Relegation thread...

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Sean Dyche does not trust his players to do anything other than play defensive catenaccio style football. It's been the same for eight years.

A lot of you know that I go to almost every Burnley game home and away and I trust the technical ability of our players: Pope, Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Taylor, Pieters, Cork, Brownhill, Westwood, McNeil, JBG, Brady, Wood, Barnes, McNeil, Vydra et al.

For the life in me I can never understand why we do not go toe-to-toe with every other team except our nemesis Manchester City. You saw it on Saturday, we can play expansive football when we have a mind too and technically our lads are as good as everyone else.

I think the EPL is vastly overrated and we should by now be an established top ten team, so come on SD let the dogs loose and leave these regular brushes with relegation behind.

Your statistics offer genuine comfort Supersub6, like you say the wheels will have to badly come off for us to be relegated this season.

Anybody who disagrees with this about technical ability, rewind the Lowton goal, if that had been Pogba you would never hear the end of it.

[Supersub6]

Just looking at the bottom three as of today, Fulham have 15 matches to play, including 2 against us. They have played Leicester twice, taking 3 points, Everton twice, taking 3 points, West Brom twice, taking 4 points, Brighton twice, taking 2 points and West Ham twice, taking 1 point. Of the other 13 matches, apart from against us, they have won only against one of those teams --Sheffield United, they have drawn against Liverpool, Southampton, Newcastle and Spurs and have lost to the other 8.

West Brom have 14 to play and have played Sheffield United twice, taking 3 points, Man United twice, taking 1 point, Man City twice, taking 1, Fulham twice, taking 1 point and Spurs twice taking 0 points. Of the other 14 matches to play they have won against Wolves and drawn against Us, Brighton, Chelsea and Liverpool and lost to the other 9 teams.

Sheffield United have 14 to play and have played Man United twice, taking 3 points, West Brom twice, taking 3 points and Chelsea, Man City and West Ham all twice and taking 0 points. Of the other 14 matches they have won against Newcastle, drawn against Fulham and Brighton and lost to the other 11 teams.

Of course, this is football and there are no guarantees, however, all three of those clubs have a big task on their hands and will really need to beat the clubs near to them in the table to survive.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Ultimately, Burnley have probably the best goalkeeper in the EPL and that will keep us up.

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[Supersub6]

Very true BT ---just as long as Sean doesn't ask him to start playing out from the back to rival Leeds and Liverpool because our fans are moaning about 'hoofball' The opposition very rarely score if the ball is belted to the edge of their penalty area. Son managed it once, however, that won't happen again in the near future.

[Balanbam00]

Sub : I am the one that 'moans' about 'hoofball'. When I was playing schoolboy football, we always played with a 'hoofball' type of game .In fact we had a centre -half whom we called 'big boot'. When was that ? That was more than 60 years ago ,and todays game 60 years have passed ,more often than not we have been seeing this 'hoofball' football, is it the 'Burnley way? If we want to progress we have to talk about it ,discuss it from all angles ,from all players ,as they see it. If we want to try it ,it could take a few months in practise ,and if we become very good ,we still have to play teams ,maybe the reserves, some local teams and so we progress ?If we do not master it, OK we tried!
I think in the 1950's, Burnley played the short corner, Jimmy Mac and co, the height of the forwards on an average perhaps was 5.7 or 5.8 ?( I really can not remember!) Every corner before that must have been headed away by a taller defence, so it was useless wanting to get a goal by some forward heading it ,even goal-wards. But at that time it was only continentals that did it !!! There was little old
Burnley playing like Continentals - wow. It really is down to the will of a manager. But S D is stuck in his ways. When we play now with about 8 in defence, I am sure its hard for anyone to score like Son.

When a ball is kicked from a goal kick or from defence 'hoofball ! I should think it is much easier for the defenders to do something with that ball ,they have their midfield near ,plus all the time are watching the flight. Perhaps our attackers also watch but if the ball's flight is over their heads? What is the team asking them to do ,watch behind whilst running forwards? Then if he does head the ball with a defender on his leaning/pushing him on his back, how successful can that header be to his fellow team player? I would say 70 % of that time ,we are giving the ball away! So all goal kicks 70% of the time we give the ball to our opponents. 'Hoofball' from defenders upfield another % we give the ball away. Ahhhh! But maybe we might score a goal? Or perhaps we can 'snatch' a goal? No manager should take a game to be a ''field of dreams''. My opinion like......

[Supersub6]

Balan ----what you say is fair enough, however, as someone who has been going on the Turf since 1952, I can assure you that, should Sean ask Pope to play out from the back and we concede a goal from a mistake, just like Leeds and Liverpool have last weekend, believe me the moaning about losing a goal this wasy will far surpass any moaning about 'hoofball' --as lots of fans call it, however, I don't see it as 'hoofball' at all, I see it as playing to the instructions given and if it brings results, then fans can complain as much as they want ------and they do ---even when we win. That is the Burnley way ---moan as much as you can and be unhappy.
A lot of Clarets fans who have nothing to moan about are unhappy people.

[1959_60]

Balan ----what you say is fair enough, however, as someone who has been going on the Turf since 1952, I can assure you that, should Sean ask Pope to play out from the back and we concede a goal from a mistake, just like Leeds and Liverpool have last weekend, believe me the moaning about losing a goal this wasy will far surpass any moaning about 'hoofball' --as lots of fans call it, however, I don't see it as 'hoofball' at all, I see it as playing to the instructions given and if it brings results, then fans can complain as much as they want ------and they do ---even when we win. That is the Burnley way ---moan as much as you can and be unhappy.
A lot of Clarets fans who have nothing to moan about are unhappy people.

Well said Sir!

Tomorrow night for instance, a win is more important than playing entertaining footy.

I'm always happy when we win, even if we play sh1te, but I'm miserable if we lose, even if we play well.

And i think most people are like that.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

The one thing I genuinely like about how Sean Dyche sets up is his refusal to phuck about in our defensive third.

All he needs to do now is play through the midfield instead of relying on the "hoofball" up to Wood and Barnes.

Lest he forgets I will remind him, Westwood, Cork, JBG, McNeil, Brownhill and Brady are technically quite good football players.

[kritichris]

I'm always happy when we win, even if we play sh1te, but I'm miserable if we lose, even if we play well.
And i think most people are like that.

I certainly am. I can't understand fans who say I rather watch us play good football and get beat than hoofball and win. Losing is not an option for my mental wellbeing.

[sinkov]

That is the Burnley way ---moan as much as you can and be unhappy.
A lot of Clarets fans who have nothing to moan about are unhappy people.

I can only half agree Sub, of course Burnley fans can moan for England, but does this make them unhappy ? I can only speak for myself, and in my case I love a good moan, I'm miserable until I've found something to moan about, and when I do find it, it makes my day, then I'm happy. It also lifts my spirits listening to people moaning, it's what I'll miss about Donald Trump, reading the moans about him provided me with endless entertainment. Look at the moaning about Sean Dyche and hoofball, the longer he keeps us in the PL on zero money, the more our fans moan about it. Surely you can see the funny side of that ?