Does Dave sum up our current malaise properly..?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Dave Thornley for Clarets Mad and Burnley forums everywhere writes two back-to-back match reviews following two successive three goal defeats. The object of the exercise is to see if Vincent Kompany and his team are making any progress. The conclusion is sadly, we are not.

We start off by going back to the 4-1 home defeat at the hands of Chelsea.
There can be no doubt that Vincent Kompany knows a lot more about football than I, or any of my fellow Burnley supporters, do. But after yet another horrible home defeat – this time at the hands of Chelsea, by four goals to one – fans of long standing, such as myself, are becoming weary of witnessing the same failings, the same faults and the same crass errors repeating themselves week in, week out.
This Chelsea team is not a particularly good one, a far cry from Mourinho’s remorseless winning machine of Lampard, Drogba and Terry, yet they defeated Burnley with disturbing ease, even after the Clarets had taken a first half lead through French youngster Wilson Odobert’s clinical finish to a sweeping move featuring Vitinho, Tresor and Foster.
For Brazilian Vitinho, his part in the move was as good as his contribution to the game got. Pressed into service at right back, he was given a torrid time by Raheem Sterling. His failure to block Sterling’s cross just before half time resulted in Ameen Al-Dakhil’s attempt to do the same only for the ball to balloon off his knee and loop over James Trafford for the flukiest of equalisers.
Vitinho’s day got rapidly worse, bringing down Sterling for the penalty to make it 2-1. No doubt he was relieved to have been replaced by Conor Roberts by the time Sterling’s angled shot and Jackson’s close-range finish had completed the second half demolition.
Supporters by and large are not stupid, and whilst we are not privy to what goes on in the dressing room, the board room, the manager’s office or the training ground, we do see how all that manifests itself on the pitch and to that end, have the right to point out some blindingly obvious issues which need urgent correction:
1. Playing out from the back; last season, against more modest opponents it worked fine as at tactic; but this season it looks uncoordinated, jittery and ineffective, often leading to Burnley meekly surrendering possession in ill-advised areas.
2. Keeping possession; too often Burnley lose the ball through sheer negligence and as such are unable to mount purposeful attacks and provide service their talented forwards. It happens once, then spreads like a contagion throughout the team to the point where even straight forward short passes are miscued and picked off. Looking after the ball is a fundamental requirement.
3. Negativity: Burnley under Kompany is supposed to be a fluid attacking team, yet too many balls are played square or backwards. Even free kicks won in midfield, which should be a golden opportunity to launch an attack are played square or back to the defence before the ball is inevitably given away.
4. Resilience: in tough spells during hard matches, there doesn’t seem anyone in a Burnley shirt willing or able to take command and bully or cajole his teammates into making that extra effort. They were able to do so to an extent during the second half at Luton, but sadly not in any of this season’s home games.
5. Continuity: having won in midweek at Luton, Kompany made four changes to yesterday’s line up only one of which, Jordan Bayer, was enforced. Moreover, the squad which swept through the Championship last season has been all but dismantled, with players who were pivotal to that success either not re-signed or not selected. For supporters this simply doesn’t feel right.
6. Losing; I think I speak for all Clarets fans when I say we’re fed up with it.
Perhaps it is worth remembering that this is a relatively inexperienced set of players, led by a manager similarly inexperienced at this level (at least as a coach) and under the leadership of relatively inexperienced owners. All have made mistakes, which is understandable, but too many of those mistakes re-occur, which is not.
Next, Dave visits Saturday’s three goal defeat away at Brentford.
After Saturday’s horror show defeat at Brentford’s GTECH Community Stadium, Burnley’s Premier League season has surely arrived at critical mass.
Defeats are one thing, but the manner and frequency of those defeats are quite another. Yesterday afternoon we witnessed further examples of dalliance in possession, indecision in defence, an absence of fortitude and, perhaps most alarmingly, desire to engage in the contest.
Burnley look under-prepared, under-coached and lacking in cohesion every time they take the field; the same crass errors re-occur with the grim inevitability of the onset of winter; a winter which looks like becoming one of the most testings for the Clarets’ faithful.
Vincent Kompany must have questions to answer about his methods, his selections and his tactics as the edifice he created with such assurance and aplomb last season threatens to crumble around all of us. In the unflinching world of Premier League football, even presenting Burnley fans with the gift of a near prefect season will not prevent the vultures from circulating over his tenure.
The club however seem instead willing to apportion some of the blame to those supporters who, in strained economic times, part with their hard-earned cash, turn up in number only to find themselves scolded for a perceived lack of atmosphere at Turf Moor.
Atmosphere at any sporting fixture is generated by witnessing either a gripping contest and / or an exhilarating exhibition of highly developed skill. Thus far none of this season’s matches at Burnley’s home have provided anything close to either and have all resulted in meekly conceded defeats.
Applications have been sought by the club for the recruitment of a drummer to stoke up the atmosphere. Might I suggest that unless performances and results improve, it would be beyond the combined skills of Lars Ulrich, Dave Grohl and Animal from the Muppets to rouse the Turf Moor fandom from their despair.
R.I.P. Sir Bobby. It is only fitting that I conclude this piece with a personal tribute to Sir Bobby Charlton, who passed away yesterday and who, along with his Manchester United team-mate George Best, represented my first footballing hero and whose place in my affections and admiration were never diminished.
He was probably England’s finest ever player, as integral to Alf Ramsey’s World Cup winning team as Maradona and Messi were to those of Argentina and as Zidane was to France’s. His long-range strike against Mexico kick-started England’s 1966 campaign and became his signature goal.
The power, accuracy and range of his shooting, with either foot was his trademark, but he also possessed a wide repertoire of passes and the vision to execute them when the situation demanded, along with seemingly limitless reserves of stamina.
But more than that, he was a man of immense dignity, whose reputation remained unblemished and scandal-free throughout his life.
After a brief tenure as player-manager at Preston, he settled easily into a role as one of the game’s grandees; a source of encouragement and wisdom for all who sought it, especially at Manchester United, where he became a director and where he would be picked out by television cameras happily sat watching those who inherited his legacy, a football man to the very end.
Rest in peace Sir Bobby, you will be missed.

Personally, I’m off to Bournemouth on Saturday with my son, travelling with hope as another companion rather than expectation of a decent result. I think Vincent Kompany has fallen into the trap of making the same mistakes repeatedly but expects different results and does not seem to grasp why we are getting hammered week upon week by teams who are miles better than the Clarets. I feel glum. (TEC.)

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[kritichris]

Does Dave sum up our current malaise properly..?

Yes, depressingly so. I feel glum too.

[outwoodclaret]

Does Dave sum up our current malaise properly..?

Yes, depressingly so. I feel glum too.

I rather think kc he does sum up our malaise rather too accurately for comfort. The annoying thing is we can all see something is wrong (I am sure VK & CB do too) and we are just desperate for someone to fix it. Luton was a six pointer and we got that done. Here is another 6 pointer at Bournemouth and we need to do the same. We have endured dark times at Burnley and come through them without a bloody drummer boy. Time for players to roll their sleeves up and if they do I know the fans will back them.

[army88]

I rather think kc he does sum up our malaise rather too accurately for comfort. The annoying thing is we can all see something is wrong (I am sure VK & CB do too) and we are just desperate for someone to fix it. Luton was a six pointer and we got that done. Here is another 6 pointer at Bournemouth and we need to do the same. We have endured dark times at Burnley and come through them without a bloody drummer boy. Time for players to roll their sleeves up and if they do I know the fans will back them.

My sentiments exactly outwood , the sleeves rolled up and some grit is required and double quick time.

I’m just not sure we have the leader to make it happen and drag some of the others along with him.

I posted before that I think we have bought too many of the same footballer and I think that is the biggest of our problems.