‘Disparaging’ comments gave Burnley extra fuel to beat Southampton, admits boss Sean Dyche, after criticism of Charlie Taylor

Sean Dyche admitted some “disparaging” comments in the Southampton match programme gave his side extra fuel to beat the Saints.
Charlie TaylorCharlie Taylor
Charlie Taylor

Burnley made it 10 points from the last 12 available to go 10th in the Premier League table with a 2-1 win at St Mary’s.

After an Ashley Westwood corner put them ahead within two minutes, former Claret Danny Ings equalised, before a stunning winner from substitute Matej Vydra.

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But Dyche revealed afterwards how a feature analysing his side gave his players added motivation.

The piece said: “Playing through them hasn't proven to be as difficult this season as it has been in the past.

“They no longer sit in a deep defensive block for long periods and will step out to engage higher up, but do so in an uncoordinated way at times, leaving gaps to play through.

"The last few months have seen opponents target Burnley's left, running at Charlie Taylor and crossing or dragging Ben Mee out of the centre to help Taylor, then feeding the ball into the space created.

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"A team like Saints, who excel at moving the ball quickly from line to line and have the ability to pull opponents around, can take advantage of this."

The column also noted Burnley’s physicality, claiming only Sheffield United have played more long balls this season: "A game against the Clarets is physical; it's draining; it's man to man combat in both the air and on the ground for 90 relentless minutes.”

Dyche had joked about Jeff Hendrick’s measured clip in the build up for Vydra’s winner probably being classed as a long ball, and said: “Ironically, their programme said Sheffield United have played more long balls than us, and yet they’re definitely not long ball.

“I’m not worried about it, and I know Chris (Wilder) isn’t, he won’t mind me mentioning it, he’s a fantastic fella, and the job he’s doing.

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“So, good tactical analysis in their programme, I enjoyed that, I just told the lads, ‘there you go, that’s what they think of you’.

“I love that, when they give you that little edge.

“‘They only do this, they only do that’ - okay, fair enough.”

And he was bemused by the criticism of Charlie Taylor in particular, a player whose form, he believes, will be putting himself on the radar of the England set up: “I didn’t need to show them the programme, they read it, disparaging remarks about Charlie Taylor, of all people.

“I think his form has been probably worth mentioning in the thinking of the national side, not just yet, but maybe keeping a background check on.

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“I don’t know why programmes do that, it’s like fuel. You go ‘you beauty!’

“You almost want to ring the person who wrote it and say, ‘magic!’

“We don’t go down that route, I just thought it was interesting, I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, it’s up to them, but I thought it was interesting.”

Asked whether he read programmes before every game, Dyche added: “Oh, I’ve got hours...you do realise the planning is done, by the time I sit in the dressing room if you’ve not done your planning by then, you’re not doing your job right.

“I just sit there quite relaxed. I used to play Candy Crush, but I changed my phone and I was on level about two million, and it went back to the beginning, and I was devastated!

“True story...“