We were off our mark and there was a bit of nervousness

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Burnley and West Ham fought out a 0-0 draw this afternoon which left both managers questioning the performances of their respective teams.

West Ham boss David Moyes was looking for a win to move his team closer to the top three and he said: “We had plenty of opportunities to maybe have got a goal, but Burnley make it difficult for you and don’t concede many, so we had to work hard. We just didn’t quite have the quality in the final third when we needed it today. We got in enough times to do so, but we couldn’t make a goal from it.

“First and foremost, you have to make sure you’re able to deal with a lot of what Burnley do and we have done most of that. We played very well here last year and there were signs that our football was good, but we just couldn’t quite get that final bit, that last pass or cross which would have made the difference.

Embed from Getty Images“The players are in really good spirits because they know they’re in a good position, but once you set high standards, as a lot of them have, you want to see how high you can get. I think some of them have played below it and they need to get back up to the high standards they’d set if we’re going to remain in this position. I’d rather tell them that than not, because there is no point in me just pussy footing around and not saying anything.”

Dyche was very honest in his assessment of the opening forty-five minutes. “We weren’t at the races in the first half,” he said. “We were off our mark and there was a bit of nervousness and a bit of tension in the performance, so I was pleased to get to half time with a clean sheet.

“In the second half we got back into the game, and I felt we tried to go on and win the game. We played way better in the second half and looked more effective. We had a good chance just after half time with Jay Rodriguez, but it was a good block from their point of view. They’re the moments we’re looking to turn into goals, but he’s in the right place and I’ll never knock players for being in the right place.

“I think it’s important to reference that the crowd were brilliant. They were fantastic, they got right behind the team and that’s going to be important for us. I think we’ve given the crowd here some good times and we’re in a tough moment but they’re right with us. I said to the players that it’s important we reference that because they’re right with us and you can see it, hear it, feel it, right the way through the game.

“They’re all big weeks, they’re all important. I think the crowd maybe referenced that, they know we’ve got these games and they know they’re important games, but they need to stay with us because they can affect what we do, and you can see that in the second half particularly when we’re driving and trying to win the game.

“I thought overall we defended pretty resolutely, particularly first half because we weren’t where we needed to be. They’re a good outfit and a clean sheet against them, they’re fourth in the league with good reason.”

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