Defender discusses his move to Blackpool following Sheffield Wednesday exit

Blackpool Gazette

Michael Ihiekwe has discussed his move to Blackpool after joining the Seasiders on a three-year deal following his Sheffield Wednesday departure.

Transcript

00:00Obviously, you'd be silly not to listen to other clubs

00:03and their pitches and stuff like that,

00:05but as soon as I met Steve Bruce, like I said earlier,

00:08it was a big point for me to work with someone like that.

00:12And he told me about the club and ambitions

00:15and what the plans are and stuff like that.

00:17So, yeah, straight away, it was more or less,

00:20that was top of my list.

00:23Given your record in Ligue 1,

00:24I'm guessing you're not going to join any club

00:25that you don't think can push at the top end of the table.

00:28Yeah, exactly that.

00:30I spoke to him and he said the plans,

00:33what he wanted for the season and stuff like that.

00:35That was definitely in the plans.

00:37So, like you said, I still want to be ambitious.

00:40I want to play in the league above.

00:43So, hopefully, we can make that happen.

00:46I know the squad's pretty burnt at the moment,

00:48as you'd expect at the start of summer,

00:50but when you look at the players who were key last year

00:52who are still there, does that sort of excite you

00:54that you've got that backbone of a team

00:55that can be competitive?

00:57Yeah, definitely.

00:58That's what you need at this level.

01:00You need a strong backbone and the squad's really good at the minute.

01:05Obviously, just missed out on the playoffs last season.

01:09So, hopefully, we can make a few little adjustments

01:12and start the season well and go on from there.

01:16Looking forward to that defensive competition.

01:17Obviously, Oli Casey was a standout player for Blackpool last year

01:20and Fraser Harswell has joined as well.

01:22So, are you looking forward to competing with those two?

01:24Definitely, yeah.

01:25Like you said, that's a strong group of centre-backs,

01:29which only bodes well, really.

01:31You push each other on throughout the season.

01:33And, obviously, you want to keep your shirts,

01:36but that pushes you on as a player, definitely.

01:38So, that's what you need, definitely.

01:41Have you given a three-year deal?

01:42Does that just show, from your point of view,

01:44how much more you've got to give?

01:46Even though, obviously, probably 10 years ago,

01:48playing with the 30s, you'd think one-year deals at the time.

01:50But do you think, obviously, football's changed,

01:52football's an outfitter?

01:54Yeah, yeah, definitely.

01:56Yeah, like I said, I'm always still wanting to improve.

02:00Still got plenty of years of playing.

02:03So, like you said, you keep yourself fit nowadays

02:05throughout the season and the off-season as well.

02:08So, yeah, that's what I'll be planning to do.

02:11I know there's, obviously, problems at Sheffield Wednesday

02:14at the moment, but was it disappointing to leave

02:17having been, you know, an important player for them

02:19in the second half of the season,

02:20won your place back?

02:23Yeah, yeah, it's football for you, though, isn't it?

02:25And, you know, managers or staff make certain decisions

02:30and you have to deal with that.

02:31And that's what happened that Wednesday.

02:34So, great group of lads, great staff there.

02:37So, I wish them nothing but the best.

02:38Even though, obviously, you ultimately left,

02:42were you pleased with, sort of, the point you proved

02:43for yourself in that second half of the campaign

02:45and, you know, how much football you did play

02:47and, obviously, player of the month, one season as well?

02:51Yeah, throughout me the whole time now.

02:53I've got fond memories there, ups and downs.

02:57I had a bad knee injury in my first season,

03:00but I was able to get back in time for the playoffs

03:02and, obviously, get promoted with them that first season.

03:05So, yeah, I've got brilliant, brilliant memories there

03:08and enjoyed my time there, definitely.

03:11Well, David Downs have been involved in taking you

03:13to Wednesday all those years ago

03:15and, obviously, now to Blackpool.

03:17Yeah, yeah, I was in contact with Downs.

03:20He was a big part of it as well

03:22and he's a brilliant guy.

03:24He's really good at his job and stuff.

03:26So, yeah, I knew him.

03:27He brought me in on Wednesday

03:28and I had plenty of conversations with him, yeah,

03:32before I signed at Blackpool.

03:34Yeah, was he the first person to pitch a project

03:36and say, you know, this is what Steve Bruce wants to do?

03:39Yeah, yeah, he was in the meeting

03:41when I first met Steve Bruce

03:42and, like you said, he just told me what their plans are

03:46and, like you said, pitched it to me.

03:49And, obviously, knowing him from before,

03:51you get that trust as well straight away.

03:53So, yeah, it was a good conversation.

03:58I'm trying to think it off my head.

03:59I know, obviously, George Barriers from Wednesday

04:00was on loan at Blackpool last season.

04:02Is there anyone else who you know personally

04:04or give you a heads up of what you can expect

04:07at Bloomfield Road?

04:08Yeah, I was with Ashley Fletcher at Wednesday as well.

04:11He was on loan there at Wednesday.

04:13So, I spoke to him, yeah,

04:15and he pretty much said what I said earlier.

04:18It's a good group of lads, quite a young team,

04:20but a close-knit group.

04:23So, it's always good to know someone

04:25who's already in the building

04:26and, you know, pick their brain a little bit

04:28on what the club's got to offer.

04:31And, yeah, he loves it.

04:32He loves it at the club

04:33and he's had a really good season last season, didn't he?

04:35So, hopefully, he can replicate that this season.

04:39Yeah, it must be nice to see, obviously,

04:41Ashley has been open about the struggles,

04:43you know, in the years before he joined Blackpool.

04:45So, to see someone, you know,

04:46obviously who works hard behind the scenes

04:48to get his rewards

04:49must make it, you know,

04:50you must think, yeah,

04:51this is a really good environment

04:52for myself as well.

04:54Yeah, it's credit to him,

04:55the season he had last season

04:56and the staff to, you know,

04:57to be able to bring that out of him.

04:59Yeah, he just needed to play football

05:02and stuff like that,

05:03but, obviously, it was a big credit

05:05to Steve Bruce to give him that confidence

05:08to have the season he had.

05:10So, yeah, he had a really good season last season.

05:13So, yeah, like I said,

05:15hopefully he can replicate that this season.

05:16When you look back to, obviously,

05:19younger days as football,

05:20you were with, obviously,

05:21Liverpool and Wolves

05:21and released by Wolves Club

05:22and you had to sort of build your way back up.

05:24How proud of you, sort of,

05:25the career you've built and, you know,

05:28obviously you're always seeing football players

05:29get released and then work their way back up

05:30and prove people wrong.

05:32Yeah, it's always been a thing

05:33in my career,

05:35having to bounce back from adversity and stuff.

05:39I don't think it's certain you're probably

05:40truly appreciating until you retire

05:42and you can look back on your career.

05:45You've always got your job on hand

05:47and what you want to do in the future.

05:49So, it's probably something I'll look back

05:50and be proud of.

05:50But, for now, I just want to keep improving,

05:53hopefully get another promotion.

05:56That'll be the aim in my time.

05:58I'm here at Blackpool, definitely.

06:00I know at other clubs

06:01you've been a vocal figure in the dressing room.

06:03Do you obviously walk straight in at Blackpool

06:05and sort of show your experience,

06:07show your past wisdom?

06:10Yeah, yeah.

06:10I'll just go in, be myself

06:12and hopefully, yeah,

06:13that'll come out

06:14and, like I said,

06:17I've got a lot of experience to bring

06:19and I just want to hopefully

06:20help the team,

06:22help the players around me

06:23and try and make them better players.

06:26Just do that, yeah, really.

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