Dave's gone Gaga!

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Dave Thornley has gone all Gaga and actually missed the Terriers getting turned over by Vincent Company’s new look Clarets.

Anyway, the man himself writing on behalf of Clarets Mad muses and asks the question; “It’s been quite a while, how was your mid-summer break from football?”

Much has happened since my last posting: we’ve had Paul at Glastonbury; heatwaves; Baz-Ball; Lionesses; travel chaos and Boris Johnson’s abuses of power finally proving beyond the pale for even Tory MPs to tolerate.

In the narrower confines of Burnley Football Club; the rate at which both incoming and outgoing transfer deals have been done has resembled a Wall Street bull market. For Vincent Kompany there has been no cosy settling-in period; no time to sniff the air, familiarise himself with his surroundings and hang the family pictures on the office wall.

From day one there were deals to be done and a whole new team to create virtually from scratch.

With Dwight McNeil becoming the latest to follow Tarkowski, Mee, Pope, Collins, Hennessy and Weghorst (have I missed anyone out?) through the exit door – with Maxwel Cornet almost certain to follow – there was a distinct lack of familiarity to the Clarets’ opening fixture of the 2022-23 season.

An unfamiliar month for football – July; an unfamiliar day – Friday; an unfamiliar division – the Championship; an unfamiliar venue - Huddersfield’s John Smith Stadium – and an unfamiliar team line-up playing in an unfamiliar formation for an unfamiliar manager.
After the reassuring consistency of the Sean Dyche era, all this felt so very un-Burnley; we are a club which prides itself on its continuity and its traditions. We are not Watford; indeed, we are the Anti-Watford.

Now a confession; the descriptions of play which follow have been gleaned from second hand sources, for while the game was being played, I was in London with my daughter experiencing Lady Gaga at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, a venue I hope to revisit next season in its more traditional format to watch Burnley.

For that to happen (unless Spurs suffer a cataclysmic season) the Clarets need to secure promotion with this largely youthful, callow, and inexperienced set of players assembled with purpose but in haste by a manager untried at this level.

Fortunately, the early signs were probably beyond most Clarets fans’ wildest expectations. Burnley 2.0, Kompany’s Burnley, passed the ball around with fluency, imagination, and poise; cherishing possession and using it to construct a series of dangerous attacks.
Burnley held possession of the ball for 70 per-cent of the game’s duration – yes, it’s true - seventy percent!

They outshot their opponents (who were the home team, remember) by 16 to 2 with an on-target ratio of 7 to zero.
But as we have all been fond of reminding any and all throughout Burnley’s time in the Premier League, the only statistic that matters is the score-line, and for such domination of the ball to mean anything at all, it must yield goals and points.

Fortunately, at about the same time that I was watching Lady Gaga belt out “Poker Face”, one of those bright, young new additions to the Clarets’ family, Ian Maatsen was calmly slotting the ball into the corner of Huddersfield’s goal, following a move which involved a neat passing interchange and a clever dummy from Ashley Barnes – whose appearance provided a reassuring presence for the travelling Burnley supporters.

Another of the new arrivals, Josh Cullen was impressive in midfield and the deployment of Charlie Taylor in the centre of defence and Jack Cork in the “Fernandinho role” as a holding midfield player,
were unexpected tactical nuances which worked to great effect, another surprise was the selection of Dara Costelloe in attack. A statement, surely, that Kompany is keen to give youth its chance.

It is, of course, a long season ahead and there will inevitably be matches where the football doesn’t flow so smoothly, and results need to be ground out. The relentless churn of matches will weigh heavily on young limbs and the cockiness and confidence of youth can, at those times, give way to uncertainty and anxiety. Managing the team through those periods will test Kompany’s expertise as he seeks to graft resilience onto the skill demonstrated on Friday night.

But let us not concern ourselves with such matters just yet, let us instead enjoy an important victory achieved in a manner not seen, but craved for, throughout the majority of Burnley’s time in the Premier League.

It’s the Hatters up next, I wonder who Alan West will be rooting for? I hope he can say a little prayer for us too! (TEC.)

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[sinkov]

"the Clarets need to secure promotion with this largely youthful, callow, and inexperienced set of players"

It's a good story, if our opponents and the media want to buy into it, then fine, but it isn't really the case is it. Five of our outfield players at Huddersfield, Roberts, Taylor, Cork, Brownhill and Barnes are vastly experienced in the top two divisions of English football, they've been round the block and back again them lads, of the others Harwood-Bellis has 57 appearances in the Championship and Belgium's D1, Maatsen has played 74 games for Coventry and Charlton, Cullen has played 63 games for Charlton and 55 for Anderlecht, Bastien has played 33 times for Chievo in Italy and 97 times for Standard Liege in Belgium, which leaves just Dara Costelloe as an inexperienced, callow youth.

Anyone thinking Vinni is just throwing some untried youngsters at it is making a very big mistake imo.

[Swissclaret]

"the Clarets need to secure promotion with this largely youthful, callow, and inexperienced set of players"

It's a good story, if our opponents and the media want to buy into it, then fine, but it isn't really the case is it. Five of our outfield players at Huddersfield, Roberts, Taylor, Cork, Brownhill and Barnes are vastly experienced in the top two divisions of English football, they've been round the block and back again them lads, of the others Harwood-Bellis has 57 appearances in the Championship and Belgium's D1, Maatsen has played 74 games for Coventry and Charlton, Cullen has played 63 games for Charlton and 55 for Anderlecht, Bastien has played 33 times for Chievo in Italy and 97 times for Standard Liege in Belgium, which leaves just Dara Costelloe as an inexperienced, callow youth.

Anyone thinking Vinni is just throwing some untried youngsters at it is making a very big mistake imo.

Well said sinkov. I think Vinni knows perfectly well what he needs and why he is recruiting the players that he is. I am sure that there is young talent out there who can be developed and are not ludicrously overpriced.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

"the Clarets need to secure promotion with this largely youthful, callow, and inexperienced set of players"

It's a good story, if our opponents and the media want to buy into it, then fine, but it isn't really the case is it. Five of our outfield players at Huddersfield, Roberts, Taylor, Cork, Brownhill and Barnes are vastly experienced in the top two divisions of English football, they've been round the block and back again them lads, of the others Harwood-Bellis has 57 appearances in the Championship and Belgium's D1, Maatsen has played 74 games for Coventry and Charlton, Cullen has played 63 games for Charlton and 55 for Anderlecht, Bastien has played 33 times for Chievo in Italy and 97 times for Standard Liege in Belgium, which leaves just Dara Costelloe as an inexperienced, callow youth.

Anyone thinking Vinni is just throwing some untried youngsters at it is making a very big mistake imo.

I give Dave unfettered, unedited control of his missives with the exception of the odd line here and there sinkov.

Roberts, Taylor, Brownhill, Cork, Cullen and Barnes will no doubt be either delighted or f*cking upset to be described as a youthful, callow, and inexperienced set of players.

[sinkov]

"another surprise was the selection of Dara Costelloe in attack. A statement, surely, that Kompany is keen to give youth its chance."

Or maybe a statement that Jay was injured.

[Swissclaret]

"another surprise was the selection of Dara Costelloe in attack. A statement, surely, that Kompany is keen to give youth its chance."

Or maybe a statement that Jay was injured.

Not sure on that one. Cullen reckoned that Costelloe was excellent. I didn’t think he was that good - missing two chances. BT commented that it takes 99 matches before a young player really performs. We cannot afford the luxury of playing someone for two seasons if they can’t deliver.

[Supersub6]

Not sure on that one. Cullen reckoned that Costelloe was excellent. I didn’t think he was that good - missing two chances. BT commented that it takes 99 matches before a young player really performs. We cannot afford the luxury of playing someone for two seasons if they can’t deliver.

Swiss, it was Costelloe's first match at this level, he worked hard and contributed very well to a good team performance until he ran out of steam and was substituted. He missed two chances, however, he got himself into positions to have those chances and, having failed to put them away, he did not hide, he continued to contribute. All we can do is to wait and see how things progress and give the lad a chance.

[ClaretinBudapest]

Swiss, it was Costelloe's first match at this level, he worked hard and contributed very well to a good team performance until he ran out of steam and was substituted. He missed two chances, however, he got himself into positions to have those chances and, having failed to put them away, he did not hide, he continued to contribute. All we can do is to wait and see how things progress and give the lad a chance.

Well said Sub-I thought he was brilliant for his first game at this level.Kept the ball well and continued to try and make things happen.I think VK was impressed also.

[sinkov]

Well said Sub-I thought he was brilliant for his first game at this level.Kept the ball well and continued to try and make things happen.I think VK was impressed also.

For what it's worth, which isn't much admittedly, I thought he was excellent, when I saw his name on the team sheet I was immediately thinking 'Hey up, we're playing with ten men here', but not a bit of it, he played his part fully and I can't imagine anyone who didn't know, would have thought that was his first game. An outstanding debut for an excellent prospect. IMO.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

"another surprise was the selection of Dara Costelloe in attack. A statement, surely, that Kompany is keen to give youth its chance."

Or maybe a statement that Jay was injured.

I inserted a wee headline that "Dave's gone Gaga", his article simply confirmed it.