|
" We are happy, as a football club, the size of the club that we are, the size of the player he is, it is a big plus for us. It is a big pat on the back for everybody, the people that run the football club have made it happen and that is testimony to them. We look forward now to making one or two more before the start of the season. We think that we are going in the right direction, Ian is a nice indication of that and we are looking forward to working with him.
" He has ability, he is a good player, he is a very, very good player. The other thing though is as the person, the person is a good type to have around the club. He wants to be successful, he won't rest on the fact that he has been at a top club and had a really top career. I think that he takes a lot of pride in his performance on and off the field. We are hoping that he can bring some of that to other players and send the right message through the club that we do mean business and he is going to play an integral part in that.
" We need a nice mix and what you are hopeful of as a manager is that your senior players are very important to you, to you running the club. That they are the right type of players and that they spread good examples and help younger players. We have got some young players now that are starting off in their careers and the level that Ian has been to, and the level that he has played at and the way that he is, can only help them.
" We want the good side of him to rub off on the younger players and show them that the type of person, not just player, the type of person that you need to be to get to the top of this industry. It is a really tough industry and I am not sure that a lot of the young kids actually realise that until they get with the first team and find out how hard it is to make the step up from youth to senior football, it is very difficult. "
" Ian has done it the hard way but the right way. There is no shortcut to the top in football, there is only they very, very few that make the step from youth football to senior football without having a middle bit. Ian did his apprenticeship with Leeds, did terrifically well there, got in the team at a decent age, had a real good start to his career and then he has kicked on from there.
" There are not many though that go youth to senior, probably Wayne Rooney is one of the exceptions but he is probably our best player in the country at the moment. A lot of the other players need that middle grounding and the reserves are a big level for them, they conquer that and then step on to the next.
" They will be training with the likes of Graham Kavanagh and Scott Dobie and Peter Murphy and Ian Harte though, they are all senior internationals with Ireland and Scotland respectively. Again, Paul Thirlwell - England under 21, there is a lot of ability there and there are a lot of good examples that they can learn from. So Ian is another one that is brought in as the right type and one we think can just help what we are doing at this club.
" I will be into the club a little bit more before I rest, I won't rest until this football club is in a better state in terms of results-wise and playing staff-wise. That is my job and I make no bones about that, I just want the club to go through the roof next season. I want us to come out fighting really in a positive manner. I want everybody behind us like they were at the back end of the season and I want to give them something to look forward to.
" I won't rest until we are in the top echelons of this division, what we achieved at the end of last season, everybody got a bit excited on the day, for me it was a relief. We actually didn't achieve a great deal though, we want to do better than that next season. We want to be in the melting pot if you like, whatever you want to call it. We want to be at the right end of the league, there is a lot of hard work to do on and off the field before we get there but I will be spending my time trying to do that until I am happy. "