Exiled Owls Blog - Pre-season from down under
Written by Administrator Saturday, 25 July 2009 11:13
Owls BlogWednesdayite have a number of members all around the world - from Belgium to South Africa, from Russia to the USA. Wherever they are right now, Wednesdayite's all around the globe are looking forward to the new season.
Kicking off the first in a series of Blogs from overseas on Wednesdayite.com, we visit Australia for views from afar on our club from Sheffield Wednesday fan and journalist Edward Jackson.
"Ah the off-season. For those of you in England it's a time to enjoy the cricket or tennis (if that's your thing) and spend a bit of time trying to forget how cold the winter was.
But for football lovers on the other side of the world it's a dark time, with little round-ball action except the Confederations Cup or occasional World Cup qualifiers to tide us over. Even our domestic competition, the A-League, is a summer competition down here so that's in shutdown from about March to August anyway.
The joy of the two or three months between seasons is the unbridled hope that builds as our expectations of new arrivals at S6 and predictions for the season ahead get ever more optimistic.
But this year I can see a real reason for Wednesdayites to get excited - and that reason is Burnley.
Basically, if the Clarets can get promotion to the Premier League then with a bit of luck, good squad management and plenty of fighting spirit any team in the Championship has a chance of reaching the promised land - even Wednesday. I mean we thumped Burnley twice last year didn't we?
And I finally feel things are starting to look good for us Owls. We've got a good boss in charge who's proven himself in this division despite the limitations our finances put on him.
At long last we appear to have settled into the Championship, I reckon we stop worrying about the bottom end of the ladder and start looking upwards Our squad, while small, boasts some good talent and if we can keep key players fit (always a big if) then there's no reason we can't push ourselves into the playoff places.
I mean if we can keep Akpo Sodje, Franny Jeffers and Frank Simek fit then it'll be like having three new signings at the club.
As always, a big start is crucial, so for those of you lucky enough to be near Hillsborough, make sure you get down for the big kick-off against Barnsley and lets beat those upstarts to start the year running. Come on you Owls!
Down Under
I'm sure a lot of you know already but former Liverpool legend and one-time supposed Wednesday target Robbie Fowler is preparing for a year in tropical North Queensland with new A-League club, the Fury.
Fowler hasn't got off to a great start to his pre-season with the new franchise, appearing to be quite overweight and unfit in appearances so far.
I'll keep you updated on how "God" and other former British professionals are faring in the A-League once it's underway, as well as giving you any thoughts on potential players I think would be worth a punt on taking to S6.
Where are they now?
Finally, one for the "where are they now" column. Former Sheffield Wednesday player Adem Poric has been back on his native Gold Coast for some time since leaving S6 in 1998. Recently, his Total Football Academy set up links with the Owls and director of coaching Sean McAuley is coming out to Australia in July to select a handful of youngsters to come back to Sheffield in December for two weeks at the Owls' academy. It's good to see the club establishing some links down here as it is a market that I feel we could exploit for future players."
What are your views on the new season? Do you remember Adam Poric? What are your thoughts on Sheffield Wednesday's links with Australia? Add your comments below...
The views expressed in Wednesdayite.com blog articles are those of the author and not necessarily the views of Wednesdayite, The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Society Ltd, or anyone associated with the society.
now that aussie youngsters aren't allowed to move overseas purely for football it's going to be increasingly difficult to see aussies at S6. But i think the a-league is a great talent pool for teams like wednesday, there are obviously players with talent who with the right coaching and experience could become stars for the club or bring in more money in transfer fees.
Have a very optimistic feeling about this next season
As a Preston Noth end supporter & session ticket holder I would like to wish Alan Irvine all very the Best in his New job with the Owls. I'm sure he has the respect of all of the PNE Fans,He is one of the best and most respected managers in the Championship.
What happened to him was a complete shock to us all.
Good look Alan, the Owls now have the best chance in staying in this Division and I hope they do.
Best Regards Stuart van den Hoek
