Sometimes you can smell it in the air

Last updated : 04 October 2014 By Tony Scholes

I was astonished at Nigel Pearson's comments on their local radio after the game, one of the worst examples of local radio you are likely to find anywhere in the country. He was patronising towards Burnley Football Club with his wholly unnecessary, totally incorrect and offensive remarks about our club.

Toned down somewhat for their club web site, he said: "It's two points dropped for us really because we've been the side that has tried to be attack minded throughout.

"I could be critical if I wanted of our own players in terms of not maximising our own attacking situations enough, but ultimately we've been pegged back right at the death and it's not given us a chance to respond.

"It's disappointing but I am pleased with how the players have tried to go about it again. We've not quite showed the clinical finish we've had in other games but to score two goals at home again is a good indicator.

"Of course what we've got to do now is stop the goals at the other end, and unfortunately for us at the moment we seem to be giving away too many set plays."

He added: "I don't see anything to suggest they put us under immense pressure. I don't feel that we were threatened too much by them in the whole game. The two goals that they scored were pretty much a surprise at both times. That shows you that what we have to do is be more clinical and we have shown it for long periods of the first period of the season.

"Today, in a game that we've dominated for long periods, we've not got the result that we deserved. You've got to give them a bit of credit. They scored two goals against us but I certainly wouldn't buy into any argument that we shouldn't have won the game. We should have won the game."

He said: "It felt like a Championship game. There was not a great deal of fluidity to it. It was a scrappy game. They didn't come here to play any fluid football. They came here to be difficult to beat and they were."

Pearson said of the two teams: "I think we are better than we were last season. I don't think they are as good as they were last year on today's performance but what they do have is spirit."

Worst of all were Pearson's comments on Kieran Trippier. Tripps had to be stretchered off the field after collapsing when he tried to get up.

The disgraceful Pearson said: "What irritates me more than anything is that a player goes down injured six inches from the edge of the pitch and it takes them six minutes to get him off the field."

Sean Dyche, however, was delighted with the our display, particularly coming just six days after the disappointment at West Brom.

"We're very pleased," he said. "We came away from what we believe in a little bit last week and I think that was a reminder of what we're all about. We believe in the team and the team believe in each other. We created chances and looked a real threat.

"All backed by a tremendous fan base today. I must say I thought they were absolutely exceptional. I've had some amazing times at this football club, as we all have, but I thought today the feel of the fans was immense.

"When Ross scored I was thinking to myself 'that's for you' because they were top drawer in the corner and their support was tremendous."

Dyche added: "We were back to the relentless tag today and I think generally we've been pretty pleased with the performance, bar West Brom of course, but we were back to that feel.

"Towards the end I thought it was inevitable, we kept Barnesy and two other forwards on and sometimes you can smell it in the air. I didn't think it would come in that style admittedly because that is an unbelievable and a fantastic moment of quality from Ross."

There was some good news in terms of the injuries too. He added: "We're hoping Tripps' injury is not as bad as you first see with him going off on a stretcher, it's a sore one of course, but we're looking to use the international break to get bodies back.

"David Jones and Dean Marney, we're very confident on them and Tripps we'll have to wait and see as it's too early to tell.

"It was a tough call and we went through about twenty different thoughts on how the team should operate in terms of shape, positions and we wanted balance.

"I thought Stephen Ward delivered a very solid performance and I must say I thought Scott Arfield was incredible. Talk about players playing with freedom in the Premier League, and I'm amazed he's not in the Scotland squad but c'est la vie, it's a game of opinion."