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If you'd have asked me at half time what I thought about our performance, then none of the above would have been even considered. It constantly amazes me how thin the margins are in football!
Like the team of 2006/2007, Burnley won their first game of the season in what turned out to be a closely fought, entertaining game in front of a healthy opening day crowd. Burnley answered a few questions on Saturday afternoon and typical of this unpredictable game we watch, they left a few questions unanswered as well.
As we stood outside the club shop at around 2pm, the scene was one to savour. A bright, sunny day combined with teems of Burnley supporters walking down Harry Potts Way. After all the low attendances and depression of last season, it brought a smile to my face. All I could see was an array of shirts, both old and new. Could it be possible that a section of fans alienated from Turf Moor over the last few years could have been tempted back?
Nobody would have been expecting much after the first half, where Burnley's midfield let West Brom's take the game to them. Despite starting well, and Duff and McCann missing two headed opportunities, the Clarets conceded first. West Brom constantly found space down our left hand side, often getting themselves in two on one situations with Michael Duff. McCann and Gudjonnson were anonymous, further highlighting the need for that elusive central midfielder. From the middle of the Longside it looked as if Jordan should have cut the pass out. There was no doubt about Phillips' finish though, the ball sliding past Kiraly for 1-0. There was a certain inevitability that a second goal would come, West Brom dominated from the goal onwards.
Half time came and I think everyone felt that reality had kicked in. To some extent our hopes and aspirations had been deflated. Could this Burnley team prove to the crowd that they could play?
The answer is: yes - with a little bit of panache thrown on top for good measure.
A few questions were answered in the second half display. I learnt that Ade Akinbiyi could compete in The Championship. We all know his ball control leaves a lot to be desired, but the way he ran the West Brom defenders ragged - well he was an absolute menace! Apart from this, the balls played into Akinbiyi were perfect and exercised his attributes perfectly. He beat the full back time after time with his pace and strength. There was none of the staccato midfield play, slow build up or playing it into his feet with his back to goal like last season. It was simply a matter of playing the ball into the right channel and letting Akinbiyi's attributes do the talking.
The introduction of Lafferty was an enforced substitution, but inspired most of our forward play, constantly wreaking havoc on the edge of the left touchline. Lafferty's performance was inspiring, skilful and showed to me that he could be a player who could single-handedly bring fans through the turnstiles if he continues to improve. How long ago has it been since any Burnley manager has been able to bring on the quality of Akinbiyi and Lafferty as substitutes? Do we now have the capability in our squad to change a game when the game is slipping away?
While Burnley have been managed by Steve Cotterill there have been some great wins, wins that have made me to proud to be a Burnley fan. What has not happened for Burnley during Cotterill's reign is a sustained campaign for promotion - who can forget the middle of last season? Looking at history, it wouldn't be fair to say that Saturday's result was an indicator of whether Burnley can achieve anything more than mediocrity this season. However, I did feel like I saw something extra on the pitch, there was that little bit more quality.
There is a massive task ahead for this team. They have got to inspire fans to come back through the turnstiles with entertaining football and results. The club must inspire on the whole - one only had to look through the free match programme to see the stadium plans, which was a stroke of genius in terms of advertising what the club is striving to achieve.
Looking at the programme, the buzz outside and inside the Turf and Lafferty, Akinbiyi and Gray wreaking havoc, who wouldn't believe that anything was possible?
I'm not going to get lost in it though. Time has passed since Saturday and this particular fan realises that there is a long, long way to go in the season. However, this doesn't change the fact that it was a stirring day to be a Burnley fan. The atmosphere in the stadium and play on the pitch, for the second half at least, was the reason why people turn up to watch football week upon week, year after year.
There have been times in Burnley's history when the fans have been motivated to watch the team in large numbers: The Orient game, promotion from the second division, the 4th division championship, the signing of Ian Wright.
The big question is: can Burnley FC inspire the fans again?