Burnley 2 Irons 0
Pelle has every right to be utterly furious
That was an entirely incomprehensible performance from an Irons team on the highest of highs and one which will surely have made Manuel Pellegrini utterly furious.
We simply didn’t turn up and in giving one of our poorest performances of the season missed out on a hefty rise up the league on a day when the hosts played well but were never great.
We went behind from goals from Wood and McNeill in a first half in which we played like a team in the bottom three or four.
We created just one chance which was saved from an Ogbonna header as Burnley simply toyed with us all over the pitch.
Incomprehensible and impossible to excuse despite their often being very odd results over Christmas and the New Year.
The energy levels were down, there was little pass and move and we were justifiably beaten by a team who chose this day to find the sort of form they had shown all season.
Declan was in decent shape but the usually reliable Diop saw Wood get in behind him for the first, Anderson frustrated throughout, and Carroll – on as a sub – saw a fantastic header brilliantly saved by Heaton as we remained second best from start to finish.
One of those days? Probably, because 15 points from a possible 21 remains a pretty decent return this month and we must now hope that Pelle has pinpointed the issues and there will be no repeat against Brighton.
I want to put it down as a freak result but there was such a lack of energy and ambition that the worries lurk at the back of the minds because only a mix of bad misses and two or three Fabianski saves kept the scoreline respectable.
Onwards and upwards but being brutally frank one of the worst days we have seen at the office this season.
Note to self: NEVER AGAIN HAVE A POP AT LAWRENSON’S PREDICTIONS!!!!!
Call it a freak result but i think it would be more prudent to call it jaded fatigue.Lack of depth in the squad due to injuries caught up with us today.I had a feeling this would be a bridge too far.Dyche made 5 changes and his players had an extra days rest and it really showed.I am not going to pick on individuals( but we all know who they are).Certain players were sorely missed today and Pelle needs to get it back on track for the Brighton game.A delve into the transfer market looks needed to bolster the squad and to get rid of 2 or 3 would be ideal.
I think i included some of that in my comments 64 but I would maintain after the way we have played recently there was a freak element as there have been in other games this weekend
Yes i agree Hugh.I said after yesterdays games that Burnley would up it today as seemingly all the bottom sides bar Hudds had a good day yesterday.We were off it today but its nice to be looking at top 10 instead of being in a relegation scrap that we are all used to.We have had a great month when usually December and January are awful.
I thought the main reason to build a squad was for these games that come in quick succession so why didn’t, the manager make more changes let us hope he has learned his lesson otherwise it is only four games to the relegation zone. We also need a right back , a midfielder & a forward
Becos he had 10 injured
Utter rubbish..
All the talk about fatigue is pony imo …for a start the other teams play the same games and Burnley didn’t have trouble ..people will say well we have been doing well but AGAIN so it’s not so b ad ..imo that’s rubbish as well …a terrible poor result because we didn’t fancy it and that is not acceptable at all .. Rubbish