A bit about you:
Name: Turfmanphil (Phil Lea)
Current home town: Believe it or not Wyton near Huntingdon,Cambs
Birthplace: Rossendale, 8 miles from Burnley
How long have you supported your team? Lost count,over 50 years!!
Overview of your club:
Favourite thing about your home ground: Traditional and football is in the town’s blood
Favourite match played by your team & why: It has to be in recent times the Wembley Play-Offs final against Shef U in 2009 to get promoted to the top flight for the first time in 33 years
Favourite player of all time who played for your club: Leighton James probably in the 70s!
About our forthcoming match against you:
Your favourite current player in your squad and why? : Still Charlie Austin! Although he has gone off the boil a bit recently, he remains a constant threat and danger.
Player in your squad we should most fear and why? Think that just might be Austin but also watch out for Danny Ings playing just behind him.
Player in our squad you most fear and why? Flipping David Nugent, he always scores against the Clarets!
Up and coming prospect in your squad? I mentioned 19 year old Cameron Howieson last time but he has not yet broken into first team. Kevin Long did well at centre back on his full debut recently. Likely to be on bench on Saturday
What were you thoughts on Eddie Howe moving, especially seeing as he's turned around AFC Bournemouth. I think we now all confess League 1 was about Eddie Howe’s level. After the lows of Brian Laws, we really wanted Howe to do well but it gradually dawned on fans that perhaps he was out of his depth at Championship level.
Since Eddie left the club has won 6 lost 4 drawn 3, albeit some of them before Sean Dyche arrived – but how has football changed since he arrived and how much do you rate him? Our defence was shocking before Howe left! We could score for fun (or at least Austin could) but it was no good if we then leaked goals at the other end which we did far too often. Dyche came in and sorted out the back four problems, getting them playing with a lot more confidence.
Burnley fans were probably indifferent when he was announced as the manager after being linked with high-profile names like Holloway and McCarthy but two quick wins at home to Wolves and Leeds changed all that. He is far more animated and motivating in the technical area than Laws or Howe and it gees the players up, something we have sadly missed since Coyle left. I rate him highly so far although results have been a bit disappointing recently and perhaps he needs to change tactics.
If you could sum up your first half of the season in just a few words would it be? Most Clarets fans felt mid-table mediocrity was likely to be our fate and the season looked to be going that way in the earlier part of the season. It still might do unless we can string a few wins together and get back into play-offs contention. We stand a better chance under Dyche than Howe
If you could make one suggestion to improve your away form what would it be? That’s simple and it applies to our home games too. We have dominated the first half of so many games it’s untrue but have lacked the killer touch unable to make the possession count. We have suffered because of it losing too many points often having to come from behind. We have to be more ruthless in front of goal and when we get our noses in front don’t drop deep and defend but go for the jugular.
You are currently 5 points away from play offs, what are you aspirations for the season? This is a strange league though and all you need is a bit of consistency and a few back-to-back wins to get back on track. It’s looking like mid-table but I would be happy with Top 10, play-offs would be a bonus and never say never!
How do you think you’ll do against us? Tough game and a draw could be on the cards but I’ll stick my neck out and say the Clarets will shade it 2-1
Any other comments? Good luck for the rest of the season after Saturday of course