文章基本信息

标题：Football: HOLLAND: WE'LL DO WHAT WE'RE GOOD AT
作者：RICHARD LEWIS
期刊名称：Sunday Mirror
印刷版ISSN：0956-8077
出版年度：2001
卷号：Sep 16, 2001
出版社：Mirror Group Newspapers Ltd.

Football: HOLLAND: WE'LL DO WHAT WE'RE GOOD AT

RICHARD LEWIS

IPSWICH captain Matt Holland believes this season could be the toughest since the inception of the Premiership nine years ago.

Holland leads his side today against Blackburn, the champions from 1995 who were promoted back into the top flight last season.

They came up with Bolton and Fulham - and none of them are favourites to go straight back down.

"It has made the league tougher and it might be as strong a Premiership as there has been," said Holland (right). "You have to be at your very best for every game.

"There is nothing I could say to Blackburn about how to stay in the Premiership because they have not been out of it for long and are more than capable of holding their own.

"It is important to win as many of your early season games as you can because there are so many good sides this year that you could find it difficult to get out of trouble." Ipswich were the surprise packet last season when they finished fifth after being promoted - earning George Burley the Manager of the Year award - but Holland realises teams will be more aware of them.

He said: "We can only do what we know what we are good at and play the way we know."

It is one of the biggest weeks in Holland's career as Ipswich begin their UEFA Cup quest at home to Torpedo Moscow on Thursday.

He added: "People may not know too much about us and we must make that count."

Meanwhile, Blackburn are desperate to flog misfit striker Egil Ostenstad, but Rovers have had no offers for the Norwegian.

The former Southampton man was snapped up by previous Blackburn boss Brian Kidd in a part-exchange deal with pounds 7m flop Kevin Davies, but his time at Ewood Park has been a disaster.

Blackburn boss Graeme Souness described Ostenstad as "one of the best finishers I've worked with" when he became boss 18 months ago, but the 29-year-old star has been out of favour since then.

Kick-off 4pm Sky Sports 1. Last season: No fixture