TAKING BURNLEY TO THE TOP!

[Branaldo9]

SEASON 2017/18 PREVIEW:

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS & MEDIA PREDICTIONS:

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Finances have greatly improved, with profits of £73 million for the last year and finances have gone from -£5.5 million to £65 million. Obviously the improved TV deal has been a significant factor in this but also, Champions League qualification has been important in this improvement.

We have been given a transfer budget of £42 million so hopefully we can make some significant additions, to really strengthen the side as we embark on our European campaign this season.

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With the financial improvement we have benefited from, we have moved from 58th to 21st in the list of richest clubs in the world. The club is now valued at £328 million, which is a massive improvement on the £164 million which the club was valued at last season. Within the space of one season, the club's value has doubled which is unbelievable and encouraging to see that the improvement on field is being matched off the field too.

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Look at the Season Expectations, we are looking for a Top Half finish, which considering how we finished 4th last season, is a big drop but realistic in regards to it only being our 2nd season in the Premier League. I will obviously be looking to finish as high up as possible and hopefully challenge for a European place again this season. I would be delighted to match the expectation of reaching the group stages of the Champions League but I am expecting a really tough draw in the Play Off round. Another good run in one of the domestic cups would be excellent, or at the very least an improvement on our FA Cup run is to be expected this season.

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Manchested United have been placed as favourites to win the Premier League this season ahead of Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea. In terms of media prediction for ourselves, we are tipped to finish 12th and are priced at 200-1 to win the league (we are only 8-1 to be relegated from the Premier League. I would be very happy to prove the media wrong again this season and defy the odds with a strong showing in the League.

CONTRACT RENEWALS

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Nicolas Tagliafico has signed a new 2 year contract with the club which has almost doubled his wages. He had an excellent first season with the club and fully deserves the new deal. I wanted to offer him a longer term contract but he was only willing to sign a 2 year deal.

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Delighted to have tied down Michael Keane to a new 4 year deal with the club. Michael was heading into the final year of his contract with the club and was unwilling to resign unless we made it into the Champions League. He signed straight up after we finished 4th and this is a very important deal for both Michael and the club as he was excellent at the heart of our defence last season.

TRANSFERS - SUMMER 17/18

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We allowed a number of fringe players to leave during the summer transfer window. Joey Barton and Michael Kightly were released after their contracts expired. After a 20 year career which started at Leeds United, Paul Robinson retired from football and we sold a number of other fringe players for small fees including Rouwen Hennings, Chris Long, Nick Pope, Jamie Thomas, Tom Anderson and Daniel Agyei. From our first team squad, joining Joey Barton and Paul Robinson in departing the club, Ashley Barnes signed for newly promoted Wolves for £2.7 million, Stephen Ward signed for Cardiff City for £325,000 and Kevin Long signed for Nott'm Forest for £325,000. Overall we received £8.25 million from sales.

With Jon Flanagan returning to his parent club Liverpool, my first signing of the window was Kieran Trippier who made his return to the club, signing from Tottenham Hotspur for £3.1 million. Kieran has found opportunities limited at Tottenham with Kyle Walker ahead of him as first choice right back and I'm delighted to have him resign with the club at a bargain price.

With Joey Barton leaving the club and Marco Asensio returning to Real Madrid following his loan spell, we were really short in Centre Midfield so I decided to return to South America to bring in Lucas Romero from Brazilian Premier League side Cruzeiro for £3.4 million. Having made 3 successful signings last season from South America, I'm hoping that Lucas Romero will make a similar impact to Valdivia, Nicolas Tagliafico and Joaquin Arzura.

Next up, I needed to find a back-up for Nicolas Tagliafico at left back following the sale of Stephen Ward. I decided to bring in Charlie Taylor after his contract with Leeds United expired. We had to pay £900,000 in compensation to complete the transfer but again it's another real bargain as Charlie has the potential to be a fantastic left back for the club.

Again I went back to the Brazilian Premier League with the signing of centre back Yerry Mina from Palmeiras. At a fairly expensive price of £6.75 million, I expect Yerry to really push both Michael Keane and Ben Mee for a starting spot at centre back. At 22 years of age, Yerry is already a Coulmbian international and he has the potential to be a fantastic addition to the club.

My 5th signing of the window was the most expensive by a long way with Belgian wonderkid, Youri Tielemans, signing from Anderlecht for £17 million. It's a huge transfer for the club but I feel that Youri has all the potential to be one of the best midfielders in world football and this price could prove to be a real bargain in the years to come.

With Paul Robinson retiring and Nick Pope signing for Fulham, Tom Heaton was our only senior goalkeeper at the club. I definitely needed to sign a backup for Tom, who had a number of injuries last season. I decided to bring in a young goalkeeper to learn from Tom Heaton and went with Angus Gunn, who signed from Manchester City for £350,000.

Our last signing of the transfer window, was one of real experience with Fernando Torres signing on a free transfer on a one year deal. Fernando has been there and won it all and I see him as another solid addition, providing experience to our front line of Andre Gray and Kasper Dolberg.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLAYOFF DRAW

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As expected, we have received a really tough draw in the Champions League Playoff Qualification round with us being paired with Olympique Lyonnais. Although I'm happy to have avoided Atletico Madrid, this is possibly the 2nd toughest draw that we could have received. Still, I'm positive of our chances regardless and I'm sure we will battle to make the group stages of the Champions League.

PRE SEASON ROUNDUP

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Following on from a training camp in Western Australia, we played 8 friendly fixtures and managed to record a 100% win record with 8 wins from 8. Having thrashed Northern Premier League, Ramsbottom, 9-0 in our first friendly and recording an 8-0 win away to French regional side, CA Lisieux, the highlight of our preseason, was definitely the 5-1 demolition of AC Milan at Turf Moor. Similar to last season, I'm delighted with the preparations for the new season and hope that we can bring this form into the new season with big European encounters to come along with the pressure of building on last seasons heroics in the Premier League.

SQUAD 2017/18

GK - Tom Heaton, Angus Gunn
RB - Kieran Tripper, Matt Lowton
LB - Nicolas Tagliafico, Charlie Taylor
CB - Michael Keane, Ben Mee, Yerry Mina, James Tarkowski
DM - Steven Defour, Joaquin Arzura
CM - Youri Tielemans, Jeff Hendrick, Lucas Romero, Aiden O'Neill
RW - Alessio Cerci, Johann Berg Gudmundsson
LW - Robbie Brady, Valdivia
FW - Andre Gray, Kasper Dolberg, Fernando Torres​

 

[Branaldo9]

AUGUST 2017 REVIEW:

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New Premier League season and we started with an away draw at West Brom. Having gone into half time with a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Valdivia and Alessio Cerci, we were very disappointed to concede 2 goals in the 2nd half and only come away with a 2-2 draw and 1 point instead of 3 to start the season. Kieran Trippier was the only new signing to start the game but Youri Tielemans also came on as a 2nd half substitute.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Valdivia

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Our first home game of the season ended in an emphatic and shock 7-2 win against Everton. An Andre Gray double and a 2nd consecutive league strike for Valdivia put us 3-0 up after half an hour but a Michael Keane own goal at the stroke of half time gave Everton a lifeline. 4 second half goals ensured we came away with an unbelievable 7-2 victory, the largest of my reign at the club. 2nd half goals from Johann Berg Gudmundsson (2), Robbie Brady and a first goal for the club from Fernando Torres.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Johann Berg Gudmundsson

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First leg of our Champions League Playoff ended with another dominant victory, this time we ran out 4-0 winners. Excellent start the season for the club with goals galore and an excellent individual start for Valdivia who scored a hat trick. Emmanuel Mas scored an own goal to complete the rout and put us in an outstanding position heading to France for the 2nd leg.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Valdivia

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Another excellent performance, this time coming away from St. Mary's with a 3-1 win against Southampton. Valdivia put us in front, scoring for the 4th consecutive game and a rare strike from Matt Lowton doubled our lead. Joel Campbell pulled a goal back before half time but a Jeff Hendrick strike 5 minutes from time ensured the 3 points.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Jeff Hendrick

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With Manchester City at home in the Premier League 3 days after this fixture, I decided to take a risk and rest a number of players for the 2nd leg of our Champions League Playoff. Charlie Taylor, Yerri Mina and Lucas Romero made their first starts for the club and it was Taylor who set up the winner to Kasper Dolberg. Delighted to have qualified for the group stages of the Champions League and looking forward to finding out who we are drawn against.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Charlie Taylor

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Robbie Brady picked up a sprained ankle in the win against Olympique Lyonnais which will keep him out for up to 5 weeks. Small blip on what was otherwise a fantastic playoff result.

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Happy with a home tie to start our League Cup campaign. Stoke City will be our opponents in the 3rd round. The highlight of the draw is definitely the battle between the Premier League top 2 of last season as League Cup holders will entertain Premier League holders Arsenal.

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Tough Champions League group with us drawn against holders Juventus, Schalke 04 and Ajax. I'm happy with this draw as we will get to challenge ourselves against the reigning champions and will fancy our chances of battling against Schalke and Ajax.

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We finished out our month with a drab 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City. Although not the most eventful game, I am very happy with the point and to finish out the month unbeaten.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Nicolas Tagliafico

MONTHLY REVIEW

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Excellent start to the season with us remaining unbeaten in all 6 games this month. We have made a very positive start to the season in the Premier League with 2 excellent wins at home to Everton and away to Southampton and a very positive 0-0 draw at home to Manchester City. The only blip on our league form this month was letting a 2-0 lead slip on the opening day of the season away to West Brom. In the Champions League Playoff, we were fantastic and I couldn't have asked for anymore with a 5-0 aggregate win against Olympique Lyonnais. We now have some exciting European nights to look forward to at Turf Moor, with the reigning Champions of Europe, Juventus drawn in our Champions League group.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 3
ANDRE GRAY - 2
JOHANN BERG GUDMUNDSSON - 2

PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

No doubt about the player of the month with Valdivia having an unbelievable start to the season. He has 3 goals and 2 assists in his first 4 league appearances of the season and scored a hat trick in the first leg of our Champions League playoff against Olympique Lyonnais. It's been an excellent start to the season for the winger and surely he must be in line for an international call up with Brazil.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

4 Wins, 2 Draws, 0 Defeats (67% win rate)

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With the transfer window closes with us spending £31.5 million and only earning £8.25 million through sales, I'm very happy to see that our balance has only dropped from £67 million to £55 million. We are still in a really strong financial position even with all the transfers made which is really positive for the club.​

 

[callamity]

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I had a pretty awesome second season if it didnt end in heartbreak on the last day, goal difference put us second as man u were un playable

You finished with more points than I did in my first season, so very unlucky not to make the Top 4. Still European football for a newly promoted side in your first season is class.

 

[Branaldo9]

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I had a pretty awesome second season if it didnt end in heartbreak on the last day, goal difference put us second as man u were un playable

No way that's unlucky, what a season though. You have your Champions League football for the 3rd season. Desperately unlucky to lose out on the title to goal difference.

 

[Branaldo9]

SEPTEMBER 2017 REVIEW:

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Good news to start the month with Nicolas Tagliafico finally making his international debut for Argentina. He fully deserves to be in the squad as he has been excellent since signing for us at the start of last season.

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Great start to the month with a 3-0 win at home to West Ham in the Premier League. Goals from Jeff Hendrick, Kasper Dolberg and Valdivia ensured a comfortable victory.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kasper Dolberg

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On the eve of the Champions League group stages, the title odds have been published with us being ranked as 33-1 outsiders. Real Madrid and Barcelona have been made joint favourites at 5-1 with current holders Juventus 3rd favourites at 7-1.

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Our first Champions League group encounter ended in a 1-1 draw at home to Schalke 04. We fell behind early in the second half with a goal from former Chelsea man, Franco Di Santo. Thankfully, Kasper Dolberg equalised to rescue a point for us and ensure we didn't not leave the first game of the group stage empty handed.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Tom Heaton

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A Champions League hangover as we fell to a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. We found ourselves 2-0 down after only 20 minutes through goals from Wilfried Zaha and Yohan Cabaye. Although Alessio Cerci pulled one back early in the second half, we never really looked like getting anything from the game and Palace thoroughly deserved the victory.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Alessio Cerci

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Disappointing news with new signing Lucas Romero suffering a torn hamstring which will keep him out for up to 2 months. Lucas hasn't really had many opportunities since signing but with the sheer amount of games we have, he would have had plenty of opportunities in the coming months, so this is a tough setback for him.

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Back to winning ways in the League Cup with a 2-1 victory at home to Stoke City. We were quick out of the traps and Valdivia opened the scoring in the first minute. Alessio Cerci doubled the lead after 12 minutes and although Ramadan Sobhi pulled one back in the 2nd half, we held on to book our place in the 4th round draw.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Alessio Cerci

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Another awful injury for the club, with Nicolas Tagliafico suffering a torn calf muscle which will keep him out for up to 4 months. Very disappointed by this injury but it will give plenty of opportunity for Charlie Taylor to step up in his place.

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Another fantastic victory, this time away to newly pormoted Newcastle United. Kasper Dolberg scored twice in the last 20 minutes to put us 2-0 up. Dwight Gayle pulled one back but again we held on to pick up another significant victory.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kasper Dolberg

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We were punished by Ajax in our 2nd Champions League group stage fixture with Ajax winning clinically 3-0. With a double header against Juventus coming up next, we are already facing an uphill task to stay in the competition beyond the group stage.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Joaquin Arzura

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Couldn't be happier for Kasper Dolberg in claiming the Premier League Player of the Month and Young Player of the Month awards for September. Kasper scored 3 goals in his 3 league appearances this month but also scored the equaliser to give us our only Champions League point so far. At 19 years of age, Kasper is already showing consistency which he didn't really show in the back end of last season after signing in the January transfer window. His 3 league goals has already surpassed the 2 he scored last season.

MONTHLY REVIEW

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With 2 wins from our 3 league fixtures for us in September, I'm quite happy with how the month went in terms of our Premier League results. Although, we picked up excellent wins against West Ham and Newcastle, our defeat away to Crystal Palace was really disappointing. We currently sit in 7th place in the Premier League at early stages of the season but it's been a really positive start to the season.

Our Champions League campaign has got off to a disappointing start with us only picking up a point at home to Schalke 04 and then suffering a clinical defeat away to Ajax. With Juventus home and away in our next 2 fixtures, we are already in a tough situation within the group.

Very happy to have made a positive start to our League Cup campaign after knocking Stoke City out. We were drawn against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the next round so we are in for a tough encounter.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 4
KASPER DOLBERG - 3
ANDRE GRAY - 2

PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

After winning Premier League Player of the Month and Young Player of the Month, Kasper Dolberg is the club player of the month as well. Fantastic month for the 19 year old and hopefully he can carry on this form for the coming months.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

3 Wins, 1 Draw, 2 Defeats (50% win rate)​

 

[Branaldo9]

OCTOBER REVIEW:

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Unlucky to fall to a 2-1 defeat at home to Chelsea. Willian put Chelsea ahead early on but we immediately responded through Jeff Hendrick. However, we fell behind again through a John Terry header and failed to respond from this. Disappointing start to the month and with tough games to come away to Arsenal and at home to Juventus in the Champions League, it's gonna be a tough month.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Jeff Hendrick

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Unbelievable ****** and grab victory away to Arsenal. Having dominated the game throughout, Arsenal were hit on the break with 10 minutes to go and Steven Defour capitalised for us with a shock strike which sealed a 1-0 win for us. It's the 2nd season in a row that we have gone to the Emirates and came away with the 3 points having won 2-1 there last season.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Steven Defour

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Another unbelievable victory, this time in the Champions League at home to the holders, Juventus. We had plenty of chances throughout the game and deserved to win. The winner came 3 minutes into added time through Jeff Hendrick. The Irish international has popped up with a number of key goals for us this season already and this win has put us back in the hunt for qualification from the group.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Jeff Hendrick

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Our free flowing, attacking football returned at home to Watford in the Premier League and we came away with a dominant 4-1 victory. Goals from Kasper Dolberg (2), Valdivia and Jeff Hendrick put us back into the top 4 in the Premier League.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Jeff Hendrick

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4 wins on the spin with a 4-0 rout away to Leicester City in the League Cup. A Johann Berg Gudmundsson double and strikes from Joaquin Arzura and Youri Tielemans gave us a convincing victory which puts us in the hat for the quarter final.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Johann Berg Gudmundsson

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The draw for the League Cup Quarter Final sees has provided us with a home tie to either Liverpool or Bournemouth who are yet to play their 4th round tie. In the other quarter final ties, Manchester United host Fulham, Chelsea travel to Wolves and Leeds entertain Newcastle.

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3 straight league victories and 5 in a row in all competitions with a 2-0 win away to newly promoted Wolves. Kasper Dolberg and Valdivia put us 2-0 up inside the first half and a Kourtney House red card just before half time put Wolves out of the game.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Jeff Hendrick

MONTHLY REVIEW

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We started the month with a disappointing defeat to Chelsea but we responded excellently to this and went on to win our other 3 league fixtures in October with the monumental victory away to Arsenal, the rout at home to Watford and a professional victory away to Wolves. We currently sit 4th in the Premier League with 23 points from a possible 33. Manchester United currently sit top of the table on goal difference ahead of Chelsea. We are 2 points behind United with another shock top 4 entry with West Ham sitting in 3rd.

The fantastic victory at home to Juventus has put us back in the hunt for qualification from our Champions League group, our next fixture is away to Juventus but it's the 2 fixtures which close out the group away to Ajax and at home to Schalke 04 which will decide our fate.

In the League Cup, we are putting together another good run in the competition and have a real opportunity to follow up on our run to the final last season. With Liverpool as our likely quarter final opponents, we are in for a really tough test to make it to the semi final.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

KASPER DOLBERG - 6
ANDRE GRAY - 6
JEFF HENDRICK - 4

PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

Jeff Hendrick had a fantastic month for the club, picking up the man of the match award in 4 of our 6 fixtures and scoring the winner in our biggest win of the season at home to Juventus. Hendrick has been in fantastic form this season with 4 goals and 2 assists in his 10 league appearances this season.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

5 Wins, 0 Draws, 1 Defeat (83% win rate)​

 

[Branaldo9]

NOVEMBER 2017 REVIEW:

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Brave effort away to Juventus which saw us keep the game level until the 52nd minute when Gonzalo Higuain put the Champions League holders ahead. They scored a further 2 within the next 20 minutes before a late Robbie Brady strike provided a consolation for us late on. In the other game of the group, Schalke 04 beat Ajax to open up the race for 2nd spot, with any of the 3 teams still capable of qualifying with Ajax on 6 points and ourselves and Schalke 04 level on 4 points.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Robbie Brady

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I'm pleased to have came away from another big game with a 0-0 draw, following on from the similar result we got at home to Manchester City at the start of the season. There was not much in terms of chances throughout the game but the point keeps us close to the leaders and still in the top 4.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kasper Dolberg

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Liverpool knocked Bournemouth out of the League Cup 4th round, winning 4-2 at the Vitality Stadium. This sets up a quarter final tie with them at Turf Moor.

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Back to winning ways in the Premier League with a 3-1 game at home to struggling Leicester City, who currently sit bottom of the table. On the eve of the game, Leicester announced the appointment of Brendan Rodgers as their new manager and it gave them a boost, as they battled throughout the game and it could have gone either way. Goals from Jeff Hendrick, Youri Tielemans and Fernando Torres ensured another 3 points for us.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Youri Tielemans

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Good to see Lucas Romero return to full fitness after 2 months our with a torn hamstring. We will have to ease him back into action but hopefully he will have a big role to play for the rest of the season and that he can stay injury free.

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A disappointing away defeat to Schalke 04 ensured our Champions League ambitions are gone and the most that we can hope for is to finish 3rd in the group and be part of the Europa League in the new year. Yerry Mina with his first goal for the club but Schalke dominated to come away with a 3-1 defeat, which in truth could have been more.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Yerry Mina

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Another emphatic league victory for us, this time away to newly promoted Huddersfield Town. We dominated throughout with goals from Alessio Cerci, an own goal from Christopher Schindler, Jeff Hendrick, Fernando Torres and a 7th league goal of the season for Valdivia. Was delighted to have such a positive result off the back of our Champions League elimination.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Fernando Torres

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Delighted to have signed a new deal with Burnley which ties me down until June 2020 with an increase in wage to £18,500 per week. Very happy with the job I am doing with the club and hopefully over the coming years we will keep developing and keep challenging at the top end of the Premier League.

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Our League Cup campaign ended at the hands of Liverpool, with them coming from behind to win 2-1. We took the lead early in the 2nd half through Robbie Brady but goals from Danny Ings and Jack Wilshere ensured elimination for ourselves. Wilshere has been excellent since completing a £10.75 million transfer from Arsenal in the summer. He has 7 goals in 13 appearances since signing for the club, including 4 in the Premier League.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Robbie Brady

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Very happy to see Youri Tielemans fully settling into the side now and putting in some excellent performances of late. He has earned the November Premier League Young Player of the Month.

MONTHLY REVIEW

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With 2 wins and a draw from our 3 league fixtures in November and the draw coming against high flying Liverpool, I can be very happy with our league performances for the month. We currently sit 3rd in the table and are still only 2 points behind leaders Manchester United with 30 points from 14 games. West Ham have slipped out of the top 4 and have been replaced by the aforementioned Liverpool, who are in a rich vein of form as of late with 10 points from their last 12.

Unfortunately, we were eliminated from the Champions League after back-to-back defeats to Juventus and Schalke 04. We have one group game remaining which is at home to Ajax. A win from this game would ensure we will still have European football to look forward to after Christmas with a place in the Europa League.

Another disappointing cup exit, this time in the League Cup with Liverpool coming to Turf Moor at the end of the month and winning 2-1. Unfortunate not to match our excellent League Cup run of last season where we reached the final but we played well and lost to an excellent Liverpool side.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 7
KASPER DOLBERG - 6
JEFF HENDRICK - 6

PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

Having won the Premier League Young Player of the Month, Youri Tielemans is the club player of the month also. Having been brought in for such a large fee in the summer from Anderlecht, I'm very happy to see him putting in such consistent performances and setting in really well with the side. As a said at the start of the season, the £17 million could be seen as a real bargain in the coming years with Youri only 20 years of ages and already showing such consistency.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

2 Wins, 1 Draw, 2 Defeats (33% win rate)​

​

​

 

[Branaldo9]

DECEMBER 2017 REVIEW:

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With a hectic December including 7 Premier League games and our final Champions League fixture, it's a really disappointing start to the month to lose 2-0 away to December. We were really poor and deserved nothing from the game.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kieran Trippier

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Pleased to get a home tie in the FA Cup 3rd round against Cardiff City who are currently sitting in 6th place in the Championship and right in the mix for promotion this season.

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A 3-1 win at home to Ajax booked our place in the Europa League in the new year. Goals from Jeff Hendrick, Youri Tielemans and Valdivia ensured us 3rd spot in the group at expense of our opponents.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kasper Dolberg

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Back to winning ways in the league as we narrowly defeated struggling Hull City. Jeff Hendrick again scored and was followed up by a fantastic free kick from Valdivia to put us 2-0 up. A Abel Hernandez strike with 20 minutes to go put us under severe pressure but we hung on for an important 3 points.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Valdivia

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Shocking injury for Kasper Dolberg as he suffered a broken ankle which will keep him out for up to 4 months. Kasper has had a much improved season with the club and has been our first choice striker for much of the season so this is a big blow to the club and the player.

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We drew Red Bull Liepzig in the Europa Round last 32. RBL are flying high in the Bundesliga currently sitting below Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in 3rd place. We will be in for a tough tie but hopefully we can battle our way into the last 16.

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A monumental victory for us at Wembley against Tottenham Hotspur as we came away with a 2-1 win. Spurs have been struggling this season and are currently in the bottom half of the table but this is still a huge victory for the club and puts us into 2nd spot in the league. Johann Berg Gudmundsson and another free kick from Valdivia ensured the 3 points.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Johann Berg Gudmundsson

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We fell to defeat against 3rd placed Manchester United at Turf Moor, as they went away with a 1-0 win which dropped us back down to 3rd in the league. Not much between the sides and a point probably would have been a fair result.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Lucas Romero

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Andre Gray is having a really tough time of it this season and has now gone over 8 hours without a goal for the club. Hopefully he can take the chances which will be presented to him over the coming months with the injury to Kasper Dolberg.

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Although Charlie Taylor has been excellent in his absence, I'm very happy to have Nicolas Tagliafico back after missing 3 months with a torn calf muscle. We still have a number of injuries but over the coming weeks they should all be back bar Kasper Dolberg.

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It looks like we may lose Michael Keane in the January transfer window as he has a £26 million release clause in his contract and it looks like Tottenham will activate this in the upcoming window. This would be very disappointing for the club but there is nothing that we can do if this is to happen and I will have to look to reinvest this money in a replacement.

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Shocking defeat and performance at home to struggling Bournemouth. No words to describe what unfolded but we fell to a shock 3-0 defeat to put us outside the top 4 for the first time since early on in the season.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Lucas Romero

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A 3rd straight league defeat, this time away to Everton has put us down to 7th in the league. We again struggled and fell to a 2-1 defeat. The only positive from the game is that Andre Gray ended his barron streak in front of goal and hopefully he will kick on from here.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Tom Heaton

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Finally back to winning ways with a 1-0 win at home to West Brom. Youri Tielemans scored the winner but it was pleasing to pick up our first clean sheet in 11 games.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Charlie Taylor

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Jeff Hendrick was named Irish Footballer of the Year and it couldn't be more deserved with the season he is having. He already has 7 Premier League goals this season and has also scored some really important goals in the Champions League as well. Another mention for Robbie Brady who came 2nd in the awards.

MONTHLY REVIEW

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The hectic December schedule got the best of us as we fell to 4 defeats in 7 games including 3 games on the bounce. It's been a really tough month but encouragingly, we sit 4th in the table at the close of the month on goal difference ahead of 5th placed West Ham. Liverpool lead the table heading into the New Year, 1 point ahead of 2nd placed Manchester United and 7 ahead of ourselves. Looking at the bottom of the table, Leicester City are in desperate trouble with only 10 points from 21 games, as they look destined for relegation even at this stage of the season.

Happy to still have European football in the New Year after beating Ajax to ensure 3rd place in the group. Hopefully, we can have a good run in the Europa League and also the FA Cup, where we face Cardiff City at the start of next month.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 9
JEFF HENDRICK - 7
KASPER DOLBERG - 6

PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

With 3 goals this month, including 2 cracking free kicks, my player of the month is Valdivia. Still uncapped by Brazil, he has been in scintillating form this season with 9 league goals and 4 assists in his 20 league appearances.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

4 Wins, 0 Draws, 4 Defeats (50% win rate)​

 

[Branaldo9]

JANUARY 2018 REVIEW:

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Good start to the New Year with a 1-0 win at home to Southampton. Andre Gray scored the only goal of the game on the stroke of half time to make it consecutive 1-0 wins for us.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kieran Trippier

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Another setback for Lucas Romero, yet again he has tore his hamstring and will now miss another 3 months of the season. Devastating blow for the player who had only recently returned from the same injury.

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After last years disappointment in the FA Cup, we were keen to have a positive run in the competition this season, so I was happy to get through our 3rd round tie against Cardiff. We went through thanks to a Fernando Torres double and a strike from Johann Berg Gudmundsson sealing a 3-1 win.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Fernando Torres

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Another home draw in the FA Cup 4th round as we drew either Norwich City or Oxford United who play in a replay after drawing 3-3 in their 3rd round tie.

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We always seem to put in excellent battles against the top sides in the league and we managed another scalp, this time at the Etihad Stadium where a late goal from Valdivia snatched a 1-0 win and another valuable 3 points for the club in our quest for another Champions League run next season.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Valdivia

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4 straight victories in the league now, with a 2-0 home win against Crystal Palace. Shockingly for us, it is also 4 straight clean sheets in the league for the club. Goals from Valdivia and Fernando Torres ensured the 3 points.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kieran Trippier

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Having met the release clause of £26 million, we were powerless to lose star centre back, Michael Keane, to reigning Premier League champions Arsenal. As I said, there was nothing we could do once the release clause was met and Michael had no hesitation in accepting a move to the champions. I will now look to dip into the market to find a replacement for Michael as we have only 3 senior centre backs at the club.

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The aforementioned transfer of Michael Keane is now the record sale for the club. The £26 million received, eclipses the previous record of £8 million when Sam Vokes signed for Houston last season.

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Having dispatched of Oxford United 4-1 in their FA Cup 3rd round replay, Norwich City will now travel to Turf Moor in the FA Cup 4th round. Championship opposition again for us in the cup and hopefully we can have a similar result as against Cardiff City.

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5 straight Premier League wins thanks to an entertaining 4-2 win at home to Newcastle United. A Youri Tielemans penalty, 2 strikes from the prolific Jeff Hendrick and another strike from Johann Berg Gudmundsson ensured we keep the pressure on the teams above us and cement our place in the top 4.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Jeff Hendrick

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A 1-0 away defeat at the London Stadium to West Ham brought our winning streak to an end. Havard Nordveit scored midway through the first half to secure the points for West Ham and we failed to create enough opportunities to get back into the game after going behind.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kieran Trippier

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I found my replacement for Michael Keane, with experienced Cameroon international, Nicolas Nkoulou, signing from Olympique Lyonnais for £11 million. I'm hope that the 27 year old will bring his wealth of experience within the Champions League with Monaco, Marseille and Lyon and help our side in our challenge of making the top 4 again this season. Unfortunately, having already played in Europe this season, including in both legs of our Champions League Playoff at the start of the season, Nicolas will be cup tied for our Europa League adventure.

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Another 3-1 win in the FA Cup against Championship opposition booked our place in the 5th round of the competition. Jeff Hendrick and a double from Andre Gray ensured a 3-1 victory against Norwich City. I'm happy to be putting in a better showing in the FA Cup than we did last season.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Andre Gray

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Championship opposition at home for the 3rd straight round in the FA Cup, this time against 14th placed Preston. Having already dispatched of 2 Championship sides, we will be hoping to make it a hat trick when Preston travel to Turf Moor next month.

MONTHLY REVIEW

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Our Premier League form was almost faultless in January with 4 consecutive victories, including a famous 1-0 win away to Manchester City, only to be faltered by a 1-0 defeat away to West Ham. However, 4 wins from 5 in the Premier League is an excellent return and keeps us right in the mix at the top of the table. We may be 9 points behind leaders Mancester United but we have a game in hand and currently sit in 4th place on 51 points from 26 games. Liverpool and Arsenal who occupy 2nd and 3rd are both only 1 point ahead of us but our next opponents, Chelsea, are only 1 point behind in 5th place.

February will see our Europa League participation begin with Red Bull Leipzig of Germany our opponents in the last 32 of the competition. Hopefully, we can put together a run in the competition but with Bayern Munich, Napoli, Liverpool, Chelsea, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid in the competition, it is going to be a very difficult and competitive trophy to win.

Our FA Cup run is going well so far and with another home tie in the 5th round of the competition, we have a real opportunity of making the quarter final of the competition. With all of the big sides still in the competition, I'm sure Premier League opposition would await if we can dispatch of Preston in the quarter final.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 11
JEFF HENDRICK - 9
KASPER DOLBERG - 6

PLAYER OF THE MONTH - Kieran Trippier

With man of the match awards in 3 of our 7 fixtures this month, it has been Kieran's best month since returning to the club from Tottenham Hotspur last summer. If we can maintain this form in the months ahead, it is only a matter of time before Kieran gets international recognition with England. At 27, Kieran is still awaiting his first international cap.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

6 Wins, 0 Draws, 1 Defeat (86% win rate)​

 

[Tracz]

Just read this from start to finish. Just wow!
How you managed to achieve champions league in your first season with burnley is amazing! How?!?!
It defo looks like you have a bright future ahead with burnley, im surprised your on such a low wage atm,
But guess that will grow rapidly if you keep up the great work.

 

[Branaldo9]

Just read this from start to finish. Just wow!
How you managed to achieve champions league in your first season with burnley is amazing! How?!?!
It defo looks like you have a bright future ahead with burnley, im surprised your on such a low wage atm,
But guess that will grow rapidly if you keep up the great work.

Thanks for the comment Tracz. To be honest, I'm even sure myself how I ended up getting Champions League football. Valdivia is a class player in the game and was a bargain for only £4.7 million, he was a big help and would definitely recommend signing him for any Premier League team.
Yea the wage is low enough at the moment, hopefully it will keep going up if I can keep punching above my weight.
Appreciate the comment!

 

[issteo]

Going good so far! Unlucky with Keane as you say nothing can be done when the release cause is met.

Nkoulou should be a good signing though hopefully​

 

[Branaldo9]

FEBRUARY 2018 REVIEW:

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Great start to our away trip to Stamford Bridge in the league with Valdivia putting us ahead after 20 minutes. Unfortunately, Isco equalised early on in the 2nd half and we fell to a dramatic late defeat with Willian scoring the winner in added time. This result puts Chelsea into the top 4 at the expense of ourselves.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Valdivia

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A very entertaining 3-3 draw as the champions visited Turf Moor. Having gone into a 2-0 lead with ealy goals from Valdivia and Andre Gray, we looked to have set ourselves up for another unexpected victory against Arsenal but quickfire goals from Olvier Giroud and Alexis Sanchez brought Arsenal level before half time. However, an Alexis Sanzhez own goal in first half added time ensured we went in at the break ahead. We couldn't hold on for the victory with Oliver Giroud scoring his 2nd goal of the game to give Arsenal a point which they didn't really deserve.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Andre Gray

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I see a 2-1 win to RBL Leipzig, who currently sit 2nd in the Bundesliga, as a positive result. Although, the away goal may be crucial in the 2nd leg. Having gone behind, 2nd half goals from Andre Gray and Robbie Brady ensured we came away with a positive result.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Nicolas Tagliafico

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Our 3rd consecutive Championship elimination from the FA Cup, with Preston falling to a 3-0 defeat at Turf Moor as we progressed to the quarter final of the competition. Goals from Andre Gray, Yerry Mina and Youri Tielemans.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Yerry Mina

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Another home tie, our 4th from 4 in the FA Cup this season. unfortunately, it won't be another Championship side as we were drawn against current holders and double winners, Arsenal. After our showing recently in the league against Arsenal and our record agaisnt the club since I took over, we should go into the game confident of causing an upset.

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A bad injury for Johann Berg Gudmundsson as he suffered a lower back stress fracture which will keep him out for up to 7 weeks. He will miss a vast amount of games across the league, Europa League and FA Cup at a pivotal time of the season.

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A repeat 2-1 victory againt RBL Leipzig, ensured progress to the last 16 of the Europa League. Goals on the night from Valdivia and Andre Gray put us through 4-2 on aggregate.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Alessio Cerci

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An all English clash in the last 16 as we drew Chelsea. What a spectacle this will be and this will no doubt but an unbelievably tough test for the club.

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What an entertaining encounter at home to Wolves with us narrowly coming away with a 4-3 victory. Goals from Youri Tielemans and a hat trick from Alessio Cerci ensured victory in the tightest of games. With Johann Berg Gudmundsson out injured, Alessio Cerci has instantly stepped up with a fantastic hat trick to single handedly win us the 3 points.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Alessio Cerci

MONTHLY REVIEW:

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A mix bag month in the Premier League with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 defeat from our 3 league fixtures. However, we faced a tough away assignment at Chelsea and a home battle against the champions Arsenal. We somehow are still in the Top 4 as we currently sit 4th with Manchester United leading the way closely followed by Arsenal. Liverpool are a few points behind and are closely followed by ourselves in 4th. Another competitive battle for a top 4 finish looks on the horizon for the club and if we can pull it off again it would be a massive achievement and statement by the club.

In the cup competitions, we have the "Battle of Britain" last 16 encounter against Chelsea in the Europa League and a home FA Cup Quarter Final against the current holders Arsenal. I am very happy to have reached the latter stages of both competitions and we will no doubt have some fantastic encounters to look forward to in the coming month.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 13
JEFF HENDRICK - 9
KASPER DOLBERG - 6

PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

A close battle between Valdivia and Andre Gray but I'm going to give the February player of the month to Andre Gray. Having found himself on the outside looking in for a lot of this season with Kasper Dolberg and Fernando Torres ahead of him in the pecking order, Andre has had an excellent month and has re-established himself as the No. 1 striker. With 4 goals in 6 appearances this month, it's been a sharp return to form for last seasons top goalscorer.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

4 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Defeat (67% win rate)​

 

[Branaldo9]

Going good so far! Unlucky with Keane as you say nothing can be done when the release cause is met.

Nkoulou should be a good signing though hopefully​

Thanks for the comment issteo. Yea nothing could be done once the release clause was met, shame really as he has been quality in the game. Hoping N'Koulou will step in but I haven't played him a lot since he signed thanks to the form of Mee and Mina.

 

[Branaldo9]

MARCH 2018 REVIEW:

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Slightly disappointed with a 2-2 away draw to Watford in the Premier League. Goals from Andre Gray and Valdivia put us 2-1 in front but a Adelberto Perananda equaliser cost us 2 valuable points. With only 2 league fixtures in March, it will be important for us to beat struggling Leicester City away later in the month.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kieran Trippier

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An excellent away performance in the Battle of Britain, Europa League Last 16 First Leg, as we came away from Stamford Bridge with a 2-1 win courtesy of a double from Alessio Cerci. We are set up nicely for the 2nd leg taking 2 away goals and a lead back to Turf Moor.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Alessio Cerci

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A tremendous performance and result in the Quarter Final of the FA Cup with an entertaining 3-2 win at home to Arsenal. In a topsy-turvy encounter which we led, before falling behind, only to eventually come back and win. Goals from Youri Tielemans and a double from Andre Gray ensured our place in the Semi Final.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Andre Gray

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The draw for the semi final of the FA Cup sees us drawn against the favourites for the competition, Manchester City. In the other semi-final West Ham play Championship high flyers, Nottingham Forest.

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A repeat 2-1 win in the 2nd leg of the Europa League encounter with Chelsea ensured our place in the Quarter Final of the competition. Goals from Valdivia and Fernando Torres put us 2-0 up on the night and 4-1 on aggregate before a consolation from Michy Batshuayi. Fully deserved to go through over both legs and looking forward to seeing who we get drawn against in the Quarter Final.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Joaquin Arzura

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A sprained ankle will keep Jeff Hendrick out for up to 4 weeks. Hendrick has been one of our most influential players this season and he will be a big miss in all 3 competitions we are involved in over the next month.

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We have been drawn against Celta Vigo in the Quarter Final of the Europa League. Quite happy with the draw considering we avoided both Manchester City and Liverpool who were drawn against Lyon and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

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We managed to claim all 3 points in a very important away Premier League tie at Leicester City, which keeps us in the hunt for a top 4 place. Anything other than 3 points against the team currently 2nd from bottom and we would have been struggling to keep pace with the sides ahead of us in the race for the top 4. Goals from Andre Gray and a 35 yard strike from Steven Defour ensured the points.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Steven Defour

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Delighted to have Kasper Dolberg back in full training after 4 months out with a broken ankle. Not sure he will play a major part in the remainder of the season but it is great to have him back from injury.

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A torn hamstring for backup goalkeeper Angus Gunn will keep him out for 2-3 months and puts an end to his season. Angus has only made one appearance since signing from Manchester City last summer and that was in the FA Cup. Reserve goalkeeper, Marcel Wusiewicz will be required to step in for the remainder of the season.

MONTHLY REVIEW:

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Apart from the 2 points dropped away to Watford at the start of the month, it has been a magnificent month for the club with progression in the Europa League and FA Cup being back up by 4 points from 6 in the Premier League.

We currently sit in 5th place in the Premier League, 1 point behind 4th placed Chelsea, who have a game in hand. Liverpool are 3 points further on in 3rd but it's looking like another 2 horse race between Arsenal and Manchester United for the title. It's looking like another real battle for a top 4 finish similar to last season but hopefully we can keep the push alive throughout April and into the back end of the season.

We are having a great debut European campaign with us reaching the quarter final of the Europa League and will have a tough battle with Celta Vigo in the quarter final. Having been eliminated from the Champions League in the group stages, we have done excellently to bounce back in the Europa League and put in some excellent performances in eliminating RBL Leipzig and Chelsea.

Having had such an early exit from the FA Cup last season, it is satisfying to see us progress to the semi final of the competition this season. We have another tough tie with Manchester City our opponents but we will play at Wembley Stadium and it should be a cracking encounter.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 14
JEFF HENDRICK - 9
ANDRE GRAY - 7

PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

With 4 goals in 5 appearances this month including a double in the FA Cup Quarter Final win at home to Arsenal, Andre Gray has won back-to-back Player of the Month awards. He has been excellent since returning to the side and has firmly established himself as the number 1 striker at the club again. Hoping he will be rewarded with an international call up with England which he fully deserves.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

4 Wins, 1 Draw, 0 Defeats (80% win rate)​

 

[Branaldo9]

APRIL 2018 REVIEW:

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It's a pivotal month of the season for the club with a minimum of 7 fixtures including both legs of our Europa League Quarter Final against Celta Vigo, an FA Cup Semi Final with Manchester City and the chase for the top 4 heating up Huddersfield, Stoke City, Hull City and an away trip to Old Trafford to face title chasing Manchester United. We began the month with some good news as Johann Berg Gudmundsson returns from his 6 week lay off with a lower back stress fracture. We will need a full squad with the pile on of fixtures we face from now until the end of the season.

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Great win in our first leg of the quarter final at home to Celta Vigo. We will now go to Spain in a weeks time with a 2-0 advantage thanks to goals from Alessio Cerci and a late second from substitute Robbie Brady. We have set ourselves up very nicely for the return leg with not only a 2 goal advantage but a clean sheet with no away goals conceded.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Alessio Cerci

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We grinded out a leg win at home to Huddersfield Town off the back of our excellent performance in Europe. Although, we struggled throughout the game, at this stage of the season the points are all that matters and I'm happy to have picked up another 3 points. Goals from Valdivia and a rare strike from Kieran Trippier ensured the points with a 2-1 win.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Youri Tielemans

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Valdivia is on the shortlist for the Young Player of the Season thanks to his excellent performance throughout the campaign. If he was to win the award it would be well deserved in a season where he has already hit over 20 goals in all competitions.

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Another welcome return from injury with Jeff Hendrick back after 4 weeks out with a sprained ankle. Along with Valdivia, Hendrick has been one of star performers this season and I'm delighted to have him back available.

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Another return with Lucas Romero back from a calf strain. Lucas has missed over 5 months of the season through a whole host of injuries. Hopefully next season he can remain injury free and have a real impact on our season.

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A 3-1 away win against Celta Vigo has seen us progress to the Semi Final of the Europa League. An own goal from Theo Bongonda and further goals from Kasper Dolberg and Robbie Brady ensured we went through 5-1 on aggregate.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Kasper Dolberg

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We have been drawn against Bayer Leverkusen in the Semi Final of the Europa League. The other tie sees Shakhtar Donetsk face Manchester City.

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A 2-0 result at home to Stoke City brought another welcome victory in my 100th game as manager of the club. Goals from Andre Gray and Alessio Cerci have propelled us back into the top 4.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Nicolas Tagliafico

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A 4th straight Premier League victory, this time a 2-1 win away to Hull City. We are showing a real high level of consistency and goals from Alessio Cerci and Valdivia ensured the points.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Alessio Cerci

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What an entertaining encounter at Wembley in the FA Cup Semi Final as we won 3-2 against Manchester City. We led on 2 different occasions and our 3rd time going in front was enough to see us progress to the FA Cup final. A double from Youri Tielemans and a welcome strike from Lucas Romero ensured a monumental victory.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Youri Tielemans

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We will play West Ham United in the FA Cup Final after they overcame Nottingham Forest 5-0 in the other semi final.

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10 wins in a row in all competitions equals our best record and a win against Bayer Leverkusen in our next game would break the record. It shows the high level of performances we have been putting in over the last couple of months and hopefully we can maintain this consistency through to the end of the season.

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Not the best result in the First Leg of our Semi Final at home to Bayer Leverkusen with us only managing a 1-1 draw. However, it could have been worse and we can thank a late strike from Robbie Brady in ensuring that we did not head to Germany for the return leg behind.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Ben Mee

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Delighted with a drab 0-0 away to Manchester United to close off the month. Considering they are challenging for the title, it is a valuable point away from home.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Lucas Romero

MONTHLY REVIEW:

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Having taken 6 wins and 2 draws from 8 fixtures in April, it has been an excellent month for the club. We are now 18 games unbeaten in all competitions which is an incredible achievement for the club as we compete across 3 competitions.

In the League, we sit in 4th place having taken 10 points from 12 in April. With 3 games remaining, we have equalled our points total for last season and have a 2 point advantage over 5th placed Liverpool.

We have a tough task in the Semi Final of the Europa League with us travelling to Germany with a 1-1 draw from the 1st leg. It's looking like the winner of this tie will play Manchester City who picked up a 2-1 win in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Our fantastic run in the FA Cup will culminate in a battle with West Ham at Wembley. What an achievement for the club to make not only the League Cup Final last season but now the FA Cup Final. Hopefully, we can learn from our experience in a Wembley final from last year and win on this occasion.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH:

With some big goals in Europe this month including the late equaliser against Bayer Leverkussen, I'm going to give the Player of the Month award to Robbie Brady. Having been second fiddle to the outstanding Valdivia for much of the season, Robbie has remained patient and when called upon has been excellent for the club and his form has seen him start games ahead of Valdivia in this month.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 16
JEFF HENDRICK - 9
ALESSIO CERCI - 9

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

6 Wins, 2 Draws, 0 Defeats (75% win rate)​

 

[issteo]

Congrats on getting to the FA Cup final hopefully you can beat West Ham. Tight going in the league and the Europa League. Goodluck with the last couple of fixtures!

 

[Branaldo9]

Congrats on getting to the FA Cup final hopefully you can beat West Ham. Tight going in the league and the Europa League. Goodluck with the last couple of fixtures!

Cheers issteo. I accidently uploaded the month review wihout having it completely finished but it's completely done now. It's very tight in the race for top 4 but the form in the cups has been unbelievable. Hopefully can win one of the cups!

 

[Branaldo9]

MAY 2018 REVIEW:

The biggest month in the history of the football club with an FA Cup Final to look forward to against Manchester City, an opportunity to make our first ever European Final if we can overcome Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League Semi-Final and 3 games in the Premier League which will decide if we can complete another shock by making the top 4 for a 2nd successive season.

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Having gone into the 2nd leg of our Europa League Semi-Final with a lot to do having only managed a 1-1 draw in the first leg, we put in an excellent performance and dominated Bayer Leverkusen. A 2-0 away win thanks to goals from Andre Gray and Jeff Hendrick, booked our place in the Europa League Final where we will face another Battle of Britain, this time against Manchester City who progressed after a 5-2 aggregate win against Shakhtar Donetsk. A first ever Euopean Final for Burnley will be a historic occasion for the club and hopefully we can go one step further and win the competition.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Andre Gray

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Having returned from Germany with a European Final to look forward to, we returned to league action, travelling to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth. A Valdivia double put us 2-0 up with 20 minutes to go but goals from Callum Wilson and Federico Fernandez brought Bournemouth level and ensured we dropped 2 valuable points in the race for the top 4. This result sees us drop out of the top 4 with Liverpool moving above us and with a trip to Anfield, followed by a home tie against Tottenham Hotspur, we face a real uphill battle to overtake Liverpool from this position.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Valdivia

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In what was basically a Champions League play off for next season, with a win for Liverpool ensuring 4th place for them at the expense of ourselves, we put in a terrible performance falling to a 2-0 defeat thanks to Roberto Firmino and a Tom Heaton own goal. With a top 4 place now impossible, our only chance of playing in the Champions League is by winning the Europa League.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Yerry Mina

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Our final Premier League game of the season presented me with an opportunity to rest a number of our starting 11 with 2 big finals coming up within the next 7 days. A 2-0 win with goals from Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Kasper Dolberg ensured we head into our 2 finals on the back of a winning finish to the league season.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Johann Berg Gudmundsson

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We finished just 2 points below Liverpool in 5th position with 73 points accumulated over the course of the season. We were very lucky in the end not to make the top 4 having finished in the Champions League positions with only 70 points last season. Still at the very least, we will be playing European football again next season and may still make the Champions League depending on our result in the Europa League final.

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What a time to be a Burnley fan with a first European final in their 136 year history coming up. I'm delighted to have made it this far but I would be over the moon if we could win the competition and deliver a first European title to the fans.

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BURNLEY HAVE WON THE EUROPA LEAGUE! What an unbelievable result and performance in the Europa League Final as we dismantled Manchester City and came away with an emphatic 4-0 to deliver a first European triumph for the club. A double from Andre Gray and further goals from Jeff Hendrick and Youri Tielemans delivered my first trophy in management and what a way to win it!
MAN OF THE MATCH - Valdivia

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Having just won the Europa League, our focus quickly turned to the FA Cup Final which is only 3 days after our European Final. It's our first FA Cup Final since 1914 and having just won our first trophy under my management, I would be delighted to do a cup double and triumph in the FA Cup.

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WE HAVE DONE THE DOUBLE! FA CUP AND EUROPA LEAGUE WINNERS! Having fallen behind after only 4 minutes through Iago Falque, our response was emphatic. We dismantled West Ham in similar fashion to Manchester City in the Europa League Final and came away with a resounding 4-1 victory and with this the FA Cup trophy. An FA Cup Final hat-trick for Andre Gray and another cup final strike for Youri Tielemans ensured the victory.
MAN OF THE MATCH - Andre Gray

MONTHLY REVIEW:

Although, we finished outside the top 4, it has still been another highly successful campaign for us in the Premier League with a 5th placed finish still considered an unbelievable over achievement for the club.

However, the highlights of our season were the cup runs in the Europa League and FA Cup, were we won both competitions emphatically with a 4-0 victory over Manchester City in the Europa League and a 4-1 win over West Ham in the FA Cup Final. We have not only qualified for the Champions League next season thanks to our Europa League victory but for a club of the stature to win not one but two trophies is incredible and shows the rapid progress the club has made in my two years as manager.

TOP LEAGUE GOALSCORERS (SEASON):

VALDIVIA - 18
JEFF HENDRICK - 9
ALESSIO CERCI - 8
ANDRE GRAY - 8
KASPER DOLBERG - 7

PLAYER OF THE MONTH - ANDRE GRAY

With 2 goals in the Europa League Final and an FA Cup Final hat-trick, it is an easy decision to award Andre Gray as the Player of the Month for May. To score 5 goals within 3 days across 2 cup finals is a terrific achievement and an FA Cup hat-trick will go down in the history books and Andre will no doubt be remembered as a club icon after his cup final performances.

MONTHLY MANAGERIAL RECORD:

4 Wins, 1 Draw, 1 Defeat (67% Win Rate)​

 

[callamity]

Another brilliant season mate well done