The Promoted Clubs – Burnley

After Andy ran the rule over Championship winners Leicester City earlier in the week, we now turn to the runners-up, Burnley. Despite losing the previous season’s top scorer, Charlie Austin, to QPR just two days before their opening fixture, Sean Dyche’s men still went on to clinch automatic promotion in mid-April and return to the top-flight for the first time since dropping down a division back in 2009/10:

Impressively, Dyche’s achievement was all the more remarkable given that, of last summer’s 10 new faces, nine were free agents and the other, Michael Kightly, a loan signing from Stoke. It was only in January, when the Clarets boss acquired Ashley Barnes from Brighton, that he finally had the chance to splash the cash.

The Statistics

CS = Clean sheets
Burnley arrive in the top-flight having lost just five of their 46 Championship fixtures last season – fewer than any other side. The Clarets were particularly resilient in front of their own supporters and conceded just 14 times at Turf Moor over the course of the campaign; only twice did they ship more than one goal on their way to registering 11 clean sheets. Whilst they impressed defensively, Burnley scored just 37 goals at home – notching more than a single strike on 13 of 23 occasions.

On the road, they were relatively consistent in attack and scored only two fewer goals. At the back, though, Dyche’s side managed just seven clean sheets, conceding 23 times, with two or more goals against on six occasions.

The Manager

Affectionately nicknamed the “Ginger Mourinho” by Burnley fans, Dyche’s career started at Nottingham Forest where he joined the youth set-up whilst Brian Clough was still in charge. The centre-half failed to play a single match for the City Ground club and plied his trade with the likes of Chesterfield, Bristol City, Luton, Millwall, Watford and Northampton Town before his playing days same to an end in 2007.

Dyche returned to former club Watford as youth coach before being promoted to assistant manager under Malky Mackay. The Scot’s decision to leave for Cardiff in 2011 allowed Dyche to take the helm but despite steering the club to 11th spot in the Championship – their highest placing in four seasons – his time in charge lasted only a year before the Hornets new owners replaced him with Gianfranco Zola. After spending a month as part of the England Under 21 backroom staff, Dyche was named Burnley manager in October 2012 and led the club to 11th place last time around.

In terms of formations, Burnley tend to line up in a 4-4-1-1 system, though as Dyche explains:

“We like the two strikers to be up there and one coming off the shape. As regards to the players we’ve got, there’s no natural out-and-out striker. But it sometimes comes down to yardages and I’ve made it clear many times. Whether you use 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2, you’re talking about 5-7 yards when one striker plays off the other. You can overthink these things, although there are no massive differences.”

The club’s defensive record, so fundamental to their recent success, has been down to Dyche’s determination to improve fitness and encourage his players to adopt a high pressing game:

“When I started out with Watford’s youth team, Barcelona were the best exponents of pressing their opponents to get the ball back. Everyone raved about their passing, but I thought their pressing game was unbelievable. When I took over, we looked at how they did it and felt that, as a group, we could do the same. It starts with Sam Vokes and Danny Ings up front, goes through midfield and on to the back four. Everyone has to do his bit to deny the other team space and get the ball back. It is just as important the players know the tactical structure we have put in place and the fitness levels and mentality that are required. Add a bit of talent and you’ve got a chance of performing.”

The Promoted Squad

Tom Heaton (46 apps) the former Man United youngster was Dyche’s first permanent signing for the club after arriving from Bristol City last summer. Nailed-on, Heaton played every one of his side’s league matches and looks nailed-on for the Turf Moor outfit.

Kieran Trippier (41 apps, 1 goal, 12 assists) the highly-rated right-back is likely to be our main focal point amongst the Burnley backline. A product of Man City’s academy, Trippier’s set-piece ability and delivery from the flank already have Arsenal eyeing up a possible bid as a replacement for Bacary Sagna. Dyche is keen for his full-backs to get forward as much as possible and one look at the statistics shows that Trippier is clearly the main beneficiary.

Michael Duff (41 apps, 1 goal) a veteran at 35 years of age, the centre-half played the vast majority of Burnley’s season, though it perhaps remains to be seen whether Dyche will scour the market for a more mobile replacement for the top-flight.

Jason Shackell (46 apps, 2 goals) an ever-present at the heart of the Clarets defence, Shackell was snapped up from Derby back in 2012 and has established himself as a key figure in Dyche’s resilient backline.

Ben Mee (38 apps, 3 assists) the first-choice left-back, Mee’s trio of assists is overshadowed by Trippier’s tally on the opposite flank and despite a consistency of selection, is unlikely to offer Fantasy managers the best route into Burnley’s defence.

Danny Lafferty (10 apps) started the season ahead of Mee in the pecking order but was quickly shifted to the bench and was selected just four more times in Dyche’s first XI.

Dean Marney (38 apps, 3 goals, 7 assists) snapped up from Hull back in May 2010, the central midfielder has netted nine times in the past couple of campaigns, though he has a propensity for picking up bookings and was sidelined through suspension on two occasions last term.

Junior Stanislas (27 apps, 2 goals, 3 assists) started the first three matches but was mainly utilised as a second-half sub by Dyche, with only another four of his 27 appearances coming courtesy of the first XI. On-loan Michael Kightly played 36 times on the left – producing 5 goals and 6 assists – and with rumours of a permanent return on the cards, Stanislas is likely to struggle for game time once again.

David Jones (46 apps, 1 goal, 5 assists) the former Wigan midfielder arrived on a free transfer last summer and immediately nailed down a regular role in the centre of the park. Jones also has a share of corners to boost his appeal.

Scott Arfield (45 apps, 8 goals, 3 assists) snapped up on a free transfer from Huddersfield last summer, the Scot was utilised as a sub for the first three matches before starting 42 of the following 43 league games.

Ross Wallace (14 apps, 3 assists) another player who rapidly fell out of favour. Wallace started the first three league matches but featured in the first XI on just two more occasions and was utilised as no more than an occasional late substitute.

Sam Vokes (39 apps, 20 goals, 5 assists) the former Wolves frontman suffered from a long-term cruciate ligament injury in 202/13 but started last term in fine form, with spot-kick duties helping him find the net 20 times. Vokes sustained knee ligament damage at the end of March, however, and is set to miss the start of the upcoming campaign – indeed, there are fears he may miss the first half of the campaign due to the problem.

Danny Ings (40 apps, 21 goals, 7 assists) after serving up just six goals in his previous two seasons with the club, the youngster stepped up as a key member of Dyche’s first-team. Voted Championship Player of the Year, Ings made his debut for England U21s in October last year and with Vokes sidelined through injury, looks set to be the Burnley forward of choice for those eyeing up the Lancashire outfit.

Ashley Barnes (21 apps, 3 goals, 1 assist) arriving from Brighton during the winter transfer window, Barnes’ first 10 appearances for the club came courtesy of the bench before injuries up front allowed him the chance to start each of the final 11 Championship fixtures.

Potential Targets

Whilst credit is due for achieving promotion with such a small squad, it’s clear that Dyche will need to expand for the step up to the Premier League. Already, the club have released four players – David Edgar, Brian Stock, Keith Treacy and Nick Liversedge – and are hoping to stave off interest in both Ings and Trippier ahead of the season kick-off.

Speaking with the local press, the Clarets boss admitted he’s prepared to be patient as he assess the market for options:

“It’s all about aligning everything. I don’t think we’ll be in a position where we go ‘bang’ and it happens. We’re obviously in a better position because we’re in the Premier League, we have finance to use, although not a bottomless pit. I don’t imagine we’ll be the biggest spenders in wages or acquisitions, but it will give us a chance to invest in good players. I’ll be looking for players that can affect the group – not at any cost, but certainly at cost, if and when needed. The players we have here know I’ll be pushing them and whoever comes in the building for more, because that’s what it’s going to take. We’ve moved up a division, simple as that.”

Plenty of names have already been linked with potential moves to Turf Moor. At the back, Newcastle’s Mike Williamson is rumoured to be interesting the Burnley boss, whilst in midfield, former Blackpool man Ludovic Sylvestre is allegedly on the radar. On the flank, Dyche is expected to return to Stoke in order to acquire Michael Kightly’s services once again.

Given that Vokes could be out for the first half of the season, though, rumours are rife over a number of forwards. Loan moves for Tottenham’s Harry Kane and United’s James Wilson have been mooted, as the pair look for regular game time under new managers next season, whilst Burnley can also look to bring back Austin if he fails to win promotion in the play-off final against Derby County this weekend.

As Dyche admitted, though, it’s perhaps best to take some of the names with a pinch of salt right now.

“We’ve been linked with everyone immediately, but I can assure you 99% of the names, there has been no contact, no link. Agents play their part, the one thing that is true is we have a small squad, it’s not rocket science, we are going to need to add to that squad, so if there are any names knocking about, people are going to link them to us, just because of our numbers.”