Laws hits out at players’ unprofessional approach

Three second-half goals saw Leeds snatch maximum points at Turf Moor after overturning a 2-0 half-time deficit, in a performance reminiscent to those against Sheffield United and Norwich City.

Laws’ men have shown undoubted character so far this season having accumulated 12 points from a losing position with eventual victories over Preston North End, Watford and Derby County and draws against Ipswich Town, QPR and Doncaster Rovers.

But their failure has been an inability to shut-up shop and maintain a lead.

The Clarets have struggled in that department having drawn three games against Millwall, Sheffield United and Norwich after scoring first and losing two from a winning position against Middlesbrough and Simon Grayson’s Leeds.

Laws said: “I don’t want to go through that and think a 2-0 scoreline is an issue for Burnley Football Club and the players, I just think it’s complacency that’s set in during that second half.

“It’s disappointing because we should be talking about the positivity of the first half and how we approached it, and we just stopped doing it.

“Once you get into that mode it is hard to stop.

“We made some wrong choices in the second half.

“We all talk at half-time about what issues might turn up in the second half.

“One of the things you do say is ‘don’t be complacent because you haven’t won the game yet’, and I think one or two maybe thought they had.

“That’s not good enough. We’ve got to make sure we eradicate those issues and make sure we go out in the second half, we’re professional and we win the game.

“End of story, you go and win the game, and I didn’t think we were professional enough in the second half.

“The manager will always take the rap because of the result ,but the players also have to take a portion of it because of the way they went out in the second half.

“I’m fairly angry with that and we’ll go through that second half in particular.”

Laws criticised his side’s negativity in the second half, accusing his players of ‘going backwards instead of forwards’.

Conceding early in the second half also did nothing to help Burnley’s cause, but a failure to adapt to their opponent’s switch to 4-4-2 hit hard.

The introduction of Ross McCormack just after the hour alongside Luciano Becchio and the constant forward running of Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass had the Clarets chasing shadows, as the visitors exploited the canyon between midfield and defence.

The result meant the Clarets have yet to win back-to-back games this season.

Laws said: “The disappointing thing is we stopped doing what we were doing in the first half, and that’s something I am really angry with, because in that first 20 minutes I think Lee Grant had more touches of the ball.

“We were going backwards instead of forwards and of course that put more and more pressure on us when it was unnecessary.

“That was the start of I would say was the rot in the second half.

“Then we start going gung-ho, in particular with the last goal when it’s our corner and he’s allowed to run the length of the field.

“It’s bitterly disappointing because we shouldn’t be talking about defeat and we are.

“So in the aftermath of the game a few words have been said, and rightly so, because that’s not acceptable from our point of view. We should be winning that game.

“It’s about being professional, it’s about being switched on and organised.

“Who cares about how many touches of the ball you have? You win the game in that position.

“It’s a winnable position, no question about it, and it’s happened too many times this year.”

Football being a game of two halves is an over-used cliche in the sport, but the contrasting performance shown by the Clarets in either half in the defeat against Leeds was a perfect example of the phrase.

Now Laws wants the Clarets to learn and address the situation immediately to ensure that there will be no repeats of Saturday’s second half display.

“We got so raggy, in particular at the back,” Laws said.

“Our two centre halves, who were very strong in the first half, became very raggy and the communication between them became too distant.

“When we were higher up the pitch, in the second half we were too deep and there were too many gaps there. That was our concern. I’m not taking anything away from Leeds.

“They had nothing to lose so they might as well go for it.

“We went into the game very positive, whichever formation we were playing, we were playing a positive, attacking formation, and it showed because we caused their centre halves a lot of problems. In the second half we didn’t.”

Laws added: “There are always elements in games where you’re disappointed, but in that second half there were too many mistakes being made and it was almost a casual approach in the second half, and particularly in the first 15 minutes.

“We never did what we were doing in the first half.

“Their two centre-halves in the second half had it easy.

“They didn’t have it easy in the first half, in fact their tongues were hanging out and they wanted half-time to come quickly.

“In the end, they swapped places with my two and my two centre-halves became very raggy.”