O'Shea: Important We Don't Fear Anything
Friday, 28th Aug 2026 09:40 by Kallum Brisset
Dara O’Shea says Town return to the Premier League without any fear, but knows the Blues will face significantly greater challenges than in the Championship last season.
Under the stewardship of new manager Gary O’Neil, Town have got off to the perfect start to life back in the top flight following Saturday’s victory over Sunderland on the opening day of the campaign.
It means the Blues have already equalled their number of home wins from their last Premier League campaign two years ago, and leaves them seventh in the early season standings.
Tuesday’s 3-1 home victory over Leicester City in the second round of the Carabao Cup continued the momentum and means O’Neil became only the third manager in the club’s professional history to win his first two matches in charge.
The task is set to get much tougher with this Sunday’s trip to Manchester United, although Town can take confidence from the Red Devils’ surprise defeat to Hull City last time out.
O’Shea admitted the jump this term is substantial and that the Blues will not have things all their own way in a lot of matches during the season.
“The Championship and the Premier League, there is a massive step up,” he said. “We’d be naive to think we can go and do the same thing we did in the Championship in the Premier League, and we understand that.
“We’re going to have to pick our moments in the Premier League, it’s important that you don’t go out and go crazy. It’s important that we wait for our moments, and when we do go as a team, we go together.
“There’ll be different challenges this season, a lot different to last season and everybody understands that and we’re ready for it. It’s going to be a fight at times and it’s something that the group is really looking forward to.
“Since Gary’s come in, he’s made that apparent to the group and we’ve got to be hard to beat. It will be different to last season, but at the same time, there will definitely be aspects of the success we enjoyed last season in this one.
“We’ve got to commit 100 per cent to everything we do here. It’s important that we don’t fear anything because that’s time and energy spent thinking about something else.
“There’s so much more experience in the group, so maybe it has a different feeling to some players. For us, first and foremost, it’s about attacking it as best as possible, trying to play the game we want to play, and understanding there’s going to be bumps along the way.
“As long as we can come off the pitch knowing that we’ve committed 100 per cent, sometimes things might not go our way, but us as players and the fans as well respect that and understand we’ve done the most we can.”
Town have been busy in the transfer market, signing 13 players and spending more than £150 million since promotion was confirmed, with more arrivals anticipated ahead of next Tuesday’s deadline.
While there are a number of new faces joining the existing group, O’Shea says maintaining the club’s values that have served them so well has been a fundamental part of the recruitment process.
He said: “Ipswich has been successful because of the culture. Ever since I stepped into the football club, it was the first thing that became very apparent.
“The things that they were doing here and the right things they were doing, and that was led by a core group of players, staff, and the club through everybody. It’s important that we carry that on.
"Anything that’s worked here previously is going to be a massive bonus to us moving into a new chapter with Gary as manager. It’s important that we continue that on and add to it.
“We always want to continue to grow and evolve as a group. The club talks about the journey that we’re on and we’re still on that. It’s about adding to that and making the most of every opportunity and every moment we have together.”
O’Shea himself is now into his third season at Portman Road, and second as the club’s permanent captain, following his move from Burnley late in the summer window in August 2024.
One blight on his record is that he has been relegated in each of his three previous Premier League campaigns, having also faced the drop with West Brom and the Clarets.
And in four of the last six seasons, the Irish international has been either promoted to or relegated from the top flight.
Determined to end that run, it was put to O’Shea that this year would be the perfect year to finish comfortably in 13th.
“You've said it to be fair,” the 27-year-old responded. “Last season was a massive success and it was what I wanted to do, to bring this club back to the Premier League.
“Since I have come here, the ambition was always to get the club back to where it belongs and that's a club that is competing in the Premier League and pushing for Europe. I really feel the club is in a great place.
“We are back in the Premier League now and we have had that experience. The club has been able to stabilise in terms of the finances from where they were previously and it puts us in a great place.
“Finishing as high up as possible would be great and going off last season, we want to continue that momentum.”
On the Blues’ new £30 million training ground, which opened earlier this month, O’Shea added: “It shows the trajectory that the club is on and the ambition that they’re showing is evident. For any player, you want to have the best of the best to come into every day, and the club has given us that.
“It’s been a breath of fresh air stepping in here, it’s been really nice and it’s come at an exciting time just before the season starts. It gives everyone in the club, not just players, a boost in that sense.
“When you have the best of the best to come into every day, it’s a real joy to come into work. Everybody’s really looking forward to the future.”
_Photo: TWTD_