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View From The Opposition - Burnley
The international weekend can be frustrating when your team is on a good run of form and that is what has happened with West Ham over the last week and a half.
Having beaten QPR comfortably I think many of us would have liked to have seen us get on with the next game as quickly as possible.
On the plus side it has given the club time to get some of the injured players back and go into this away trip to Burnley with a strong squad and with confidence.
Burnley are looking for that first win and will be trying hard to unsettle us and get their season going.
This week we have THREE Burnley fans who have kindly agreed to answer the questions which as always have come from the members of WHO.
Massive thanks to Mikey Watson, Geoff West and Matt Crossley for their help.
Is the ambition to get straight back up to the Premier League after this seasons relegation?
Mikey: Haha. Writing us off. Just what we like! Burnley are best when completely written off. Our aim is to take 3 points from the next game and look no further than that. Every game is a tough one but you'll struggle to find a team that will work harder for three points this season. To give a genuine answer, if we were to go down, that would be the aim but I suspect we would lose Ings and Trippier if we do drop.
Geoff: I think we will find our feet and stay up! After the last experience of relegation from the premier league 4 years ago I now realise it’s now easy to bounce straight back up!
Matt: I would definitely hope that the ambition of the club would be to come straight back up, "IF we get relegated". However, our board are renowned for being stingy with money as you are probably aware. Our only markee signing this year was George Boyd.I also think that we would struggle to keep some of our key players (eg Ings, Trippier) and any money made from the sale of the players, only a fraction would be given back to Sean Dyche. This would mean it would be another struggle. However, we were favourites to be relegated from the championship last year, so you never know!!!
How many players are you away from staying up?
Mikey: Good question. Centre half, centre mid and striker. Realistically, we need to spend big money on a striker but we don't have it. Personally, I'd like a winger too. Pushed for a realistic answer, I'd go for 4.
Geoff: From the injuries suffered to our central midfield and strikers and the lack of goals for far we need at least 2 in January.
Matt: I think if we can keep everyone fit, which we haven't been doing recently, then we could have a real dogfight. However, with our small squad, if we do get a few injuries our backup isn't always the best the team can produce.
Last week at Leicester, we had five of our first team members out with injury (Marney, Jones,Taylor,Vokes and Ings) so overall I would hope for a few better backups in January. But, my hope is that Ings and Vokes can find their form from last season and if they can I think we have a real chance of survival.
There is a feeling that Dyche is a top manager in the making. What would you say are his best and worst traits?
Mikey: Best trait is getting all the players to sing from the same song sheet. There is a real togetherness about the team which has been built by Dyche since he came in.
His worst trait is without doubt his inability to accept a loss without an excuse and his constant talking of bollocks to the media. It's the same thing every week. Framework. Getting a feel for the occasion. Yadda, yadda, yadda. Blah, blah, blah.
Geoff: Very positive mind set and normally very organised especially at the back. Sometimes takes a long time to make substitutions.
Matt: I would say that Sean Dyche's best traits are that he always focuses on the positives and repels the negativity. He is good at man-management, ie he knows when to give them a good bollocking but also knows when when they need support! He knows how to get the best out of his players but also knows their limitations.
The only negative things I can think of are, is that he is sometimes reluctant to change things in a game until it is too late. An example of this is last month at West Brom where we were two nil down and had one upfront.
Do you find the media's condescending attitude towards Burnley annoying, and if so, wouldn't you agree that for such a small club Burnley are doing ever so well in competing against the big boys?
Mikey: A little. But we are a small team in a land that we're not supposed to be in. But we are there on merit and deserve to be in the top flight but it happened last time and it was kind of expected this time. We are definitely, to coin a well known phrase for Burnley fans, punching above our weight being in the Premier League but we're just trying to enjoy. 96th minute equalisers are fun at any level. In the Premier League, they're fantastic.
Geoff: Wasn’t expecting anything different from the press but some pundits are pretty quick to pass judgements. Definitely punching above our financial ‘weight’ but from seeing teams like Swansea stay up it is possible to compete.
Matt: I do find it annoying but it is to be expected. We have thrived under the labels 'Underdogs' for the last few years and I wouldn't want that to change. In the Premier League now Burnley considers every team a 'Big Game' and every game we go into as 'Favourties to get beat'! But so far this season the only team we have been battered by is West Brom (which was a worry at the time). However, we have played Chelsea, Man Utd and Sunderland at home so far and only got beat by Chelsea. As far as the media are concerned, I couldn't care less what they have to say as it was only last week that one of the main papers was reporting that Sean Dyche was under pressure!!
If you could win the FA Cup but get relegated or win nothing but stay up which would you choose?
Mikey: I'm 24 and haven't seen us win a major trophy. I'd take a cup win firstly, I think but then I want my club to be there for years to come and staying in the Premier League would assure that. Everyone craves glory, though. FA Cup win.
Geoff: Win the cup.
Matt: This is a tough one and I'm sure that a few Burnley fans would disagree with me here, but I would pick staying in the Premier League. I just think that the benefits of Burnley staying up far outweigh the benefits of winning the FA Cup. Fair enough you get quite a lot of money for winning the cup, but if you think about all the T.V. money and sponsorship money that comes with being a Premier League team and the status that comes with it, I think it will be lot more.
Would you rather ground-share with Blackburn Rovers, or nail your bollocks to the floorboards?
Mikey: I'd nail my bollocks to the floorboards, pull out the nail and do it again. And again. And again...
Geoff: No to ground sharing at any costs.
Matt: The thought of ground-sharing with Blackburn Rovers sends shivers down my spine, so yes I would rather nail my bollocks to a floorboard. I just don't understand how any fan could/would want to share a ground with their rivals. We are not even allowed to make the trip to Ewood Park by ourselves nowadays so I doubt 'EWOOD MOOR' would ever happen!
Aside from the traditional ones, have you had any unexpected rivalries develop in recent times, and if so, why?
Mikey: Plymouth don't like us. Nor do Carlisle or Halifax. Stockport hate us too. You tell me why. They're all rather bizarre and pretty irrelevant clubs. With the Coyle saga, there was a bit of hoo-ha with Bolton but that appears to have passed.
Geoff: Plenty of big games but only 1 rivals - Rovers
Matt: The only other teams I would consider as a rival is Preston. Accrington Stanley are our nearest neighbour, but there isn't really a rivalry. As far as other clubs considering Burnley as their rivals, there is Blackpool, Bury and Rochdale but us Burnley fans just see them as minnows.
What were your impressions of two West Ham Acadamy graduates, Junior Stanislas and Zavon Hines?
Mikey: I liked Stanislas. Capable of turning a game out of nowhere. Scored some important goals, most notably a goal in a 1-1 draw with Bastard Rovers last season. Zavon Hines was shit. Really, really shit. Like, worse than me. And I'm really, really shit.
Geoff: Stanislas played well at time but form was too patchy. Hines a waste of space.
Matt: Stan was always an inconsistant player that is why most of his Burnley career was from the bench! However, on his day he was unplayable. Junior's best Burnley moment was scoring a wondergoal against Blackburn in front of a full house. However,this was short-lived because the 'Bastards' equalized 5 mintues later.
As far as Zavon is concerned he was decent on football manager but shite in real life. My only actual memory of him was missing a 1 v 1 against Notts Forest.
Which West Ham player would you like most in the Burnley side?
Mikey: Winston Reid. Seriously good defender.
Geoff: From watching on the TV Noble I would say.
Matt: There's a couple that I like, one of which is Winston Reid. I can remember him scoring against us in a FA Cup game a few years back, I think he will go onto play for a top four team eventually. Another player I like is Enner Valencia. I have watched him numerous times at the World Cup and thought that a major power in Europe would get him so I was really surprised when you managed to sign him!
Your favourite crisp
Mikey: Quavers
Geoff: Barbecue
Matt: I have an obsession with Kettle Chips at the moment however I'm meant to be on a diet so I haven't seen a packet of them for a while
Prediction for game
Mikey: 2-1 Burnley (come on, I have to be loyal)
Geoff: 2-1 to us… same as last time
Matt: 2-1 Burnley, every team gets a win eventually. Also Ings Marney, Jones, Taylor and Chalobaoh are all back at the weekend so i think we have a chance.
Many thanks to Mikey, Geoff and Matt for their answers.
Next up is Manchester City and if you know a fan you'd like to put forward, WHOMAIL me.
Email: vinnywhufc@hotmail.com
Twitter: @vinnywhufc
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