Fabio Celestini's first words as new Burnley boss ahead of Portsmouth

Fabio Celestini insists he’s arrived to build a longer-term “project” with Burnley, not simply to steer them away from relegation trouble.

The 50-year-old took over as Burnley’s new head coach on Wednesday, succeeding Nicky Hayen who was sacked on Saturday after just 106 days in the role.

Hayen won just one of his 12 league games in charge, leaving the Clarets rooted inside the Championship’s bottom three.

But Celestini, speaking for the first time since his appointment in a club interview, insists he’s not just here to turn around Burnley’s fortunes in the short-term - he’s committed to a larger cause.

The Swiss coach, formerly of Basel and CSKA Moscow, won’t be holding a press conference ahead of his first game in the dugout against Portsmouth on Saturday, as a result of his late arrival and wanting to spend as much time as possible with his new players.

But here’s a taster of what he had to say in his club interview:

How does it feel to be the new head coach?

“First, I'm very proud to be part of this club. It's a mythic club, an iconic club in England, but in the world too.

“It's one of the oldest stadiums in the world. It won two times the [First Division] championship, one time the cup. It's one of the oldest clubs in the world, and for that I'm very proud to be here.”

What did you know about Burnley and its history?

“Burnley is a mythic club, what I said to you before. Two-time champion, one time in the cup, and one of the oldest clubs in the world, not just in England, but in the world.

“The stadium is one of the only stadiums in the world that has stayed like that for all this time.

“For me, one of the reasons to come to the Championship with this traditional football in England, in Burnley, when I have this possibility.

“I say: ‘wow’, it's an incredible possibility to be part of the history of England football.

“I know a little bit about that. I know it was a city with the commerce of cotton. Yes, cotton mills. For that, a little bit, not too much. I don't know too much.

“But yes, I know it was a very important city with the cotton and yes, it's a mythic club.”

Why is this the right fit?

“Now it's 17 years of training, I'm looking at one project, I'm looking at people. I'm a very passionate guy, an emotional guy. I need to feel comfortable where I work.

“With Diego [Lopez, the new chief football officer]], with the president, all that I feel around the club in the last two days, is what I need in this moment. I want to feel comfortable to give my best.

“I see a project that has not just come to try to help us to change the dynamic. It's like I want to build something, not just to come and try to win.

“Normally, 95 per cent of the project is like that. You must come to win.

“We want to win, that's clear, but what's most important for me is how we can win, and win together. Here, I see something like that to have a project. That was interesting for me from the beginning, and for that I accepted the challenge.”

How have you found Diego Lopez?

“Some days ago, we met together, and sometimes we have feelings.

“Sometimes something happens, and with Diego, everything was clear. He was searching for something, I was searching for something, like a match. For that, it was like one first meeting with a good feeling, second meeting, more near, and everything was normal.

“It was a process, like everything was good. For that, it was not difficult to choose Burnley, because I have a really good feeling with Diego, and with the president too, and all the people.”

You have a reputation for turning struggling clubs around…

“Really, I come always on the bad moments. In Lausanne, in Lucerne, in Lugano, in Basel, I come always when a little bit the dynamic is not so good.

“In Basel I come and the club was last with five points behind the second last. But they played the semi-final of Conference League against Fiorentina one month and a half before. It was like a nonsense situation.

“For that I am like a specialist to come in tough times and for that I don't care about the position.

“Here we have 34 matches more and you have 102 points. It's like nonsense. You are in November and you have 102 points to do. It's like a championship.

“For me it was absolutely not a problem, the situation. Because I know we can change the dynamic and we have time and I believe in the club.

“But I also believe in this team, because I think they have quality. In this moment we have a gap between the potential and the performance, but I think we can change the dynamic.”

What do you think is required in the Championship?

“In the Championship, the intensity is very important. Because at the end, we can solve many situations with intensity. When you don't have intensity, you don't win. It's very easy.

“In Italy, maybe you can say it's something different. Something different. In Spain, maybe another thing. But in the Championship, there's no chance.

“When you are not on the level, on the intensity, there's just no chance. No chance. No energy, no points. It's like that.

“For that, we must understand what we must do first. Tactics, zero points. Quality, some little points.

“If we want to do something big, energy, intensity, duels, and after that, all the other things. But we must feel this positive energy.”

How would you describe your style of play?

“First is adapt. I think the modern trainer must adapt his idea.

“He must have one idea, one line for sure, to transmit that to the player. But after, you must adapt a little bit. Because the Championship is not like the Russian League, it's not like the Swiss League, i's not like the Italian League. Completely different.

“You don't change the idea, but you must adapt a little bit. Every team is different. You don't have the same player. You must be authentic, but you adapt and I want to dominate and be brave. I like to be brave.

“I can't sleep very good when we are not brave. It doesn't matter the result in the end. That's football. If you can win, you can lose or draw. That's football. It's not mathematics.

“But when you are brave and you give everything. We try to win the game, not just wait for what happens. I think the feeling is something different.

“After that, I sleep very well when we give everything and we are brave and I want to dominate my opponent. With the ball, without the ball. An active team. An emotional team. You must transmit something.

“The sensation. The fans must feel the team has something different and that is not the tactics. It's not the 4-4-2. It's not the 4-3-3. No. It's transmitting the spirit. Together. You must see this energy.

“That's our first challenge, it's the energy.”