Aston Villa managed to get their first win in six games as they confirmed Norwich’s relegation to the Championship. A week has passed and Aston Villa have another chance to impact the relegation battle as they look to halt Burnley’s recent momentum.
I spoke to Turf Cast Podcast about the impact of the caretaker managers, the dismissal of Sean Dyche and their survival hopes.
UTV PODCAST X TURF CAST
It’s been a few weeks since the sacking of Dyche so there’s been plenty of time for the news to sink in, do you believe the sacking of Dyche had to be done or do you think he deserved more time given just how much he has done for the club?
To be honest at the time I was quite disappointed with the sacking of Dyche, I felt that he had done enough for the club over the years to be given the chance to keep us up and then try and bring us back if we went down. But since the decision was made I think it’s fair to say that it was the right decision. When you look at the difference in performances and listen to the interviews the players have done then it’s clear to me Dyche had lost the dressing room.
Turf Cast
Since Mike Jackson and Ben Mee have took over, Burnley have become undefeated and are climbing up the table, what’s changed around the club or can this just be put down to a “new manager bounce”?
I think it’s more the departure of Dyche rather than the arrival of Jackson that has given the lads a boost. Dyche is a totalitarian, which was great for us for years, but it had run it’s course. Now he’s left the lads have been given a lot more freedom, both on and off the pitch, and they look to be enjoying their football again. One thing I will say for the current coaching team is that they have let the lads play football, the ball is on the deck more and the more creative players have been allowed to run with the ball more, rather than being completely bypassed.
Turf Cast
Burnley currently sit 16th in the table level on points with Leeds and two points ahead of Everton, how do you rate your chances of staying in the division for a seventh consecutive season?
Obviously being a Claret I’m still very anxious about the relegation picture. The most annoying thing is just as we have picked up form and finally started picking up points, so have Everton and Leeds. If we didn’t have our great run of form though, we would be down by now. When you look at the run in compared to that of Leeds and realise that all we have to do to stay in the Premier League is match their results then it is possible, I think six points should do it, but if Leeds cause a shock result like Everton did the other night we’re in big trouble. We need to concentrate on ourselves though, so if we won both of our home games against two teams that in truth don’t have too much to play for then we should be OK, but the pressure is on. If we slip up this weekend against Villa then we’re bang in trouble again.
Turf Cast
Finally, what are your score predictions?
I’m going 2-0 Burnley. I get the feeling you guys are on the beach and have been for a while that’s why your form is poor. We should be bang up for this with this game being huge for us, so taking that and our recent form into consideration I’ve got to go for Burnley.
Turf Cast
PODCAST | MATCH PREVIEW with Special Guest Stephen Ward
FORM GUIDE
PLAYER STATS
GOALS
- 9 Goals | Ollie Watkins (AVL)
- 7 Goals | Maxwel Cornet (BUR)
- 6 Goals | Danny Ings (AVL)
THE LAST THREE
PLAYER STATS
ASSISTS
- 6 Assists – Danny Ings (AVL)
- 5 Assists – Emi Buendia (AVL)
- 3 Assists – Josh Brownhill (BUR)
PREMIER LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD
MY PREDICTION
I really don’t know what to expect from this game as Villa have little to play for compared to Burnley who have it all to play for. Given Villa only just rescuing some form and a Burnley having a great run of form everything favours Burnley in my opinion but I just can’t see us lose it coming from a potentially arrogant point of view. Having said that I’m going to go for a 2-1 win with Ings and Coutinho grabbing the goals.
MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: David Coote. Assistants: Gary Beswick, Nick Hopton. Fourth official: Craig Pawson. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Adam Nunn.
PLAYED FOR BOTH
Aston Villa and Burnley have quite a selection of players who have represented both clubs in recent history. Tom Heaton, Matt Lowton, Ashley Westwood and Danny Drinkwater.
OPPOSITION FOCUS | NEW MANAGER BOUNCE
When the news broke that Sean Dyche had been sacked the football world was caught by surprise given Dyche’s iconic status at Turf Moor.
Although the reasons for Dyche’s sacking aren’t quite as simple as black and white in terms of league position and Dyche’s relationship with the owners, Burnley haven’t been phased as Under 23s Manager Mike Jackson and Club Captain Ben Mee have stepped up. I take a look at Jackson’s thriller of a journey so far!
The first task that Burnley had to come up against in the post-Dyche era was West Ham at the London Stadium who were fresh off their huge comeback against Lyon. Things got off to a great start with January signing Wout Weghorst scoring only his second goal for the club but the feel good factor was stopped courtesy of Tomas Soucek who denied Burnley the three points going forward.
Four days later it was Mike Jackson’s first match in front of Turf Moor against a limp Southampton side with not much too play for. An incredible first goal from Welsh international Conor Roberts, and a Nathan Collins goal secured the 3 points which took them just one point off safety.
Burnley then welcomed Europe chasing Wolves to Turf Moor and battled to a 1-0 victory courtesy of a Vydra goal which lifted them out of the relegation zone for the first time under Jackson.
Up next was a vital match for Burnley to win in a relegation six pointer against Watford at Vicarage Road. Things got off to a horrific start as Tarkowski tapped the ball into his own net in the eight minute. After dominating play Burnley we’re beginning to lose hope right before Jack Cork’s diving header at the far post bought things level. Burnley knew a point wasn’t good enough for them and kept on going and just two minutes later Josh Brownhill’s slotted the ball home after a goalmouth scramble to steal the three points away from Watford like smooth criminals.
I think Mike Jackson has done a wonderful job so far as Burnley manager and the main thing he has done is solidify the defence. Out of the four game Jackson has been in the dugout he has kept a clean sheet in two and conceded a freak own goal in one of them. Having said this, Burnley look dodgy at defending set pieces and whilst Villa aren’t great at attacking set pieces it may be an area to work on.
LAST TIME AT TURF MOOR | BURNLEY 3-2 ASTON VILLA
FAN REPORT | Burnley 3-2 Aston Villa | Adam Holt (utvpodcast.co.uk)
ELLIS BURNETT | UTV PODCAST
Author’s UTV PODCAST archive ellisburnett – UTV Podcast | An Aston Villa Blog
UTV PODCAST | LATEST NEWS
Check out the latest news from the UTV Podcast camp.
Remember, this is a channel built by fans for the fans. It’s a platform for anyone to come on and have their say – if it’s joining us on a Fan Reaction show or getting involved in our written work like Fan Reports, Fan Stories, Player Focus and the popular Player Ratings or have your question answered on our Preview shows – it is open to all.
It’s a super chilled platform, so drop us a message or use our contact page.
FACEBOOK | UTV PODCAST AN ASTON VILLA BLOG
Tap the icon button to join our Facebook page for instant notifications of all the website releases.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook and Twitter readers, click the respective icon below to follow our utvpodcast social media accounts.
In association with #HerGameToo
#Hergame Too is a campaign set up to raise awareness for the sexism that is prevalent in football, as well as supporting, empowering, and creating opportunities for females involved in the game. The #HerGameToo team are made up of twelve football fans that represent an array of teams across the country, including some that work in the industry who have experienced some sexism in their everyday work. They actively encourage people to speak out about their experiences, whether it be to #HerGameToo, friends or family, or the football clubs involved. We must acknowledge that football has come a long way from the issues that existed historically, however there is still a long way to go.
#HerGameToo are doing great work on understanding and removing misogyny in the men’s game, and are continuing to develop their campaign to make it the most inclusive and accessible it can be. Elevating hard-hitting stories, data and new voices is helping to spread their message loud and clear.
If you would like to show your support for #HerGameToo, you can help by calling out any misogynistic comments you hear or see and give them a follow on any of their socials.
W: http://hergametoo.co.uk T: @HerGameToo I: @HerGameToo F: @HerGameToo
