilled historical past to win his first two matches in cost.
The activity is ready to get a lot harder with this Sunday’s journey to Manchester United, though Town can take confidence from the Red Devils’ shock defeat to Hull City final trip.
O’Shea admitted the bounce this time period is substantial and that the Blues is not going to have issues all their very own manner in a variety of matches in the course of the season.
“The Championship and the Premier League, there is a massive step up,” he stated. “We’d be naive to suppose we are able to go and do the identical factor we did within the Championship within the Premier League, and we perceive that.
“We’re going to have to choose our moments within the Premier League, it’s vital that you simply don’t exit and go loopy. It’s vital that we look ahead to our moments, and after we do go as a workforce, we go collectively.
“There’ll be totally different challenges this season, loads totally different to final season and everyone understands that and we’re prepared for it. It’s going to be a battle at instances and it’s one thing that the group is absolutely trying ahead to.
“Since Gary’s are available, he’s made that obvious to the group and we’ve bought to be onerous to beat. It will probably be totally different to final season, however on the similar time, there will certainly be points of the success we loved final season on this one.
“We’ve bought to commit 100 per cent to all the pieces we do right here. It’s vital that we don’t concern something as a result of that’s time and power spent fascinated about one thing else.
“There’s a lot extra expertise within the group, so possibly it has a unique feeling to some gamers. For us, initially, it’s about attacking it as finest as doable, making an attempt to play the sport we need to play, and understanding there’s going to be bumps alongside the way in which.
“As long as we can come off the pitch knowing that we’ve committed 100 per cent, sometimes things might not go our way, but us as players and the fans as well respect that and understand we’ve done the most we can.”
Town have been busy within the switch market, signing 13 gamers and spending greater than £150 million since promotion was confirmed, with extra arrivals anticipated forward of subsequent Tuesday’s deadline.
While there are a variety of latest faces becoming a member of the present group, O’Shea says sustaining the membership’s values which have served them so properly has been a elementary a part of the recruitment course of.
He stated: “Ipswich has been profitable due to the tradition. Ever since I stepped into the soccer membership, it was the very first thing that grew to become very obvious.
“The issues that they have been doing right here and the suitable issues they have been doing, and that was led by a core group of gamers, employees, and the membership by everyone. It’s vital that we stock that on.
“Anything that’s labored right here beforehand goes to be an enormous bonus to us transferring into a brand new chapter with Gary as supervisor. It’s vital that we proceed that on and add to it.
“We always want to continue to grow and evolve as a group. The club talks about the journey that we’re on and we’re still on that. It’s about adding to that and making the most of every opportunity and every moment we have together.”
O’Shea himself is now into his third season at Portman Road, and second because the membership’s everlasting captain, following his transfer from Burnley late in the summertime window in August 2024.
One blight on his file is that he has been relegated in every of his three earlier Premier League campaigns, having additionally confronted the drop with West Brom and the Clarets.
And in 4 of the final six seasons, the Irish worldwide has been both promoted to or relegated from the highest flight.
Determined to finish that run, it was put to O’Shea that this 12 months could be the proper 12 months to complete comfortably in thirteenth.
“You’ve said it to be fair,” the 27-12 months-previous responded. “Last season was an enormous success and it was what I wished to do, to carry this membership again to the Premier League.
“Since I’ve come right here, the ambition was at all times to get the membership again to the place it belongs and that is a membership that’s competing within the Premier League and pushing for Europe. I actually really feel the membership is in an incredible place.
“We are again within the Premier League now and we’ve had that have. The membership has been in a position to stabilise when it comes to the funds from the place they have been beforehand and it places us in an incredible place.
“Finishing as high up as possible would be great and going off last season, we want to continue that momentum.”
On the Blues’ new £30 million coaching floor, which opened earlier this month, O’Shea added: “It exhibits the trajectory that the membership is on and the ambition that they’re exhibiting is obvious. For any participant, you need to have the most effective of the most effective to return into every single day, and the membership has given us that.
“It’s been a breath of recent air stepping in right here, it’s been very nice and it’s come at an thrilling time simply earlier than the season begins. It offers everybody within the membership, not simply gamers, a lift in that sense.
“When you have the best of the best to come into every day, it’s a real joy to come into work. Everybody’s really looking forward to the future.”
Photo: TWTD
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