Don Goodman spoke more in his interview with OLBG about Burnley…
On Scott Parker being appointed by Burnley: “Scott Parker is suffering the same sort of criticism as Gareth Southgate. His success in the Championship is there for all to see and he’s said that he wants to prove himself again after struggling at Club Brugge.
“He’s got a squad capable of competing at the top of the Championship but there’s a long time left of the transfer window, so that could change. This is a great opportunity for him.
“People complain about his style, it’s very possession-based and patient which follows what Vincent Kompany’s side was doing. Burnley fans are educated and appreciate a possession-based style now.
“It’s all about results for Scott Parker and getting off to a good start. If their squad remains one of the strongest, then the pressure is on and he has to get results early to keep the wolves away from the door. It (Burnley and Scott Parker) does seem like a decent marriage to me.
“But for me, Burnley’s success will be down to which players remain at the club and who leaves, rather than Scott Parker. If he loses the best players, they could transition away from promotion contenders in the same way that West Brom, Norwich and Watford have done in the past.”
Asked who do you fancy for promotion and relegation from the Championship, he said: “Last season was one of the easiest Championship seasons to predict in terms of who would be at the top as Leeds, Leicester and Southampton all retained a plethora of Premier League-quality players They were always going to be competing at the top end of the league.
“However this season I’m not so confident in the relegated clubs. For Burnley and Luton, it depends on what their squad looks like when the transfer window shuts. Will Burnley keep the likes of Lyle Foster, Luca Koleosho and Sander Berge? If they do, you fancy them to be a force. Will Luton keep the likes of Alfie Doughty, Elijah Adebayo and Carlton Morris? If they do, you’d also tip them to be competing at the top.
“But Sheffield United look like a club in disarray and are coming down from the Premier in a very weak state. A massive overhaul is required for Chris Wilder and his backroom staff. I’m not saying they can’t do it, but he’s up against it at the moment.
“You’d expect Leeds to be towards the top, with the sale of Archie Gray possibly meaning they’ll be able to keep hold of the attacking force that tore apart Championship defences for 80% of the season before falling at the last hurdle.”
“Then with some teams, you don’t really know what to expect from them. You cannot rule out West Brom with Carlos Corberan in charge still, Coventry’s FA Cup semi-final proved a hindrance to their promotion hopes last season, and Middlesbrough ended the campaign very strongly.
“The upcoming Championship season will not be as strong as last season’s, which had the best top-four that I’ve ever seen. That’s going to give an opportunity for some teams to surprise us.
“At the bottom, Des Buckingham has a huge job on his hands at Oxford as play-off winners are notoriously the teams that struggle the most. It’s just brilliant that they’re in the Championship.
“Derby County remind me of Sheffield Wednesday last season as they have one of the oldest teams in the division. Wednesday struggled with the physical side of things early on last year, so it’s interesting to see Paul Warne move on a number of 30-plus-year-olds and bring pace and energy into the club. That gap still needs to be bridged, though.
“I would expect Portsmouth to be the strongest of the relegated clubs and, therefore, I’m looking at the clubs that just about survived. John Eustace has a big job on his hands at Blackburn after they relied so heavily on Sammie Szmodics, it would be some achievement if he could replicate such performances. I’m not sure about Plymouth, and that’s not because of Wayne Rooney, it’s just the nature of them being in the Championship.
“Even Sunderland finished the season winning just two of their last 15 games. They’ve got a new manager in Regis Les Bris, whose background is in developing young footballers but this is the Championship so it’s very difficult for a whole group of young players to succeed and they didn’t have any strikers capable of performing at that level and struggled for goals. Those would be the clubs I’d be concerned about.”
Burnley – Fixtures
Mon 12 Aug (A) Luton Town – 8pm
Sat 17 Aug (H) Cardiff City – 3pm
Sat 24 Aug (A) Sunderland – 3pm
Sat 31 Aug (H) Blackburn Rovers – 12.30pm
Sat 14 Sep (A) Leeds United – 12.30pm
Sat 21 Sep (H) Portsmouth – 3pm
Sat 28 Sep (A) Oxford United – 3pm
Tue 1 Oct (H) Plymouth Argyle – 7.45pm
Sat 5 Oct (H) Preston North End – 3pm
Sat 19 Oct (A) Sheffield Wednesday – 3pm
Tue 22 Oct (A) Hull City – 7.45pm
Sat 26 Oct (H) Queens Park Rangers – 3pm
Sat 2 Nov (A) Millwall – 3pm
Tue 5 Nov (A) West Bromwich Albion – 7.45pm
Sat 9 Nov (H) Swansea City – 3pm
Sat 23 Nov (A) Bristol City – 3pm
Tue 26 Nov (H) Coventry City – 7.45pm
Sat 30 Nov (A) Stoke City – 3pm
Sat 7 Dec (H) Middlesbrough – 3pm
Tue 10 Dec (H) Derby County – 7.45pm
Sat 14 Dec (A) Norwich City – 3pm
Sat 21 Dec (H) Watford – 3pm
Thu 26 Dec (A) Sheffield United – 3pm
Sun 29 Dec (A) Middlesbrough – 3pm
Wed 1 Jan (H) Stoke City – 3pm
Sat 4 Jan (A) Blackburn Rovers – 3pm
Sat 18 Jan (H) Sunderland – 3pm
Wed 22 Jan (A) Plymouth Argyle – 7.45pm
Sat 25 Jan (H) Leeds United – 3pm
Sat 1 Feb (A) Portsmouth – 3pm
Sat 8 Feb (H) Oxford United – 3pm
Wed 12 Feb (H) Hull City – 7.45pm
Sat 15 Feb (A) Preston North End – 3pm
Sat 22 Feb (H) Sheffield Wednesday – 3pm
Sat 1 Mar (A) Cardiff City – 3pm
Sat 8 Mar (H) Luton Town – 3pm
Tue 11 Mar (H) West Bromwich Albion – 7.45pm
Sat 15 Mar (A) Swansea City – 3pm
Sat 29 Mar (H) Bristol City – 3pm
Sat 5 Apr (A) Coventry City – 3pm
Wed 9 Apr (A) Derby County – 7.45pm
Sat 12 Apr (H) Norwich City – 3pm
Fri 18 Apr (A) Watford – 3pm
Mon 21 Apr (H) Sheffield United – 3pm
Sat 26 Apr (A) Queens Park Rangers – 3pm
Sat 3 May (H) Millwall – 3pm
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