Coady Ready For Season Opener

Conor Coady believes that the team are ready for the start of the Sky Bet Championship season.

The versatile Coady has been converted, from last season’s position of right-back, to centre half since the arrival of new head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

 

Wolves host recently relegated Middlesbrough to Molineux on Saturday in the opening game of the season.

 

Coady featured in all of Wolves’ pre-season friendlies - he is hoping that the hard work pays off in the first game on Saturday

 

The 24 year old began, “We’ve been working very hard in pre-season. It's had to be like that because the gaffer's brought a whole new way of playing into the football club.

 

“We've listened to him. It's been a bit up and down in pre-season, we've lost a couple of games, but it's a learning curve.

 

“This is the first week of competition football. It's one we wanted to put our stamp across.

 

“It's about passing and moving the ball, entertaining, getting the front three on the ball. We created a number of opportunities against a top club in the Premier League.

 

“I'm really enjoying it. I want to get better, as everybody does in this formation. This is the start of something.

 

“They've come in, they've bought into what the Championship's about and they speak about it every day.

 

“We have meetings on how we need to play – it's not all about keeping the ball, we need to be clever as well.

 

“Saturday is a huge game and one that everyone is looking forward to.

 

“We were saying before the Leicester game that there's a lot of optimism around at the minute.

 

“All the players are very optimistic, we're exactly the same as everyone in the stands.

 

“Going into next week it's massive that we start well. All the boys are excited about it being a full house, we saw what it was like for the Chelsea game and how good they were that day.

 

“The gaffer's mentioned it quite a lot in pre-season, how our home form hasn't been good for a couple of years.

 

“To get this place rocking and bouncing will be a massive asset for us.

 

“We know what we have to do. It's only the beginning. The players who've come in, there's some really exciting talent there. Also there's fire in the bellies of the boys who've been here for a number of years.

 

“We don't want to carry on being a mid-table club. That's what we've deserved – we've not been good enough.

 

“There's a fire in the belly – they want to go on and do something special.

 

“The gaffer's being calling the games training games for us to get better. It's been relentless really. Double sessions out in Austria every day was really tough.”

 

Coady was Wolves’ captain on Saturday’s final pre-season friendly against Leicester City.

 

If called upon to be captain again, Coady says it’s always a proud moment to lead out the club.

 

“Nothing makes me more proud to captain this football club,” he said. 

 

“I did it on a couple of occasions last year. 

 

“To walk out at Molineux is a special feeling and gives you goosebumps.

 

“It was a very proud moment for me and my family. To do it at home was special.”