Irwin seeks season with golden glow

Under new management: Wolves' ambition sufficient to satisfy a veteran's enduring appetite

With talk of Paul Ince being on the verge of joining the club in the next few days, and Newcastle United in town for a high-profile match yesterday, you could forgive Denis Irwin for wondering whether he really had left Manchester United. Only the predominantly old gold kit and the abundance of new faces present for the team photograph on Friday gave the game away. Strange as it may seem after 13 pre-seasons at Old Trafford, Irwin now finds himself in the very different surroundings of Molineux.

Changing clubs to Wolverhampton Wanderers has been a little daunting for Mr Steady, not least because he is suddenly no longer the one charged with greeting new arrivals, but otherwise the move has been exciting for the 36-year-old. "It's good,'' he said, "because I needed a new challenge in my life. I'm getting a different team-talk now, which is fun. I could have fallen asleep at United and still known exactly what was expected of me.''

Not that all in the Black Country is unfamiliar for the full-back from the Emerald Isle. Just as Manchester United were always the team to beat in the Premiership, so too Wolves are the club everyone relishes playing in the First Division. They will start the season as the bookies' favourites. Like their more illustrious counterparts, Dave Jones's men are experienced and, more importantly, hungry for success after the disappointment of last May.

In a Newcastle-like collapse at the end of last season, the club went from promotion candidates to losing play-off semi-finalists in the space of eight dramatic weeks. Having experienced at first hand the joys of bouncing back from a fruitless campaign, Irwin was immediately attracted by the Wolves challenge. "The year before we won our first Premier League title in 1993 at United,'' he says, "we lost out to Leeds, but then came back the following year. That's what I hope to achieve at Wolves.''

As for stepping down a division, it does not worry Irwin. "When you leave somewhere like Man U,'' he says, "it is never going to be easy, but I always liked the look of Wolves. They are a big club here, with a wonderful ground, an excellent support base and they want to achieve targets.'' Wolves' desires are one thing, but what, you might wonder, is there left for the man who has won every major club honour in the book to prove.

"I came here because I still wanted to play football,'' Irwin says. "It's as simple as that. I still have ambitions and I still want to win things. That's why I keep going. There is plenty of time after my career is finished to do other things, but for as long as I am capable of playing, I'll continue.''

According to his new manager, Irwin is as fit as ever. "People make age barriers if they want to,'' Jones says of his new recruit. "Denis is like a 21-year-old, and I can tell you he wants to be the best at everything he does. I tried to buy him last season but Manchester United would not release him. But we are really pleased to get him now and I'm sure his professionalism will rub off on all the youngsters at the club. He's a player of prestige and that's invaluable.''

Irwin is a model, and loyal, professional, who has had only two managers in the last 16 seasons. Significantly, both men (Joe Royle at Oldham for four years and Alex Ferguson at Manchester United for the last 12) always made the former Republic of Ireland international the first name on their team-sheets. So how did he feel when his love affair with Manchester United was terminated in May?

"Well I knew it was coming, to be honest,'' Irwin says. "About three-quarters of the way through last season, Sir Alex told me I wouldn't be kept on. But I'm not at all upset. I'd been there 12 years and all good things have to come to an end. The truth is that I didn't play that many games last year so I had plenty of time to set myself up for it. I'm part of the old school – I'm someone who wants to play in every game. I don't like any of this squad- rotation stuff.''

Irwin is not normally one for sentimentality, but surely even he must have found it odd to pack his belongings after the last home game against Charlton. "It's amazing how easily it all ends,'' he explains. "You just pick your boots up, move on and then probably don't bump into the lads until you're in town or something."

Irwin plans to see plenty of his former team-mates because he will not be moving from his Manchester home. With a young family to think of, the Irishman has decided to stay put and commute down the M6 to work every day. Wolves' proximity was an important factor in Irwin's decision to sign. "I had interest from a couple of other Nationwide sides, but none as close to home or, especially, as ambitious as this one. I know how desperate this team are to do well and erase the bad memories of last season, particularly after West Bromwich Albion and Birmingham City went up to the Premiership. That's the fun. We want to get up there with the big boys.''

And they do not come much bigger than United's latest defender, Rio Ferdinand. "They needed a centre-back and Rio is as good as anyone out there,'' Irwin says. "They needed to spend money to get him.''

For now, Irwin plans to retire at the end of the season, when he will decide whether to take up coaching or media work. "All I know is that I'll need something to keep me stimulated,'' he says. "I can't just play golf all day.''

But should Wolves end 18 years of hurt by gaining promotion, it may be difficult to prevent him from carrying on beyond next summer. "Never say never,'' he smiles. Playing at Old Trafford in gold: now there is an irresistible prospect.