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Erasmus

It's certainly the case that Chris Wood's form has improved in the last few games, but I think it's difficult to establish a single causal factor. One obvious point is that the team as a whole is playing much better, and a striker will inevitably benefit from that. Wood has had a season interrupted ...

Erasmus

Yes, a draw, with one point floating away into the atmosphere.

Erasmus

Actually, Rovers were robbed tonight by poor refereeing. Brentford got a penalty when their forward stuck a leg into a defender's and threw himself down, and then Blackburn had two penalty appeals that were much stronger than the one that was given. Apart from that, nothing between the two teams.

Erasmus

I know the laws don't take this into account, but for me Vydra's was more worthy of a penalty because it was related to a goal threat. With Pieters, it just bounced up and hit him on the arm when there was no immediate likelihood of a shot on goal. If that had been given it would have been a 'free g...

Erasmus

Not sure about Bihar, but Tamil Nadu really is an amazing place. I used to try to spend as long as I could there during the winter months and relished every day of it. There's actually very few people of Indian origin in Blackburn or Nelson, and even fewer Tamils or Biharis.

Erasmus

For us, it is always easier to keep the good players we have than to sign new players who can make an equal contribution.

Erasmus

I know a lot of us have been worrying about that, and the answer is he has been managing in the Indian Super League. Last season he managed the Chennai team that finished fourth out of ten, and then proceeded to the Championship Playoff Final, which they lost to one of the Kolkata teams. He then lef...

Erasmus

I remember when we had a young Jack Cork on loan during our first season in the Premier League. He always looked a quality player with a good deal of ability. I don't think he's lost any of that over the years. I seem to recall him scoring an excellent goal against Spurs at the end of that season an...

Erasmus

I'm not sure too much blame can be attached to Pope. Our defence was playing a pretty high line, which meant we were a bit vulnerable to the ball over the top for Vardy to run on to, and Pope had to be off his line to counter that. About five minutes after their goal there was another Leicester atta...

Erasmus

Nothing special, and a bit overpriced, but as good as any I have seen, apart from the special masks that give greater protection.

Erasmus

I had a long-sleeved claret and blue football shirt back in the 60s for school games classes. Didn't have the club badge on but everybody knew what it was. First real replica was the Endsleigh one. Still got it, and a t shirt with the bus on for the Sherpa Van final in 1988.

Erasmus

I also found it admirable but not entertaining enough. I was glad when it finished. A bit like reading a James Joyce novel, you know it was brilliant but you still wish you hadn't bothered.

Erasmus

For me, watching football is about the spontaneous theatre of the event, the unpredictable outcomes, and the contrasting emotions that bring excitement. Stats on possession or other stuff do nothing at all to add to my enjoyment of the spectacle.

Erasmus

Sometimes you just need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Which is that no team of equivalent financial status has ever achieved what Burnley have achieved in the Premier League. We are unique and we are marvellous. Our success has been unbelievable, quite literally, because if you...

Erasmus

This is just an awful season all round. We carry a small squad for financial and footballing reasons, and with the season being so condensed that is bound to hit us very hard. I won't be too hard on the manager or the players, they have given some very good performances recently, but having so many ...

Erasmus

The issue needs to be kept very much alive, but other means of doing so are needed now. After a while any gesture, however potent at the outset, becomes routinised and loses its impact. Taking the knee has probably reached that point now, so something different is required.

Erasmus

I got the impression that one of the things Sean Dyche was most upset about over the summer was letting Aaron Lennon go. He may not always have been a tremendous asset, but it would certainly be useful to have him available now and in previous weeks.

Erasmus

The bookies odds have shifted quite noticeably in favour of Fulham since it was announced that Ben Mee will not be playing. Our record without Ben is nothing like as good as with him. This one could go any one of three ways, depending on bits and pieces around each penalty area.

Erasmus

I thought some of the games over the weekend showed the impact of having no crowds in stadiums. I'm sure that had a big effect on the performances of Palace and Everton. Also some teams look like their players are absolutely exhausted, mentally and physically, again Palace and Everton, as well as Ma...

Erasmus

Hardly surprising really, we have a small squad and the team tonight had two and half players from the first team. The manager knows that the one single priority for this season is not getting relegated, and he has made his decisions on that basis. We were never going to win the cup, and if leaving ...

Erasmus

I think Jonathan Woodgate may field his strongest side today, as he will be out to make a marked impression as caretaker manager. I think we will make a good few changes, so it could well be a close game.

Erasmus

A lot of what happens at a football club takes place on the training ground where the manager and staff work out the best moves, attack and defence, against upcoming opposition. I am sure Keven Long plays a crucial role in that process even when not playing in the first team, and is well-paid with t...

Erasmus

Looking at the two games, it seems impossible that Pickford can be regarded as the better keeper. He looks a division or two lower than Nick Pope at the moment, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him lose his place in the Everton team. He lost them two points last night.

Erasmus

It often seems like teams miss chances against us, but I think there's a reason for that. We rarely allow a striker time to get his shot away effectively and the forwards are well aware of the pressure that is likely to come in the next instant after receiving the ball. So they tend to snatch at sho...

Erasmus

I would expect the player's agent is fully aware of any interest from other clubs and is advising him accordingly. If the interest from Arsenal is substantial, he will probably advise the player to hold off from moving to Burnley at present, as there is the likelihood of a better offer from Arsenal ...

Erasmus

It's because watching your team play pulls your emotions all over the place, ranging from absolute elation to intense despondency. When Burnley lose we are upset and disturbed so tend to write things that our rational faculties would dismiss as inane ranting. It's not really being fickle, it's just ...

Erasmus

Chorley Wolves looks like one of those very one-sided cup ties that are a bit of a bore. I think I will opt for Stoke Watford.

Erasmus

Having too much time on my hands, I started looking at how much playing in empty stadiums removed any home advantage. And as far as the results this season are concerned it tends to show that there is now no advantage to playing at home. My rough counting up showed that of the 154 Premier League mat...

Erasmus

Leicester don't have an investor, they have a benefactor. The thing I find most troubling is not whether or not the owners are local, but the fact that Burnley FC is being transformed to a significant degree from being a football club to being a business venture for people who want to make money fro...

Erasmus

I share a lot of that sadness, as I've really enjoyed being different from the rest and still being a proper football club and not just some business enterprise owned by people who have no real connection with Burnley. Up till now, I've been dreading this happening and, honestly, I would have prefer...

Erasmus

I have soft spot for Sheffield United ever since the Wembley match. I don't think it's motivation they lack, it's confidence. They're going onto the pitch now more than half expecting to get beaten. When you're still losing games by narrow margins there's always a chance that things can go your way ...

Erasmus

Sheffield United have two points and 22 games left. Even at 1.5 points a game that's still only 35 by the end of the season, and 1.5 a game is just about top six standard. So teams do improve, but it seems really very unlikely that they can turn this around. And after last season as well, when they ...

Erasmus

I would guess that during the last window it was known to the board that new ownership was 'imminent' and that this would probably mean a different approach to new signings. So it wouldn't have been sensible to bring in new players who wouldn't fit in with the new regime's ideas and aspirations. Add...

Erasmus

No cap, sleeves rolled up, broad forearms. Made the runs while Boycott watched. A great opener for England

Erasmus

I find it hard to distinguish individual games, and living down south it was mostly away games. And then living abroad for a long time. From the 60s I remember us beating QPR 2-0 at Loftus Road when we were having that great run of wins. Tommy Docherty had just taken over as their manager, and Ralph...

Erasmus

I would say that any comparison with Venkys taking over Blackburn is misplaced. There initial failure was solely due to incompetence on their part and not to their wanting to take money from the club. In more recent years, they have been excellent owners, benefactors rather than investors, and I don...

Erasmus

I like him, he makes the absolute most of his ability, which is quite considerable, with a fantastic attitude to the game. The sort of player you always wanted next to you when playing central midfield.

Erasmus

It's a bit rich managers criticising referees when all their players spend the entire match trying to trick them into making wrong decisions. If you want better refereeing, tell your players to behave honestly. No diving, no screaming for a start.

Erasmus

I heard Darren Moore, manager of Doncaster, on the Football League highlights programme on Quest a few weeks ago, and he was saying that managers these days feel pressured into playing that way, even though it often costs them. Otherwise, they're judged to be out of date and not one of the new progr...

Erasmus

Football seemed to be less tribal back in those days. I can recall going with my Dad and he and his friends would be really disappointed if the opposition's star player wasn't playing. Today we'd be delighted. I also recall Ron Atkinson saying that when he was a boy they used to go and watch Birming...

Erasmus

I have a distant memory of Fray Bentos meat causing a typhoid outbreak in this country.

Erasmus

My earliest memory is the win over Hamburg in the European Cup in 1961. Live on TV in black and white with Kenneth Wolstenholme commentating. Near enough sixty years ago now.

Erasmus

Played for over thirty years at a very modest level and only every booked once and never sent off. I got the booking when all the opposition players shouted out for a foul and the ref then decided to follow their lead. I called out, 'Right lads, it's free kicks on demand now', and got booked for dis...

Erasmus

I taught courses in a prison for a while and a couple of points come to mind: 1. I was told that statistics showed that those prisoners who entered the educational programme at that level were far less likely to reoffend after release. 2. Prison isn't nice or cushy, it's horrible. Every time I got o...

Erasmus

Does the Spanish government still give support to Real Madrid? I know this was the case under Franco, but I thought it stopped when they got rid of the Fascists.

Erasmus

Many things wrong with the game at the moment, particularly the stupid interpretation of handball, but for me VAR is ruining the game. The worst of it is when a goal is scored and then you have to wait until VAR confirms it. That has a really negative effect on the entertainment value of the game.

Erasmus

A great talent, but, from what I've heard, he was a pain to work with at times. I had a chat with Noel Redding in a bar in Clonakilty a few years back, where he used to play once a week. As he said, a bit of change from life in the Experience.

Erasmus

I was really shocked when I watched that, and so was my partner. It made me feel ashamed in some ways. We are one of the richest countries in the world, so how can we allow this to be happening? It really is a national disgrace.

Erasmus

As with everything in football these days, it comes down to money. Playing a passing game is fine, if you have the technically gifted players to do it successfully. And you need a lot of money to get such players. If you try to do it with less-gifted players, the likelihood is that you lose possessi...

Erasmus

It was the trouble at the game in 1988, and then the play-off final at Wembley. That season they finished well above us on points, and must have been pretty confident of going up, especially after taking an early lead. Two of theirs got sent off, they felt unjustly, and they lost 2-1 after it looked...

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