If we survive...

[LoveCurryPies]

Let’s be optimistic and have a think what we need to do should we pick up the required points and have another PL season ahead.

It’s been an inconsistent, difficult season. Performances against Man U and Tottenham show what the team can achieve. I think we all know where our weaknesses lie but I don’t think we are far off a very good team.

Firstly, I’m hoping we retain Sean. He must be as frustrated as the fans.

I’m hoping Sean and the recruitment team have identified a few talented players to increase our goal scoring rate.

I’m hoping the management have the funds in place to bring those players in. Departing players would provide additional funding.

A new season with more consistent performances would be great and silence the doubters and critics.

Let’s hope we survive and a better season lies ahead. UTC!

[theroyaldyche]

IF we go down which we wont id like to thing wed retain most.of the squad and have no debt

Hard to take at min but jus remember if we had VAR last season wed have been pushing for champions league places and this season wed be top 10

[Lancasterclaret]

If we survive, we've lost roughly about 18 points on last season.

That means a big squad revamp is required to avoid us doing a Huddersfield next season.

[randomclaret2]

The club will not spend the money required for a major squad revamp.

[Chester Perry]

Firstly, I’m hoping we retain Sean. He must be as frustrated as the fans.

I’m hoping Sean and the recruitment team have identified a few talented players to increase our goal scoring rate.

Bizarrely we have increased our goal scoring rate this year 1.13 per match as to 0.95 last season or one less than last seasons 36 with 7 games to go(mainly since Christmas though )- our big problem is that we are close to conceding twice as many as last year 1.9 per match against 1.03 last season (which included the dismal last few games and results).

https://www.premierleague.com/clubs/43/ ... ats?se=210" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I have marvelled at times this year at the way we have been able to grind out goals given that we have rarely played well.

[South West Claret.]

What do you mean If we survive? careless words in my humble.

[Turftalkers mentor]

Let’s be optimistic and have a think what we need to do should we pick up the required points and have another PL season ahead.

It’s been an inconsistent, difficult season. Performances against Man U and Tottenham show what the team can achieve. I think we all know where our weaknesses lie but I don’t think we are far off a very good team.

Firstly, I’m hoping we retain Sean. He must be as frustrated as the fans.

I’m hoping Sean and the recruitment team have identified a few talented players to increase our goal scoring rate.

I’m hoping the management have the funds in place to bring those players in. Departing players would provide additional funding.

A new season with more consistent performances would be great and silence the doubters and critics.

Let’s hope we survive and a better season lies ahead. UTC!

The only thing I disagree with it isn't a case of hoping we retain Sean Dyche we must retain Sean Dyche

[burnleymik]

I can't see any revamp of the squad, the funds just are not there for that, but we do have plenty of positives to build around. The left side of the pitch looks good. Westwood has been very very good. We have the choice of 3 top class Keepers. JBG is class. Gibson might get his chance soon and I think he has looked good from what we have seen of him.

Plenty of positives to work with, I just hope we strengthen in the right areas.

[Bullabill]

LoveCurryPies .......

" It’s been an inconsistent, difficult season. Performances against Man U and Tottenham show what the team can achieve."


It also shows that top teams can have off days.

[Bordeauxclaret]

It’s been a strange season. Had the officials done their jobs in the past two months we’d probably have another 8 points and be on the beach now.

Performance wise, the good ones have been few and far between. A lot of it goes back to our incredibly poor dealings in the last few transfer windows.

I think most of know that no matter what happens we are not going to change approach this summer which will again be to our detriment.

[moaninclaret]

Im still optimistic about our survival and it looks a two horse race between us and Cardiff, both teams have really tough run ins but we are a better team than Cardiff. Results have been very much against us recently and now things are in our own hands, a win on Saturday was crucial but alas it wasn't to be, i just hope we come out a bit less predictable against Wolves and we can get something out of the game .I felt sick after the late goal on Saturday and i dont want to feel like that again this season, squeeky bum time now alright.

[Vegas Claret]

whatever happens we still need the same things we've all been saying for the last 3 years

[houseboy]

The club will not spend the money required for a major squad revamp.

I agree with this. Age and departures (possibly) will weaken our squad, which is already badly in need of strengthening. The directors have shown a remarkable unwillingness to spend when we could best do it (new season with European football) so what are they going to do next season, wherever we are playing? If we get relegated then we would be fine with what we have pretty much so they won't spend much there. If we survive and we lost say Tarks, Defour and maybe even Heaton or Pope or Barnes we would need to spend money in a way that would make the directors eyes water. Never in the entire history of the club, even allowing for inflation, have they spent anywhere near the money they would need to spend I think. If we survive, which I hope we do, and perform in the market as we have done recently I think next season could be an embarassment.

I think what has happened over the last couple of years in the trasnsfer market for us will now come back to bite us on the backside because to say we will be playing catch up would be the understatement of the year. I hate to say it but Burnley FC are a business (ouch) and any business needs constant investment to move forward and survive, Burnley just haven't done that in any where near the way they should and now will be faced with paying out a fortune just to stand still.

[Long Time Lurker]

Reece James has been knocking about the rumour mill this week as a possible right back loan for us next season. Given the sources it is more likely to be nonsense than truthful. At least I hope that its nonsense. It's not because he is a bad player, he isn't, but it would represent a naive transfer strategy on our part.

Bardsley and Lowton will need to be replaced at some point in the foreseeable future. So we need to be looking at how we are going to address that.

So we can either

A) Bring in a player on loan from another club, which could give them valuable experience and game time. This could easily raise their value and benefit the other club. If we don't give them much game time it would simply compound our past reputation for not giving loan players a real chance, making it more difficult to bring in loan players when we really need them.

At the end of the loan period we would be back to square one. If the player has done well for us he will have increased in value and probably won't want to sign for us permanently, his club might not want to sell him and even if a move was on the cards we would have to pay a premium to cover the development work we put into him. If he doesn't work out we won't want him.

B) We can sign a young player and give them a year to adjust to the club or they can participate if they are up to the job immediately. The development work we put into them over the course of the year would benefit us and not another club. When Lowton or Bardsley move on we would have a player on our books ready to step up or to be sold on to raise funds we can spend on an established player.

With a number of young right backs available on free transfers or for relatively small amounts in the next window we wouldn't have to spend the earth on finding someone suitable. Although, we would have to do more work than simply ticking the cheap and easy box.

If the rumour has any substance and our forward thinking recruitment strategy is going to be about using our time and resources to develop players for other clubs, when we should be improving our own crop of young players, then we need to re-consider it.

We need to boost our chances of bringing our own young players through.

We don't need to pay for the privilege of developing our competitors players who will only serve as short term sticking plasters.

Fulham did that and it resulted in a ludicrous over reliance on loan players to put out a competitive first eleven, a lack of developed unity in the dressing room and promotion to the Premiership with half a team. That is why they needed to spend a large amount of money at the start of this season, although the two French blokes for £55m look like a very big mistake. If we take those two out of the equation and replace them with one or two competant domestic midfielders at £10m+ their work in the Summer window would look quite good, given the drastic situation their strategic planning had placed them in.

The seeds of their misfortune this season were sown three or four years ago, when a series of poor transfer and strategic decisions put them on a misguided path. A long term path that they were set to be stuck on due to the FFP restraints of the Championship. The glimmer of light that their promotion provided was only brought about by their astutute loans of last season and a bit of good fortune.

It doesn't matter if you have a rich benefactor if they aren't allowed to inject money into a club. They spent all of the money they raised from player sales on unsuitable replacements with relatively high wages. Players who spent most of their time on the sidelines waiting to leave on free transfers at the end of their contracts, because they weren't really good enough to make a difference and nobody else wanted to buy them.

With their transfer money spent, a weaker first eleven and unsuitable players soaking up big wages until they could be moved on an unhealthy reliance on loans became Fulham's only option to compete without stepping outside of the FFP limits. Their promotion could have allowed them to recover years earlier than envisioned, unfortunately they've made a bit of a hash of it with their excessive spending.

So the last thing that we need is an ever changing army of loans. Unfortunately Mike Rigg seems to be a super big fan of loans, as his short spells at QPR and Fulham attest to. What we need is a recruitment team that can identify and bring in quality youngsters for respectable prices who will safeguard our future.

Up or down that is what we should have started work on in the Winter window. If the worst does happen and we do find ourselves in the Championship next season our inability to add to any area of our squad in the last window could prove to be very costly. We were on the up in January and bringing in young development players would have been a lot easier then than it will be if we have to try and recruit them next season with only Championship football to offer. Bringing in any players should have been a lot easier.

It's why Huddersfield signed Karlan Grant in the last window. I think I'm right in saying that he wasn't signed to win them Premier League safety, he was signed because he will help them push for promotion next season. Spending £2.0m on a striker was chump change in comparison to the limited and consequentially more expensive options they will have next season after they drop. Although scoring 3 goals in 6 isn't a bad return for a 21 year old striker in the Premiership either.

If we are smart we should really be working day and night to try and bring in any out of contract foreign youngsters on pre-contracts at the moment- although our current form and "could go either way future" won't make that easy. At this point they will probably respond to our advances with a polite "I would rather wait and see" reply.

[Tricky Trevor]

Nothing has changed since the January window.
We need a destroyer in front of our back 4 and we need a better than 1 in 4 goalscorer.
Goals shared around the side would be a bonus.

[bfcjg]

Go on now, go, walk out the door
Just turn around now
'Cause you're not welcome anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to break me with goodbye
Do you think I'd crumble
Did you think I'd lay down and die?

Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my life to live
And I've got all my love to give and I'll survive
I will survive
I will survive

[GodIsADeeJay81]

Nothing has changed since the January window.
We need a destroyer in front of our back 4 and we need a better than 1 in 4 goalscorer.
Goals shared around the side would be a bonus.

How many strikers are there in the PL with a better than 1 in 4 ratio for more than a single season?

[South West Claret.]

I’m still not comfortable with the word “If”, LCP can you change it to when If you can?

[SGr]

If we survive we need a ruthless summer of clearing those not good enough and likely a club record net spend to bring in the quality required. If that means making losses on players (like Brady - we’re never seeing £13m for him) then so be it. Can’t have them cluttering up the wage bill and the 23 man squad any longer. Hopefully there will be some takers.

Technical ability over “good lads” an absolute must, team has largely gone stale. Defensive midfield should be first on the agenda.

[jrgbfc]

If we survive we need a ruthless summer of clearing those not good enough and likely a club record net spend to bring in the quality required. If that means making losses on players (like Brady - we’re never seeing £13m for him) then so be it. Can’t have them cluttering up the wage bill and the 23 man squad any longer. Hopefully there will be some takers.

Technical ability over “good lads” an absolute must, team has largely gone stale. Defensive midfield should be first on the agenda.

I agree that we need a clear out this summer even if we stay up. I think after finishing 7th last season the whole club got a bit complacent and lost a bit of focus. Right down from the Board who seem happy counting the money without really investing, to Dyche who knows he is pretty much unsackable and financially made for life to the playing squad, who too many of them know that they are Dyche's favourites and will play no matter what.

[LoveCurryPies]

I’m still not comfortable with the word “If”, LCP can you change it to when If you can?

Can you imagine how much flack I would have received if I had called it "When we survive..."

[Colburn_Claret]

The size of the squad is fine, and we need at least 4 new players. That means letting 4 go.
I would expect one to be a goal keeper, so 3 outfield players at least will be gone. They will probably be bench players or ones who cant make the match day team , but I would think we need at least 4 outfield STARTERS. Unless we freshen up the first XI, we will be in deep **** next season.
I don't doubt the effort, but at the same time are players getting complacent. We know Sean is loyal, and sometimes it appears loyal to a fault. One of the problems he has is picking a team, when so many have been inconsistent this season. We never know which Burnley are going to show up, so how would he.

I dont envy the job, and there is money there, but it has to be spent wisely. The only way we can afford 4 new outfield starting players, is if they come from abroad. Good luck with that.

[willsclarets]

It's a similar squad to the one that did brilliantly last year, what we need is to make clever signings not a mass of them. As our beloved Sean often says, the margins are fine up here, and given our reliance on an impenetrable low block to grind out single goal victories it's not difficult to see why small differences in performance levels make a huge difference to points tally. The goals against column proves that.
If we survive, we'll benefit massively from a proper preseason, a recalibration of the things that make us hard to beat which are difficult, mentally, to right after an appalling start. We're not going to suddenly start playing an open, free flowing game from back to front, we rely on a solid base so we can play in the right areas.
If we survive, I wouldn't be chucking out players like Brady. He's got ability, he's just had a torrid time with injury and no chances to establish form. The money we get for him would not be worth the potential return he could give us if he reaches his potential.
We need to make some key decisions on certain players, however. Number one is nailing our flag to the mast on goalkeepers. Who's number one, who's number two and who is leaving us. As well as bardsley has done the right back position needs looking at. When lowton was on song last year he was a real threat with delivery, we've missed that. Taylor is developing well so I'd leave him to continue with ward as deputy, but the right side isn't giving us enough, with our shape as it is.
Gibson needs a role, he's too good to let go and languish on the bench. As good as he's been sometimes you need fresh blood who will buy into a defensive philosophy that is mentally tough year on year. On that basis I'd be tempted to let Mee go if a decent fee was offered, and bring in a new promising cb to deputise alongside long.
Then there's cm, we desperately need more power and guile in there. Detour is a loss and unlikely to return unfortunately, but I'd be looking for two central midfielders. Hendrick, cork and Westwood are different, but any combination lacks power, strength, the ability to break up play and a forward thinking mentality with the ball. This is where the big investment should be imo, even if we lose one of those three who have all been good for us.
Keeping Brady and McNeil (of course), I'd also look at right midfield. Given I've advocated us buying two cms, I'd see Jeff Hendrick as a RM instead of a cm (unless essential) I think he's better there tbh and could become our new arfield, especially if we have a rb capable of overlapping. I would probably lose Lennon, and try to find a young wide midfielder with potential (is less money)
Finally, make a decision on Vydra. If he's not fancied we need to offload him and get someone in with pace who keeps the opposition defence guessing. We are, at times, far too predictable in the final third.
So,
In:
New RB
Two CMs
Young CB with potential
Striker (unless Vydra stays)
Young RM with potential

Out:
A goalkeeper
Mee
Lowton or Bardsley
One CM
Lennon
Vydra (or not, if he has a role)

[South West Claret.]

Can you imagine how much flack I would have received if I had called it "When we survive..."

Must admit I failed to think of that so leave as is then

[Longside4evr]

It's a similar squad to the one that did brilliantly last year, what we need is to make clever signings not a mass of them. As our beloved Sean often says, the margins are fine up here, and given our reliance on an impenetrable low block to grind out single goal victories it's not difficult to see why small differences in performance levels make a huge difference to points tally. The goals against column proves that.
If we survive, we'll benefit massively from a proper preseason, a recalibration of the things that make us hard to beat which are difficult, mentally, to right after an appalling start. We're not going to suddenly start playing an open, free flowing game from back to front, we rely on a solid base so we can play in the right areas.
If we survive, I wouldn't be chucking out players like Brady. He's got ability, he's just had a torrid time with injury and no chances to establish form. The money we get for him would not be worth the potential return he could give us if he reaches his potential.
We need to make some key decisions on certain players, however. Number one is nailing our flag to the mast on goalkeepers. Who's number one, who's number two and who is leaving us. As well as bardsley has done the right back position needs looking at. When lowton was on song last year he was a real threat with delivery, we've missed that. Taylor is developing well so I'd leave him to continue with ward as deputy, but the right side isn't giving us enough, with our shape as it is.
Gibson needs a role, he's too good to let go and languish on the bench. As good as he's been sometimes you need fresh blood who will buy into a defensive philosophy that is mentally tough year on year. On that basis I'd be tempted to let Mee go if a decent fee was offered, and bring in a new promising cb to deputise alongside long.
Then there's cm, we desperately need more power and guile in there. Detour is a loss and unlikely to return unfortunately, but I'd be looking for two central midfielders. Hendrick, cork and Westwood are different, but any combination lacks power, strength, the ability to break up play and a forward thinking mentality with the ball. This is where the big investment should be imo, even if we lose one of those three who have all been good for us.
Keeping Brady and McNeil (of course), I'd also look at right midfield. Given I've advocated us buying two cms, I'd see Jeff Hendrick as a RM instead of a cm (unless essential) I think he's better there tbh and could become our new arfield, especially if we have a rb capable of overlapping. I would probably lose Lennon, and try to find a young wide midfielder with potential (is less money)
Finally, make a decision on Vydra. If he's not fancied we need to offload him and get someone in with pace who keeps the opposition defence guessing. We are, at times, far too predictable in the final third.
So,
In:
New RB
Two CMs
Young CB with potential
Striker (unless Vydra stays)
Young RM with potential

Out:
A goalkeeper
Mee
Lowton or Bardsley
One CM
Lennon
Vydra (or not, if he has a role)

You also forgot Wells and Walters and maybe Defour

[willsclarets]

Well I take it as read wells and Walters won't play for us again. Defour I mentioned, like to be wrong but I can't see him playing for us again. Hence (one of the reasons) why I think the major investment needs to be CM