ARTICLE: Barton fit but duo ruled out with injury

ClaretTony · Post by **ClaretTony** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:20 pm

Joey is OK, but Defour and JBG out

See link
http://www.uptheclarets.com/barton-fit- ... ith-injury

CleggHall · Post by **CleggHall** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:25 pm

Goodish news this particularly that Tom is fit again, a big miss at Swansea according to those of you who were there.

alwaysaclaret · Post by **alwaysaclaret** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:29 pm

Given the fact that Defour walked off and looked " not too badly injured " what can be taking so long ?

beddie · Post by **beddie** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:34 pm

I was hoping Defour would be available for Sunday.

randomclaret2 · Post by **randomclaret2** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:37 pm

Me too...dragging on this one

ashtonlongsider · Post by **ashtonlongsider** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:55 pm

I'd be surprised if Defour's still with us next season. Shame as to my eyes he's pure quality.

Guich · Post by **Guich** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:02 pm

Making sure he's right for Sunderland, where we just need to be at our best to ensure victory.

Whereas on Sunday we need Liverpool to have an off day, a huge slice of luck and Pawson to have a decent game. I wouldn't play him.

RocketLawnChair · Post by **RocketLawnChair** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:28 pm

Guich wrote:Making sure he's right for Sunderland, where we just need to be at our best to ensure victory.

Whereas on Sunday we need Liverpool to have an off day, a huge slice of luck and Pawson to have a decent game. I wouldn't play him.

I admire your optimism Guich because I absolutely love watching players of Defour's quality especially in our Claret and Blue. Even if he is fully fit for Sunderland next week Dyche won't pick him unfortunately.

jrgbfc · Post by **jrgbfc** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:34 pm

Anyone else get the feeling we'll keep trotting out the official line that Defour isn't quite ready before getting shut of him this Summer?

Giftonsnoidea · Post by **Giftonsnoidea** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:46 pm

Guich wrote:Making sure he's right for Sunderland, where we just need to be at our best to ensure victory.

Whereas on Sunday we need Liverpool to have an off day, a huge slice of luck and Pawson to have a decent game. I wouldn't play him.

Do you think the FA can swap Clattenberg's tickets with him.

Worst ref I've ever seen live including junior teams!

bobinho · Post by **bobinho** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:52 pm

No guarantee we are gonna "go for it" at Sunderland, so I find he suggestion defour is being "saved" for that fixture a little puzzling.

Giftonsnoidea · Post by **Giftonsnoidea** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:59 pm

We need to balance the team up, Defour is the best player we have at passing and vision.

If he's injured fair play but he really needs to play at Sunderland for sure!

RocketLawnChair · Post by **RocketLawnChair** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:05 pm

Giftonsnoidea wrote:We need to balance the team up, Defour is the best player we have at passing and vision.

If he's injured fair play but he really needs to play at Sunderland for sure!

He won't though. Best we can hope for is he makes the bench. And he might get on if we are behind.

claretblue · Post by **claretblue** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:08 pm

they might ve their own injury worries!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... l-10002225" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Giftonsnoidea · Post by **Giftonsnoidea** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:10 pm

RocketLawnChair wrote:He won't though. Best we can hope for is he makes the bench. And he might get on if we are behind.

I don't get this not played a game for weeks stuff, surely the best way to get match fitness is by playing them? A half an hour cameo at the end would be preferable to not at all.

DCWat · Post by **DCWat** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:17 pm

If Defour goes this summer, and I wouldn't be surprised, it suggests that something was amiss in the signing.

No doubt we've signed a quality player but whether or not sufficient due dilligence was done, is open to debate.

He's too good a player to be left out but we've struggled to fit him into the system and don't quite have the right personnel to help get him into the team and playing week in and week out, home and away.

He's suffered from a couple of injury setbacks and taken time adapting to the Premier League, which hasn't helped, but I can't help but wonder quite what our intention was with the signing - other than knowing we've signed a damn good player.

That's all well and good but if you can't fit him in the team, it's a bit of a waste. Who knows, perhaps he will stay and next season become a regular fixture in the starting XI.

Disclaimer: I'm not suggesting in any way shape or form that we can't and shouldn't continue to look abroad, before I'm accused of sounding like Ablue.

RocketLawnChair · Post by **RocketLawnChair** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:18 pm

Giftonsnoidea wrote:I don't get this not played a game for weeks stuff, surely the best way to get match fitness is by playing them? A half an hour cameo at the end would be preferable to not at all.

It's nothing to do with fitness why he won't be picked. He's head and shoulders the quality player at the club but he doesn't get picked because creativity is way down on SDs list. When we shoved him out on the left wing is was a complete waste of time. Almost a lack of trust.

mkmel · Post by **mkmel** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:21 pm

Guich wrote:Making sure he's right for Sunderland, where we just need to be at our best to ensure victory.

Whereas on Sunday we need Liverpool to have an off day, a huge slice of luck and Pawson to have a decent game. I wouldn't play him.

No given the choice I wouldn't play Pawson either

boatshed bill · Post by **boatshed bill** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:48 pm

Saving him for a must win game vs Sunderland (if correct) almost implies we've thrown in the towel vs Liverpool.
And I don't get this "he hasn't played for weeks, and is therefore not match-fit" thing, surely he should be fresh and really up to it; some of our regulars looked a bit tired at Swansea.

ElectroClaret · Post by **ElectroClaret** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 6:55 pm

Not particularly confident he'll be ready for Sunderland.

We'll be calling him Defourout soon.

Top Claret · Post by **Top Claret** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:18 am

Defour can go for me come the season end. Obviously he does not have the fitness levels to play competitively at this level. When fit he is OK at home but average at best away from home. We should be looking at better options for next season

Colburn_Claret · Post by **Colburn_Claret** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:21 am

I don't think we'll see Defour again this season. It obviously hasn't worked out.
Sean knew we needed more quality in the middle of the park and got it. I don't think he took into account how our system would be so alien to anything Defour had been asked to do before. We got a shining jewel of a round peg, and tried to put him in a square hole.
Worryingly the same is still a possibility with Robbie Brady.

Long term, presuming we stay up, our style of play has to change. It has been perfect for the last 4 years. It has suited the talent we had available and made us into the unit we have become so successful with. Next season will be different again, as teams get used to what we are, they will inevitably approach games differently. We need to hold onto the ball, and protect it and use it a lot better than now. In fact a style of play that would suit Steven Defour more. Sadly I think it will be too little too late.

boatshed bill · Post by **boatshed bill** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:43 am

Colburn_Claret wrote:I don't think we'll see Defour again this season. It obviously hasn't worked out.
Sean knew we needed more quality in the middle of the park and got it. I don't think he took into account how our system would be so alien to anything Defour had been asked to do before. We got a shining jewel of a round peg, and tried to put him in a square hole.
Worryingly the same is still a possibility with Robbie Brady.

Long term, presuming we stay up, our style of play has to change. It has been perfect for the last 4 years. It has suited the talent we had available and made us into the unit we have become so successful with. Next season will be different again, as teams get used to what we are, they will inevitably approach games differently. We need to hold onto the ball, and protect it and use it a lot better than now. In fact a style of play that would suit Steven Defour more. Sadly I think it will be too little too late.

I hope you are wrong about Defour, it's nice to see a bit of creativity sometimes.

Right_winger · Post by **Right_winger** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:47 am

Something's not quite right regarding Defour. Possibly Dyche just doesn't rate him for our system.

Defour should be the first name on the Teamsheet for me. He'd be awesome in a spurs/Liverpool type side

Royboyclaret · Post by **Royboyclaret** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:58 am

Colburn_Claret nails it.
Trying to convert Defour and Brady into another 'Boyd and Arfield' is not the way forward. It's as though Dyche is stuck in the comfort zone of a system that has served us so well to date but is totally not what is needed to make further progress.

If Brady is not allowed to play to his strengths in an attacking role and is instead stifled within the 'system' then he is likely to become disillusioned in the way that Defour has. Defour has for a long time given the impression of someone that made the wrong decision in coming here, which is a great shame.

Parkvilla · Post by **Parkvilla** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:10 am

Let's hope Defour stays next season,the only player in our squad with true international quality.Unfortunately he may well have told Dyche that he isn't going to run around like an headless chicken and aimlessly hoof the ball for 90 mins every week.If we stay up,2 wins should do it,we need to keep Defour and get more players with similar quality.We don't need a Dale Stephens.Our style also needs to change cos next season we will get found out playing like we do.

claretabroad · Post by **claretabroad** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:26 am

One of the best players I have ever seen in a Burnley shirt. His ongoing injury situation is frustrating and we certainly haven't see anywhere near his best form. I'd hope we can find a way to get him in to the starting the XI on a regular basis as we look a more attacking threat with him in the side.

Maybe he would be best suited to playing in the hole between midfield and attack but getting that shape right requires a lot of work on the training ground and with our focus on premiership survival we probably don't have the time to experiment with this.

Spijed · Post by **Spijed** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:48 am

Right_winger wrote:Something's not quite right regarding Defour. Possibly Dyche just doesn't rate him for our system.

Marney had a similar injury two seasons ago and Dyche kept saying he was not quite ready. So I doubt there is any other issue.

claretandy · Post by **claretandy** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:56 am

Royboyclaret wrote:Colburn_Claret nails it.
Trying to convert Defour and Brady into another 'Boyd and Arfield' is not the way forward. It's as though Dyche is stuck in the comfort zone of a system that has served us so well to date but is totally not what is needed to make further progress.

If Brady is not allowed to play to his strengths in an attacking role and is instead stifled within the 'system' then he is likely to become disillusioned in the way that Defour has. Defour has for a long time given the impression of someone that made the wrong decision in coming here, which is a great shame.

This, if we are going to progress from a kick and rush side into a footballing side then we are going to have to start picking a side based on its attacking options, not how good they are at tracking back.

Bin Ont Turf · Post by **Bin Ont Turf** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:57 am

It's amazing that some of our fans think that the man in charge and the professional people at our club should have different fitness requirements for Steven Defour than other player at the club.

It obviously won't work out for him here if he keeps getting injured. We can't play with 10 fit players and an injured Defour just because Defour is a very good footballer.

Colburn_Claret · Post by **Colburn_Claret** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:06 pm

Bin Ont Turf wrote:It's amazing that some of our fans think that the man in charge and the professional people at our club should have different fitness requirements for Steven Defour than other player at the club.

It obviously won't work out for him here if he keeps getting injured. We can't play with 10 fit players and an injured Defour just because Defour is a very good footballer.

We ALL hope you are right, we all love Steven Defour, but his body language on the pitch, the number of times he has been subbed with niggles and the expectations on him to alter his style, suggest that he is not a happy bunny. Why would he be.
I hope Sean can convince him that the team is a work in progress, that HE is key to that progression, and that as the squad improves through survival in this league then so will the style of football.

Bin Ont Turf · Post by **Bin Ont Turf** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:22 pm

His body language looked alright to me a few days before he was injured, when he was surrounded by his team mates after scoring with a chip from outside the box.

ElectroClaret · Post by **ElectroClaret** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:25 pm

Nowt wrong with his body language or his wonderful ability.

The problem is he's rapidly becoming son of sicknote.

BleedingClaret · Post by **BleedingClaret** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:50 pm

We need to stop signing foreigners, they're too lightweight for our attritional demands.
Not sure whether to include the Irish in that.

KateR · Post by **KateR** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 12:55 pm

horses for courses, he is a very talented player, the best at Burnley I believe but needs to be played in a certain way, bit like Payet at West Ham in my opinion, and think his heart is not truly in the Burley way of playing. Am sure he would admit that the training and minimum requirement of maximum effort is a different animal from anything he has experienced before. Also don't think he will be here next season and perhaps both club and player will be happy with that even if fans are not. We all yearn to see the creative players and what they can do but I still think we are a team in transition, hopefully we will continue the forward progress in the PL next season, which could really help in moving to having more creative players as they see us as a club on the up and want to join.

NRC · Post by **NRC** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:09 pm

The point from Colburn regarding "maturing" from our playing style is a good one, especially with the signing of Brady. Pointless bringing in players like him and Defour FOR their skills if you don't then play TO their skills.

If and when we stay up, what we do in the summer for next season will be a really interesting passage. If we play the same framework with this round pegs in square holes I can see the love-in with SD start to wain.

First thing first though - give ourselves the problem by staying up

TVC15 · Post by **TVC15** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:26 pm

Right_winger wrote:Something's not quite right regarding Defour. Possibly Dyche just doesn't rate him for our system.

Defour should be the first name on the Teamsheet for me. He'd be awesome in a spurs/Liverpool type side

I like Defour - but he would not be awesome in the Spurs or Liverpool at all - he'd struggle to even make their benches. Both Spurs and Liverpool play high intensity pressurised football - no way Defour could cope with that.

NRC · Post by **NRC** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:32 pm

Defour is a starter (and compléter) for Belgium. That says enough for me. He's a Maserati parked in our drive, and we don't know how to drive it

Bin Ont Turf · Post by **Bin Ont Turf** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:49 pm

NRC wrote:Defour is a starter (and compléter) for Belgium. That says enough for me. He's a Maserati parked in our drive, and we don't know how to drive it

He's started and completed one game in three years for Belgium, the non contest against Gibraltar.

If only we had the likes of Witsel, De Bruyne, Carrasco, Hazard and Lukaku to park next to our Maserati.

ElectroClaret · Post by **ElectroClaret** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:53 pm

Unfortunately, our Maserati has it's bonnet up and an RAC blokes
head under it most of the time.

Tall Paul · Post by **Tall Paul** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 1:53 pm

It's just a shame the Maserati spends most of its time broken down in the garage.

NRC · Post by **NRC** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:27 pm

All of that may be true, but it doesn't change we don't know how to drive it

Rileybobs · Post by **Rileybobs** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 4:35 pm

Why the hell isnt Dyche playing an unfit Defour??? The last few games have gone to prove that there's absolutely no place for an injured Defour in Dyche's prehistoric framework. It's probably time for the manager to walk.

NRC · Post by **NRC** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 5:05 pm

Don't think anyone has suggested he should be playing an unfit Defour

Longside4evr · Post by **Longside4evr** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 6:09 pm

This player has ability in abundance, but what's been the problem ?
Dyche put himself out and made a special journey to watch him play and worked his trickery into signing him.
It's been flouting about in the media and amongst locals that there is something not right in his lack of game time, is their more than meets the eye.
We paid a decent anough fee for him and his wages just don't justify time he has spent on the pitch.
He has been dogged by injury, we know that and age is another factor that's not on his side, but it's certainly not been a successful signing to the potential it should have been.
Is the player frustrated at injury or is it deeper than that and can't do with a change in is style or something else time will tell
.

k90bfc · Post by **k90bfc** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:22 pm

Glad to get Ashley Barnes back tomorrow,sorely missed last week.

Rileybobs · Post by **Rileybobs** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:36 pm

NRC wrote:Don't think anyone has suggested he should be playing an unfit Defour

There's plenty of people suggesting that he's not being picked because he doesn't suit our style of play.

Bin Ont Turf · Post by **Bin Ont Turf** » Sat Mar 11, 2017 8:39 pm

k90bfc wrote:Glad to get Ashley Barnes back tomorrow,sorely missed last week.

But he's a red card waiting to happen and all he does is elbow people and tries to win free kicks apparently.

What we do need is to stop what has got us to where we are at the moment, and get an unfit Defour pulling the strings with Brady having a free role to do his George Best routine.

Brady is that good we should scrap the system and let him roam free like a New Forest Pony.

claretspice · Post by **claretspice** » Sun Mar 12, 2017 8:58 am

Some epic overreactions on this thread, with some enormous conclusions being drawn from precious little evidence.

Defour is a talented, committed player but he's struggled with the pace of English football at times and he's picked up some niggling injuries. The idea that this leads inexerorably to the conclusion Dyche doesn't rate his marquee summer signing is ********.

As is the idea that asking your wide midfielders to track back is some how in itself neanderthal. I think we're 12th in the division and if there's one thing that distinguishes us and the teams above us from those below us, it is the fact that all the teams above us and us have a work ethic and an intensity that is non-negotiable. Buying into that won't compromise Robbie Brady's creativity. It will make him a better player.

We need to evolve and add a bit more quality in our ball retention if we complete the job and stay up. Pretty sure Dyche knows this though; i imagine its a very good reason why he's signed Hendrick, JBG, Westwood, Defour and Brady since last summer, all of whom are upgrades in possession on the players they might replace.

SkiptonClaret · Post by **SkiptonClaret** » Sun Mar 12, 2017 9:12 am

It's unfortunate that two of our more technically gifted players, in a squad that's not exactly full of them, do appear to be a real couple of sicknotes. Personally I never saw how Defour in particular was ever going to fit the rather unbending framework.