Owls Blogger and Sky Sports fan zone SWFC blogger Carl Mullooly returns to Wednesdayite.com with his second blog and first for season 2010-11.

As with all Wednesdayite's Carl is looking forward to the new season and talks about the close season activity both on and off the pitch... 

Cautious optimism is how I would describe my approach to the coming season.  After the bitter disappointment of relegation last season, the pre season created some excitement around Hillsborough.  New arrivals include boyhood Owl Chris Sedgwick, Champions League Winner Neil Mellor and Clinton Morrison, who has scored goals at the highest level of English Football.  Along with relative unknowns such as Giles Coke and Daniel Jones and seasoned football league players like Gary Teale and Paul Heffernan, the general feeling was that we had a squad we would be happy with in the Championship.

The feel good factor has waned slightly as the season has drawn closer, which adds the air of caution over our coming campaign.  The news on the 23rd of July that our club had been served with a winding up order brought some concern despite the issue being played down by the club.  Our debt had always seemed under control, despite it being a huge weight on the clubs shoulders.

The subsequent sale of star man Lee Grant also set some alarm bells ringing, although that was more about the undisclosed transfer fee, which if it is the reported £1million, is a travesty.  Grant was a good servant to the club and a great shot stopper, but for me he can be replaced as he does not command his area or communicate with his defence effectively, although I wish him luck at Burnley, he may well need it.  Although I would like to see a new Keeper come in, we have two untried keepers in Richard O'Donnell and Arron Jameson who will both be desperate for a chance, and maybe they could prove worth the gamble.

A reported bid for Marcus Tudgay has been turned down.  He, along with Grant, was the most likely to leave during the close season.  There is still a good chance he may leave, with the tax bill hanging over the club.  Tudgay had a disappointing season last season, and like Grant, is replaceable.  Time will tell.

So we kick off our campaign as second favourites for promotion behind Southampton.  We've been here before and not fulfilled potential, but I do feel we have the right man in Alan Irvine, and that despite the wrangling off the pitch, on the pitch we will do the business. 

We welcome Dagenham and Redbridge to Hillsborough on the opening day, in what on paper seems like a home banker, but we all know football doesn't work like this.  When Dagenham and Redbridge were formed in 1992 and in the conference, Sheffield Wednesday had finished the season as the third best team in the land and were about to embark on a stint in the UEFA cup.  How times have changed. 

We can all have our pre-season optimism, and I hope I still have it at 4.45 on Saturday.

Up the Owls!!
Carl.


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