Burnley Reflections

By: David Wilkinson
Date: 24/11/2001

NOT a bad result - who could have expected better against the top of the table? It could have been worse - if the ref had given the penalty it would have been 2-0 and if the one that hit the bar had gone in it would have been 3.

Our problem - as ever - is that we don't look like scoring. We could have defended better, on the other hand we kept them down to one goal. We looked OK going forward but, in their box, we just never looked like scoring a goal. Allen runs enthusiastically but neither holds the ball up or looks dangerous in the box. Rowan is too lightweight, despite working hard.

When Jevons came on he didn't make much of a difference. Pouton continues to take the set pieces (and was better at it than against Millwall) but seems a strange choice considering who LL had on the field.

The question remains the same - are we good enough to avoid relegation? I fear the answer is no. Our problem is not our points tally or position in the table. It is that we simply do not dominate a game long enough to look like we are better than the opposition.

With the exception of the home win against Birmingham, we have not really dominated a game all season. We look like an outfit that is struggling - whether it is against a team from the top of the table or the bottom.

I think it is too late to get any benefit from sacking Lawrence. That should be reserved until the end of the season. If we stay up, so should he. If we go down he should be sacked and replaced with another who has a combination of experience plus the ability to scour the lower leagues for bargains who can make the grade in a higher division. These players have the benefit of a longer term transfer value - unlike LL's pointless overseas loans who are expensive, rarely make the grade and then disappear.

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