Burnley fans always look on the bright side of life
BURNLEY fans have always been good at black humour. If you've followed them at any time from the early 80s, you have had to be. There were many years where grinning and bearing it were standard issue, from around 1984 to 1992, when Jimmy Mullen led the Clarets out of the league's basement division.
On Tuesday night at The Reebok Owen Coyle emerged to the expected Judas taunts from the packed away end, but amid the angrier daubings the banner that really caught the eye invoked Monty Python's famous Life of Brian.
Coyle's reputation was sealed beyond Burnley when an "Owen Coyle Is God" banner appeared repeatedly on American TV sports events last summer. On Tuesday it was: "He's not the Messiah. He's just a very naughty boy." He was the Messiah, and we should know, we've followed a few in our time.
I think most of us knew it wouldn't be Burnley's night when both Chris McCann and Graham Alexander had to be substituted for injuries in the first quarter of an hour and although Brian Laws has come under messageboard fire for some of the up-and-under stuff that ensued, there were not many options left after that.
There's no doubt the result leaves Burnley in trouble, in the bottom three for the first time this season, and realistically most Clarets fans won't be expecting any points when Chelsea come -calling on Saturday tea-time. The injuries are worrying, although Andre Bikey should be on his way back from the African Nations Cup, and the long win-less (in the league) streak which stretches back into Coyle's reign to the beginning of November will have sapped confidence.
Laws must now re-motivate his players, because Burnley are in a scrap but not out of it. Teams are still packed close together in the bottom half of table and the cause should be far from hopeless.
They key games now are going to be the home ones against West Ham, Portsmouth, Stoke, Wolves and, of course, Blackburn Rovers. The game against Wigan aside (March 20) where a result should be possible, away days at Fulham, Aston Villa and Arsenal may not promise much and anything there would be very much a bonus.
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Weather for Halifax
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -1 C to 0 C
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