Steve Bruce and new Tottenham loan signing Josh Onomah were both speaking yesterday ahead of the Championship kick off against Hull City.
Beginning with Bruce, he was speaking to the Official Site as part of his pre game press conference, and looking specifically forward to Hull later this evening, Bruce knew the first game of the season was always ‘something special’ and he was relishing the ‘adrenaline rush’ of opening up the year against his former club.
‘I`m like everyone else – there`s always something special about the start of the new season. There`s always an excitement from everyone concerned with the football club. I am looking forward to it – I am looking forward to the challenge. When the fixtures came out, I thought ‘it`s sod`s law` – live on the telly, first game…it has to be Hull.’
Bruce went on to say.
‘I left one year ago and a lot has been said. I was disappointed in the finish but I had four great years there. They have some good players there. We are in for a tough game – that I can guarantee. They have some very decent players. The one thing they will want to do is turn me over – we have to be ready for that and I expect that. It`s a mouth-watering one to start. I will have that adrenalin rush. If you don`t, it`s time to move on. The butterflies are upon us. Last year was the first time in 40 years that I wasn`t involved at the start of a season and I found it so strange. I am looking forward to it again, yes. I am excited.’
Thinking about the game itself, Bruce obviously had a game plan and he was confident the players would carry it out.
‘Always on a Friday, you always think ‘have we prepared well and are they ready physically, have I picked the right team`. All of those things whir through your mind. But I have been doing it a long, long time now. The one thing you have to guarantee is preparation. Pre-season is geared towards the first game. Could we have done more? No. Are they in good physical condition? Yes. Are you pleased with what they have done? Yes. Are you pleased with your acquisitions? Yes. We just need a good result now to get us up and running. We need a good start, a decent start. I am aware of what we need to go. We are geared towards that. Let`s hope it`s a good start.’
As for Onomah who came in on loan earlier on Friday, he was relishing the opportunity at Villa this season especially with our stated aims and of course an Under 20 World Cup winner he’s coming in with confidence.
‘It was the best feeling of my life. It was the greatest achievement no doubt out there in South Korea. It was a dream come true to win the World Cup with England. It made me so happy to achieve that and now it`s about striving for more. I want to carry on winning things. I feel like I have that winning mentality. I want to keep succeeding.’
He went on to say.
‘However, I know that U20s football is different from first team senior football. That`s my next step now – trying to excel at that here at Aston Villa. I`m looking forward to the challenge. In football, it`s about winning – whether that`s the next match or the next trophy. It`s about how many times can you win? How many trophies can you win? To do that at Aston Villa would be a big thing. There`s great history here at the club and big legends have put on the shirt. It will be good to call Villa Park my home and I can`t wait to get a bond together with the fans. I can`t wait to get started. It will be good.’
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