The theory that the 22/23 Championship was the weakest one in recent years was given credence by the performance of the three promoted teams that year in the Premier League last season.
The trio were relegated with the team which came up through the Play Offs, Luton, coming the closest to surviving. Yet, despite them becoming “everyone’s favourite second side” for a while as they suggested around January/February time they could stay up, Luton finished four points short of the total City accumulated in the worst of their two relegation seasons in the top flight in the twenty first century – Luton’s eighteenth placed finish with just twenty six points suggested that the three relegated sides were just not up to the task of competing in the Premier League.
For me, Sheffield United, with their mere sixteen points and a hundred and four goals conceded were, possibly, the weakest Premier League side ever, save for the notorious Derby team of 07/08 that finished with just eleven points.
Burnley, second tier Champions in 22/23, finished two points behind Luton and, despite many predicting that they could survive before a ball was kicked, never really threatened to do so – they did have a decent run towards the end of the campaign which raised hopes a little of a spectacular escape from the drop, but they had left themselves too much to do.
Given all of this, the 24/25 Championship does not feel as daunting a challenge for ‘the rest” as it did a year ago when Leicester, Southampton and Leeds were getting their bearings following their relegations, but Burnley sent out a signal that they could be a formidable team this season by going to Luton on Monday night and winning 4-1.
I did not watch the game live, but have since watched some highlights and what struck me was how much attacking pace Burnley looked to have – Luton just could not cope with it and, from. what I saw, a three goal winning margin didn’t flatter the visitors.
Tomorrow, a Cardiff City team frequently criticised for their lack of pace go to Turf Moor for what might well turn out to be their toughest away fixture of their league season. Not only that, City head north with a worryingly large injury list for so early in the season with David Turnbull and, possibly, Callum Robinson joining long term absentees Isaak Davies, Kion Etete and Jamilu Collins on the injured list.
Going back to City’s Premier League days, tomorrow’s game has the feel of a visit to, say, Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal or Manchester United – it’s something of a free hit and let’s not forget that we did win at Old Trafford in 18/19, but, realistically, it’s hard to see anything other than a defeat for City with the hope being that it doesn’t get too messy for us.
Here’s the usual quiz with seven questions about onr opponents dating back to the sixties, I’ll post the answers on here on Sunday.
60s. This Liverpudlian midfielder began his career in non league football representing a place far more famous for its Rugby League team, but he was picked up by a stripey First Division outfit and then signed by Burnley when he was released without playing a game for them. He soon established himself at Turf Moor and had broken into the team just as the decade was coming to an end. A deep lying operator in the main, he was still able to score at a decent rate and his next move took him further north. He was an ever present in one of his four seasons in the First Division with his new club during which he chalked up more than a hundred league appearances. He stayed in the First Division for his final move as he followed his manager to a team trying, unsuccessfully, to recapture former glories – his career just about made it into the eighties, but it was soon ended by an encounter with one of the game’s hard men of the time in a derby fixture as he suffered the injury he never filly recovered from. Who am I describing?
70s. Starting out with the Candystripes, this winger, capped twenty eight times for his country, then wore blue for the Blues, but it was with the Bannsiders where he broke through and international recognition followed before he made the move to Burnley. His new club were struggling somewhat during his time with them, but his form was still good enough to earn him a move to First Division reds. It was here where he played his best football probably, but, after a loan spell in Hong Kong, he left to perform in front of the Rainham End. He went globe trotting again with a short spell in a place famous for its Cowboys, before a return home for what seemed like a gradual rewind down to retirement, but some big cats thought he could still do a job for them and then he became a monkey hanger before finishing his days playing for a succession of non league sides in North East England. Can you name him?
80s. This England international played for four clubs, the last of which was Burnley, before being forced to retire at twenty six. Unusually, perhaps uniquely, the same manager was in charge for at least part of the time he spent at every club he played for. Who is he and can you name the manager?
90s. Hah! Artificial Intelligence ranted at forward who had two spells with Burnley. (6,5)
00s. The first time this century it took forty minutes, the second time it took four hundred and thirty nine minutes in total, what occurrence relating to City v Burnley matches at Ninian Park am I describing?
10s. Arrest at the Vatican? Surely not, but it sounds like one!
20s. It first happened for Cardiff, against Burnley actually, over sixteen years ago, but hasn’t happened for Burnley yet. It has also happened for Cheltenham, Norwich and Middlesbrough though and there could be twice as many chances as normal of it happening tomorrow – what occurence am I talking about?”
Answers:
60s. Geoff Nulty was spotted by Stoke City while he was playing for St Helens Town, but he had to wait until he had moved to Burnley to make his league debut. After playing in all forty two games for Burnley in 73/74, Nulty was sold to Newcastle early in the following seaso before his former manager at St James’ Park, Gordon Lee, signed him for Everton in 1978. Nulty’s career was ended in February 1980 because of an injury caused by a challenge from Liverpool’s Jimmy Case.
70s. Northern Ireland international Terry Cochrane started his career with Derry City before moving to Linfield, but it was at Coleraine that he really came to prominence and his form attracted Burnley who signed him in 1978. Moving on to Middlesbrough next, Cochrane signed for Gillingham in 1983. Three years later he signed for the Dallas Sidekicks and then returned to Coleraine, but Millwall and then Hartlepool ensured that his Football League career was not quite over yet.
80s. Kevin Reeves was managed by John Bond at Bournemouth, Norwich, Manchester City and Burnley.
90s. Adrian Heath.
00s.The time between Burnley goals. Steve Davis put Burnley a goal up in the twenty first minute of a game at Ninian Park on April Fool’s day 2000. Andy Payton then doubled their lead on sixty one minutes as Burnley won by 2-1, but their next goal at the ground was not scored until Ade Akinbivi equalised for them in the fiftieth minute of a game they eventually lost 2-1 on 6 October 2007. In between times, Burnley had made four further visits to Ninian Park and had lost them all without scoring a goal.
10s. Nick Pope.
20s. Someone called Aaron Ramsey scored in the Football League (EFL). Our Aaron Ramsey scored his first goal for us in a 3-3 draw at Turf Moor in April 2008, Burnley’s Aaron Ramsey has not scored for them yet, but he did score goals for Cheltenham, Norwich and Middlesbrough while on loan to those clubs from Aston Villa.