Dyche's comments on Defour

[aggi]

I haven't seen these on here before:

“Steven was very interesting, a very bright football man.

“I like him a lot, I think he’s quite a travelled player, he was a captain very young, played under a lot of pressure at times, played for the national side – he knew what he wanted, and he said he had a fantastic time here.

“He was quite into the education of the game and found a way of working here, as he described it, to win without the ball, and he never knew that because he was brought up a different way.

“Once he bought into it, he enjoyed that side of the game and how it improved him as a player, so I did share that with him."

“Words are what they are, actions change everything, and it took him a while until he really got hold of it, and once he did…unfortunately a knee injury cost him.

“At that stage he was so hardy to his belief in what we were doing, he was actually playing on with a lump of cartilage floating around his knee, and he hadn’t even bothered about it.

“Then his calf, etc etc. When I spoke to him, I shared my view of what it was, shared the realities, and it took him a while, but he came and spoke to me about it and said ‘I get what you said, everything was right. Originally I didn’t get it, but I do.’ Sometimes it can take time.”

[bf2k]

A fantastically talented footballer which I'm glad to have had the privilege to have watched. I thought Robbie Blake was as good as it would get for a Burnley fan in the modern era but he surpassed even the great Robbie Blake.

[Vegas Claret]

I'm baffled that he isn't scouting for us in Belgium. Knows the PL, knows Burnley FC, knows what Dyche requires from a player. Maybe we asked him and he said no, maybe we haven't asked him ?

[ClaretTony]

I'm baffled that he isn't scouting for us in Belgium. Knows the PL, knows Burnley FC, knows what Dyche requires from a player. Maybe we asked him and he said no, maybe we haven't asked him ?

He’s employed by a Belgian club isn’t he?

[Vegas Claret]

He’s employed by a Belgian club isn’t he?

not sure tbh

[wilks_bfc]

He’s employed by a Belgian club isn’t he?

He’s on the coaching staff at Mechelen

[ClaretTony]

He’s on the coaching staff at Mechelen

Thanks for that, wasn't sure which club it was.

[Bosscat]

He’s on the coaching staff at Mechelen

Must have had to put a bit of weight on to become a Mechelen Man

[Woonderbah]

It would be nice to think that if he unearthed a gem at Mechelen or even at another club in Belgium, then SD might get a text with a heads-up.
There's clearly a lot of mutual respect.

[Woonderbah]

A fantastically talented footballer which I'm glad to have had the privilege to have watched. I thought Robbie Blake was as good as it would get for a Burnley fan in the modern era but he surpassed even the great Robbie Blake.

They say he's better than Zidane....

[ClaretTony]

They say he's better than Zidane....

Never mind they say, he is.

[Bordeauxclaret]

Hard to think people on messageboards were accusing him of faking injuries during his first season.

[Superjohnnyfrancis]

Would be great to have him back at the club coaching in some role. Maybe hes happy in Belgium though.

[BenWickes]

A friend of mine who I have known for many years, 25 or so; works for the local media in Mechelen. She was actually in national media broadcasting but wanted to return to her hometown. Always been a homebird that one really.
Anyway. She says she has met him a few times and because we know each other well. She brought up Burnley. Still has fond memories and she tells me she told him he's not allowed to tell Burnley about her teams best players. Apparently he winked and laughed but said 'I can still tell them about others right?' Or words to that effect. Her English is quite good but she meanders off into Flemish sometimes mid-sentence searching for words.

[IanMcL]

Must have had to put a bit of weight on to become a Mechelen Man

I just thought he had re-tyred.

[chekhov]

Must have had to put a bit of weight on to become a Mechelen Man

Oh dear.

[bfcmik]

Her English is quite good but she meanders off into Flemish sometimes mid-sentence searching for words.

Bit like most Geordies I've met then, only they drift off into gibberish rather than Flemish - though both sound just as incomprehensible as the other.

[BenWickes]

Bit like most Geordies I've met then, only they drift off into gibberish rather than Flemish - though both sound just as incomprehensible as the other.

I spent 4 months working with a Geordie. That was a hard four months.