If there was a prize

[army88]

For sideways crap football we’d be premier league champions and no one would be able to touch us.

We are in real trouble as we simply aren’t good enough. End off.

[Altobelli]

I had to laugh at Jamie Carragher on Sky before the game Army.

They were saying Rafa should not have put Clark in the team because he'd be playing against Aaron Lennon who likes to run at people, I nearly spat my tea out ! Pundits my arse.

For most of the 90 minutes he did put in one slight half aggressive run at the left back, until the 93rd minute when he did actually attack the left back and nearly beat him to earn the free kick, other than that nothing going forward, yes he does track back and put in some good tackles now and again but at least twice he went to sleep (like others).

I know you rate him Army, but I thought we purchased him as an attacking winger ? that last run he did was great and it annoys me he does not do it or try and do it more often.

But I make you right Army, we are not good enough to compete with the squad we have got, Lowton, Taylor, Hendrick, Westwood, Bardsley and even Brady are in a league too good for them, even Cork looks shaky, and again why we have gone over 4 years with Vokes and Barnes as attacking forwards is beyond me, I feel sorry for D4 who is a class above.

[Norder]

.

it's a lack of ideas - as when the Magpies fell back and let us come at them, the passing, back and forth , round and around - but where did it end - In frantic tail chasing....and why, because there was no thought or design to it...meant Newcastle took it easy, no pressure, line up in defence and watch us have fits because they knew there was little mind or quality to take it any further....and every game it's gets freakier to witness - like were stuck in some loop nightmare - so what are they learning ?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I've watched this relegation dance before on about eight occasions. We are going down and on last night's performance the players are accepting it already.

[army88]

I think to be fair to him Alto he does try and make the runs but the ball never gets to him.
Although I think Dyche tactics are lunacy as last night most of the time Taylor and Lennon held hands and compressed play so much at the half way line that there team must have thought Christmas was here early.
I won’t be liked for saying this but Dyche has run out of drive here it needs new ideas and impetus and players for that matter if we are even contemplating staying in this league.
I mean why play two big men up front and pass the ball sideways for 80 minutes , if your going to play target men get the ball into them and get runners of them tip tap midfield is pointless.
I watched Vokes last night make a run 3 times to get in position to win the ball coming in and each time it just wasn’t delivered he re adjusted but on the third time he wasn’t quite Set and the ball was too big for him.
I agree that a lot of them aren’t quite at the standard but any forward would struggle with that service or lack off.
We are pedestrian in our build up and I’m struggling to see how Dyche can change that , I mean they weren’t a great side but they had midfielders who are prepared to go beyond people and stretch play we never look like doing that.
I think jack cork is a decent quality fottballler but is trying to do to much at the minute he was so knackered at the end could barely kick the ball and yet we still persist with formation and tactics leaving him exposed. ( you could have drove a bus through the middle of the park at times last night ).

Lennon — Alto I have to agree on this occasion he offered nothing - but I can’t remeber when we had a wide man who is prepared to go past a man it’s the weirdest scenario ever.

I’m absolutely gutted tbh as I can accept being beaten by anyone if they deserve it , however I’ve been watching Burnley for 30 plus years and if there is one thing I can guarantee it’s that the fans won’t accept poor football the moans have started and I think before it goes sour Dyche should leave and go onto a different challenge.
( can’t wait to read is book - I’m guessing he’ll dish dirt when he’s free of contract and not at Burnley).

The man has been brilliant but I think it’s time.

[army88]

I watched Kennedy go off at sub and I just said to my dad he’s leaving the field at the pace we play the game , he was booed for not being quick enough,

[alfinyalcabo]

I've watched this relegation dance before on about eight occasions. We are going down and on last night's performance the players are accepting it already.

I thought the players put plenty of effort in last night..Played some decent football at times ,Wood could have had a hat trick on another day..Its just not going for us at the moment ,things can change so we will just have to ride through it .Their first goal was very lucky ..Dyche will not give up on it and sort it out ..

[sinkov]

I thought the players put plenty of effort in last night..Played some decent football at times ,Wood could have had a hat trick on another day..Its just not going for us at the moment ,things can change so we will just have to ride through it .Their first goal was very lucky ..Dyche will not give up on it and sort it out ..

Just on the luck thing Alfie, it's got me thinking. I've said often before that over the last 3/4 seasons Burnley have turned upside down my long held theory on football, that while the 'best' team might often lose a game, usually because they were unlucky or just didn't take their chances, over a full season it will even out, and at the end of the season it will be best teams at the top end of the league.

But somehow we've managed to prosper while being outplayed in game after game, look at the possesion stats, the shots on goal, the endless list of managers scratching their heads after games, bemoaning their luck and asking how on earth they lost or only drew the game. We seemed to have found a way of overcoming the theory that luck evens itself out over a full season, which has long completely baffled me.

But what if a season is too short to expect the luck to even out, it's only 38 games after all, a tiny sample in the world of statistics, what if it takes a lot longer for it to even out, three or four seasons maybe, and only now is it starting to even out, and the deflections are starting to go in, our last minute headers to equalise are going over the bar instead of under it. What if we've ridden our luck for so long we thought it wasn't luck at all, but it actually was all along, and now our luck is running out.

Remember that list of opposition managers, shaking their heads and moaning, it seemed to be added to after every game, it's a fecking long one, Warnock apart it's not been much added to recently. Just saying like.

[Altobelli]

A lot of folk believe in things evening out over a season Sinkov, and maybe you are right, perhaps it takes more than a season, who knows, but just like the Referee's decisions being evened out through time I just don't believe it myself.

The only thing I believe in is Luck and the rub of the green.

Sean Dyche has made us all proud the way he has turned our team/club around, with sheer grit, determination, belief and stamina, he sorted our defence out which was all over the place, he's had the partnership of Vokes and Ings, which IMO was luck because no one could believe that the partnership would work, and later Gray in the Championship.

The rest is history that we all know, Ings decided he wanted away and Gray could not step up to PL Football.

But after having all the success we have not invested wisely with the prize money we have received and only raised our wage cap a little, be it by a bad recruitment team or bad judgement from Dyche, Wells, Wood, Bardsley, Taylor, Lennon, Hendrick, Waters and even the Iceman are not quite up to PL standard along with a few more in the team, the only safe position we seem to have at the moment is in the goalkeeping position.

So the belief, determination and stamina is not enough to sustain a team year after year, it needs stimulating with better players along the way and also to stop us looking predictable, Brady for me is NOT one of those players, he can sometimes take a good free kick, sometimes pick a pass but he's nothing special, if he was more than that, more teams as well as us would have been chasing him.

We have an old attacking duo of Vokes and Barnes, not out and out goal scorers yet we have persisted with them for too long, Wood has joined them but again he seems to be like Gray in that the step up is too much for him, along with the other 2 he seems robotic and uncomfortable on the ball, and even with better service I don't think they would pull up any trees.

Lennon showed what we need more of last night, but it came in the 93rd minute, it got me standing up off of the sofa for the first time in the game, he actually showed some aggression and went at his man, but he also went to sleep for their 2nd goal, and at one point in the game D4 had the ball and Lennon was 4 yards away, D4 looked at Lennon for what seemed ages and they just looked at each other, no give and go, no movement from Lennon or anyone other Claret on the pitch, it was Schoolboy stuff, what do they do on the training grounds that are first class ? it was poor and embarrassing.

I have constantly blamed the Board for our lack of recruiting quality players and not raising our wage structure, at the same time I have been critical of Sean Dyche but given him the benefit of the doubt, slowly that doubt is wavering, his substitutions are too late and sometimes off the wall, he has Vydra who is sitting on the bench, O.K. perhaps he's not showing much in training to get into the team but at least he has a spark of making things happen which is well lacking in our team at the moment.

I cannot see Dyche walking or being pushed before the seasons end, I cannot see our performances improving, so it means dropping into the trap door department, which means in the January transfer window our Board will not be chasing any quality players to come in, if the Board wouldn't buy before the season started then I cannot see them spending money on a hunch to save us.

[army88]

We’ll be just doom and gloomers Alto, I said weeks ago we are going to struggle and slowly we are being proved right,
I’m behind Dyche and the team if we show that we really want to stay in the league, at the moment I’m disillusioned with it as I don’t think we have it anywhere near right.
We’re not paid or professionals in management so it’s difficult to judge I suppose, although listening to a lot of people sat around me on a match day they can all see what me and you have said on here.