Burnley: Glad to be back home

The disappointing thing about the 4-0 battering we took at the hands of Liverpool was less the scoreline, and more how utterly inept our performance was. Defensively we were very shaky, we offered nothing going forward, and the midfield barely completed a pass all afternoon. Although defeats, and heavy defeats at that, were somewhat expected at Chelsea and Liverpool, the manner of our capitulation in both games is slightly worrying.

But with the opening five games out of the way, we can look forward to a run of games that is much more attractive. Six points is a tremendous return so far and there are plenty of winnable matches on the horizon. Four of our next six matches are at Turf Moor, where we have only lost twice this year, and a trip to fierce local rivals Blackburn Rovers is a match we can pick up a result from, too.

There are concerns, though. Goals will be a premium for many teams this season but our haul of just two strikes so far is paltry, and neither Steven Fletcher nor Martin Paterson, the two players we hoped would get the goals to keep us up, look like being anything near prolific.

But we have to look at the positives. We’re well placed in the table, and have an excellent chance of getting to around the 15 point mark by the end of next month. I’ll be disappointed if we don’t beat at least two of Sunderland, Birmingham, Wigan and Hull in the next few weeks.

Owen Coyle has showed a typical reluctance to change his team so far, and that could cost us in the long run. Only twelve players have started in the league so far this season. Our squad is much larger now, and the quality is relatively deep. We must start to utilise our resources effectively.

Away from home, our 4-5-1 shape hasn’t looked like yielding any positive results, albeit at three of the hardest grounds to go to in the league. I’d like to see us experiment with a new formation in next week’s Carling Cup tie at Barnsley. 4-4-2 could be the way to get more players involved in our attacks and to give us a chance of getting a foothold in matches on the road.

But first we have our first early kick off of the season in Saturday’s lunchtime match with Sunderland at Turf Moor. I spent the last three years in Sunderland at University, and saw the team play on a handful of occasions. Steve Bruce seems to have added quality as well as bite to their midfield in the form of Lorik Cana and Lee Cattermole, and Darren Bent has started in good goalscoring form.

But I think they’re still wobbly away from the Stadium of Light and we have a decent chance of picking up at least a point.

The players will be glad to get back in front of their own fans after three weeks away, and Coyle will be quick to remind them of their terrific recent form at the Turf. We laid the foundations for the fortress with unexpected wins over Manchester United and Everton, now we must build on them with a string of home wins over the coming weeks.

This article was written for Fanzone TimesOnline.

Burnley: Accrington Stanley collapse is sad to see

Accrington Stanley's unpaid £300,000 tax bill, and the threat of the club being shut down if they fail to pay it, is a sad wake up call for Clarets fans.

Only this summer it was revealed that Burnley had to renegotiate transfer payments throughout last season as we simply couldn't afford to pay otherwise. Promotion did more than grant us a season in the spotlight, it secured our club's future for many years to come.

Stanley haven't been so lucky. But of course it's nothing new. The current incarnation of the club is its third, and unless the way the club is run is changed in future, and the people of the town get behind the failing team, it too will go under.

There's no doubt mistakes have been made by those previously in charge. Promotion back to the Football League in 2006 was lauded, and rightly so, as the club dreamed of future success. But their corner of East Lancashire is small, and the town is stuck between Blackburn and Burnley, who of course now both host Premier League teams. In all honesty, it seems unlikely that the town's people can sustain a Football League club, and in desperation to hold on to their status, they have spent beyond their means.

It used to be no surprise to see Clarets and Rovers fans mixing at Stanley on weekends when their own teams were not playing at home. But the credit crunch, coupled with Stanley asking for £15 admission these days, has meant that this is much less common, thus depriving the club of crucial walk-up fans.

The town has simply not managed to get behind its club in times of need. Stanley have regularly played matches on Friday nights to try and tempt Rovers and Clarets fans back to the Crown Ground, but the efforts have not paid off.

Burnley boss Owen Coyle's gesture to put out a Burnley team to play Stanley in a friendly at Turf Moor with all proceeds going to the stricken club was admirable, but you can't help but wonder what happens the next time Stanley are short of a few bob. They cannot keep relying on the fans of other clubs to bail them out of trouble. Stanley host Darlington on Friday night, and it's crucial that the people of Accrington go along to support their club.

The match itself was a good run-out for our squad players. Young striker Jay Rodriguez reminded Coyle of his talents with a well taken brace, and on-loan winger Fernando Guerrero also scored a good goal from a fine move. Chris Eagles, Richard Eckersley, Brian Easton and Kevin McDonald staked their claims for places in the first XI with solid performances but David Nugent, as expected, looked rusty, missing a handful of chances.

This article was written for Fanzone TimesOnline.

Burnley: David Nugent move was a huge surprise

I honestly thought we'd done our deals. I couldn't see anyone leaving and I didn't think we'd be able to bring anyone in either. Hull's Daniel Cousin was the one the papers were linking us to, but that one was never likely once Benjani turned down a move to Humberside.

But Owen Coyle pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the form of a 24-year-old England international (and goal scorer). It's easy to forget that David Nugent picked up an international cap, scoring a stolen tap in on his one and only appearance against Andorra. This was before his move to Portsmouth though, where his career has stalled somewhat.

Nugent always looked a class above at Preston North End in the Championship, but his credentials at the top level were always going to be in doubt. He's not particularly quick, strong or prolific. But he is creative and a good finisher. I'd compare him to David Healy, in that he's not really had a fair crack at the Premier League whip. I imagine he will be a regular starter for us, so it will be interesting to see how he copes with the adjustment.

We almost signed Nugent from Bury a few years back, but he chose to go to North End instead. That makes him the third former North Ender in our squad, and he joins Graham Alexander as an ex-Lilywhite that turned us down earlier in his career. If he's half as successful as Alexander, we'll have made a cracking signing.

It's low risk for us too, signing him on a six-month loan. If he's doing well, we can sort out a permanent deal in the January transfer window, but if he struggles, we can get rid and replace him with someone else.

We saw on Saturday how tough goals are going to be to score away from home. Chelsea outclassed us in every department with one of the best displays of fluid attacking football I've ever seen. The midfield diamond sparkled, but the full backs were most impressive, bombing up and down the flanks, causing all sorts of problems for the men charged with tracking the runners inside. If it had been another team on the end of the hiding they dished out, I would have felt honoured to have seen it.

But despite the relative ease of the match for Chelsea, we could and should have led early on, and then who knows what could have happened. Martin Paterson missed a glorious chance just ten minutes in, and the match could have taken on a completely new complexion had he not pulled his shot wide.

We seem to have learned our lesson from the slack marking at set pieces at Stoke that cost us, but we must also start burying our chances, especially on the road. We won't get many. It's Anfield next for the Clarets, after an international break we'll hopefully come through unscathed.

It's never made any sense to me to have managers rushing around sorting deals the day before two weeks off, and it would be a disaster for us if Steven Fletcher or Martin Paterson came back from duty with an injury. But Liverpool are more likely to have someone pick up a knock playing for their country than us! They've looked shaky so far, the complete opposite to Chelsea's assured displays, and if we perform to our best, we could come up with another shock result.

This piece was written for Fanzone TimesOnline.

Burnley: flying start is totally unexpected

Our excellent home form might have been the main reason we were promoted last season, but never in our wildest dreams would we have expected to beat Manchester United and then Everton in our first two matches at Turf Moor.

It was another deserved victory. We started brilliantly and could have led 2-0 ten minutes in, but Everton got back into it and when Elliott put us ahead with a finish reminiscent of his Wembley winner, it was against the run of play.

But as we did against United, we defended resolutely and in truth Everton never looked like carving out a golden opportunity. They did of course win a penalty after Hibbert conned Dowd into giving a spot kick by diving over Chris McCann’s leg, but justice was done as Saha missed it and Jensen looked to have it covered anyway.

There’s been some odd talk around BFC forums about goals being an issue. We may have only scored two goals in our first three games but the trio of attackers Martin Paterson, Robbie Blake and £3m man Steven Fletcher have all looked bright and capable. And if one goal is enough to beat United and Everton, surely it will be enough to beat lesser teams when they come to Burnley.

But on the road will be a different proposition. Up next we have trips to Chelsea and Liverpool to round off our horror opening five matches. Chances are we’ll lose them both and six points won’t look like such a glorious start. But it’s six points more than many of us were expecting and we’ve already won one more Premier League game this season than Derby did in their infamous record-breaking campaign.

Even if we don’t win on the road all season we might stay up. We’ve won our last eight at Turf Moor, not conceding at home since March. We’ve looked comfortable, against teams with players twice as expensive than our entire squad. And these two opening wins fire a warning shot to the league: Turf Moor will not be an easy place to come to. Points will not be surrendered easily.

We had to make Turf Moor a fortress if we were to stay up. We’ve made a cracking start.

Meanwhile, we kick off our Carling Cup campaign with a trip to Hartlepool on Tuesday night. Having got heart-breakingly close to the final last season we know the boost a cup run can give everyone, and the competition is a vital way to keep confidence high. And although it’s a long way away, it is a route into Europe, something we could only dream of a few months ago.

Owen Coyle will probably pick a strong side but I expect him to rest some vital players and give starts to players that haven’t got game time yet this season. We could see a first start for Ecuadorian winger Fernando Guerrero, although whether Coyle thinks a night in Hartlepool is ideal for a debut remains to be seen, and I expect the likes of Chris Eagles and Kevin McDonald to be given a chance to shine.

This article was written for the Fanzone section of the Times' website.

Burnley: we fancy our chances now

So the Clarets pulled off the unthinkable and beat the league champions, the world champions, the biggest football club on the planet – Manchester United.

A packed Turf Moor was rocking as Robbie Blake’s stunning volley and Brian Jensen’s goalkeeping heroics secured the points for the Clarets on their home return to the top flight.

A town and club as small as Burnley getting promotion was special enough. Last year’s monumental campaign will live long in the memory but the team seems insistent on writing new chapters in the history of the club.

There’s a magic around the place at the moment. We felt it in the lead up to the game as the local press used any excuse to get football on the front and back cover of their newspapers. We felt it in the build up to the game. We felt it as we matched United in the early stages of the game. And by God did we feel it when Blake hit his wonder goal. You can write off goal of the season for us already. Nothing will come close to that effort.

And the old ‘No one likes us’ chant is in danger of becoming obsolete. Without wanting to sound like a deluded Newcastle fan braying about the ‘Geordie nation’ it really feels as if the country is rooting for us to succeed. Except for the lot down the road, obviously.

As poor as United were, as superb Burnley were in contrast. Chris McCann bossed the midfield, Martin Paterson harried United’s makeshift back line without tiring all night, and Clarke Carlisle and Andre Bikey – on his Clarets debut after signing just the day before the game – were totemic together at the heart of the Burnley defence.

Clarets fans will have spent the day basking in the heady delights that a win over United brings, but the possibilities opened up by last night’s events are just as exciting. Beating United will instil a belief in the players that will last all season. Even if we lose ten on the spin, Owen Coyle will be able to tell his men: “You can do it – you beat Manchester United.” It will last all season.

Burnley will fancy their chances against anyone at Turf Moor now. We had to make the famous old ground a fortress if we were to have any chance of staying up and last night’s win lays the foundations for a home record similar to Stoke’s last season.

Next up are Everton, fresh from a battering at the hands of a rampant Arsenal team on the opening day. They also have well documented problems with Joleon Lescott demanding a transfer to Manchester City, and with Phil Jagielka still injured they are as light in defence as United were last night. Only a fool would bet against Coyle’s men making it back-to-back wins.

This article was written for Fanzone.

Welcome to Turf Moor, Andre Bikey

Defeat at Stoke on the opening day was disappointing but expected. We matched them in open play but you have to defend set pieces well at the Britannia Stadium and we didn't. Two sloppy moments cost us the chance of a result. We'll have to be more streetwise than that if we're to survive this season.

Owen Coyle was already looking to bolster his back line and today he's made Andre Bikey, of Reading, his latest signing. Bikey will be well known to Clarets fans after his hilarious antics in the first leg of the play-off semi-final back in May.

First he conceded the penalty from which we scored the only goal by pulling back Steven Thompson, and then he was sent off for stamping on Robbie Blake. Bikey then wrestled his shirt off, hurled it to the ground and threw the mother of all tantrums before leaving the pitch. Reading missed him badly in the second leg, which we won comfortably 2-0, and he's not played competitively for them since due to the extended suspension he received for his antics.

Despite his questionable temperament, Bikey is exactly the kind of player we need. He's big, much bigger than any of our other defenders, very strong and also quick. He'll go straight into our back line for the Manchester United match tomorrow night as captain Steven Caldwell is still out injured. He'll be a tremendous addition and gives us a much better chance of survival.

It's always good to play United early. They famously start slowly and this season they have major defensive injury problems. Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville and Jonny Evans are all doubts, so we'll have a great chance to cause a shock result on our home Premier League debut.

That said, Wayne Rooney looks like he's set for a huge season ahead of the World Cup and he's obviously the man we have to stop. I'm not sure Dimitar Berbatov will fancy it with 20,000 screaming locals baying for his blood, and Michael Owen looked rusty when he came on at Old Trafford on Sunday. But even with two of United's biggest playmakers in Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez leaving the club this summer, they're a phenomenal force and most people will be expecting us to get a pasting.

But I'm quietly confident that we can get a result. Bikey's signing will give us a lift and the atmosphere promises to be very special indeed.

This article was written for Fanzone on TimesOnline.

Burnley: I'll take 17th place

As part of my new 'job' as Burnley correspondent for Fanzone, I answered the following questions...

What is the feeling among the fans for the forthcoming season?
Bullish. We know the odds are massively stacked against us but the cup runs last season show that we are capable of beating Premier League teams if we play to our best.

What is the best you can realistically hope for?
Doing a Stoke (although our football will almost certainly be more pleasing on the eye). If we can make Turf Moor a fortress we have a chance of survival. But even thinking positively, 17th would be a massive achievement.

And the worst?
Breaking Derby's lowest points record. A poor start could destroy all confidence from the promotion, but on the flip side a couple of good results early on could set us up nicely.

What have you made of the arrivals and departures over the summer?
I'm glad we haven't spent a fortune on players that will want to leave in a year, but there's no getting away from the fact that out of five signings three are full-backs and we haven't bought anyone really exciting yet. But if Guerrero does sign he'll be the unknown quantity that will get the heart racing.

Who will be your key player and why?
Steven Fletcher. We scored plenty of goals last season but the Premier League is a different animal. If Fletcher can have a successful debut season in England and notch maybe twelve league goals we can stay up.

Is there a young player or a new face we can expect to make a name for himself this year?
Hopefully Kevin McDonald will resolve his fitness problems. He's a very strong lad with an eye for a pass and looks to have all the attributes to step up and assert himself in our midfield.

If you could give the team talk before the season's first game, what would you say?
Just enjoy it. All we can do is make the most of our season in the spotlight and try our best. And don't give silly goals away.

Spirit not skill will shape Clarets season

With Owen Coyle putting the final finishing touches to his Burnley squad, the time is right to look at how well equipped he is to keep the Clarets in the Premier League.

Despite the bumper payday for winning promotion, we still find ourselves unable to compete with our peers in the transfer market and have instead looked at bringing in hungry youngsters rather than experienced, expensive professionals.

For instance, Birmingham City splashed out almost £10m on two centre-backs in Scott Dann and Roger Johnson, and Burnley, even after tribunal fees have been set for David Edgar and Richard Eckersley, will in all probability have signed an entire new back line for much less than £3m. Elsewhere, Wolves spent a hefty £6.5m on Kevin Doyle, who scored fewer goals last season than our own Martin Paterson.

James McCarthy and Jason Scotland are just two of the rumoured Burnley targets that have instead moved on to other Premier League clubs, and who knows how many more Coyle might have missed out on for financial reasons.

But the signings he has made are mostly impressive, with the stand-out player obviously being the record-breaking £3m man Steven Fletcher. The former Hibernian striker has made a promising start to his career in claret and blue and looks set to shoulder much of the goal scoring burden. Burnley will need to take their chances and Fletcher is the man Coyle will be relying on to hit the back of the net regularly.

The other four signings so far are all defenders, as Coyle looks to arrest the problems Burnley had at the back last season. But although the quartet of Eckersley, Easton, Mears and Edgar are all young and no doubt talented, there are question marks over whether or not they will prove to be any better than what was already at the club.

They are, though, players that Burnley should be able to retain, even if relegation was to happen come May.

Interestingly Burnley have not gone abroad in their search for new signings, although Ecuadorian winger Fernando Guerrero impressed on trial with the Clarets on the American tour.

That suggests that Coyle is looking to nurture the excellent team spirit from last season further, without risking splintering the squad’s morale by going for bank-breaking, flamboyant foreign players.

Arguably all that is missing from the squad now is a pacy left winger and in his chasing of Hearts’ Andrew Driver and now Guerrero, Coyle has identified that weakness.

However, it appears probable that the Clarets will line up in a 4-5-1 formation more often than not, with Fletcher and Paterson likely to spend some time playing on the wing. That suggests Coyle will favour graft over flair for many games, meaning Robbie Blake and Chris Eagles may have to adapt their games to get regular starting berths.

It is crucial that the team spirit that was so evident last term, especially towards the end of the season, is kept, and the new boys seem to be settling in well already. Most teams will have more skill, quality and talent than us, so we must look to other areas where we can get ahead. Sheer desire is one of them, and Coyle’s tactical nous and ability to get his team up for the big games will also stand the Clarets in good stead.

It’s also important the fans play their part. Turf Moor has the potential to be the most intimidating ground in the Premier League and there are few atmospheres that can match it when supporters are loud.

All in all, we must remember that the Premier League is something to enjoy. Heavy defeats are likely at some point but there will be countless days and nights to remember, with moments that will live on for generations of Clarets.

Enjoy the ride.

This article was written for FansOnline and amended for Fanzone on TimesOnline (for both of whom I shall be writing about Burnley throughout the season).