From the South West Corner: Seven questions with Burnley FC
Ahead of tonight’s game with Burnley, we sat down with Clarets fan Tom McGivern. We discussed the Cup, Wood and Taylor and looked ahead to the game.
It’s League Cup time again as the Whites travel to Lancashire to face an in-form Burnley side. The game will be a tough affair as the lads face an established Premier League side. However, I do expect some changes to both sides as this has become the norm in domestic cup games, so depending on who plays, the result will be anyone’s guess.
The game has some extra spice as both ex-Leeds players Chris Wood and Charlie Taylor now ply their trade at Turf Moor and, hopefully, we will get to see both men start the game.
As we gear up for the third round of the League Cup, I sat down with Clarets fan Tom McGivern.
From The South West Corner: Burnley FC
Hey Tom, thanks for joining us. Why do you support Burnley?
When I was younger, I was a Rangers fan because all of my family lived in Scotland and supported them, so I kind of just followed my cousins.
Once I got a bit older I decided that because I was born in Burnley I should support my local club, as I think everyone should. At the time, we were a mid-table championship team at best. Quite a few years later, we won our first promotion to the Premier League which was an amazing achievement for us, and now we’ve managed to stay up.
After a decent start, what are your aspirations for the season?
Ideally, I’d like for us to finish in the top half of the table. I don’t expect to be in the top 6, but to be in a good position coming towards the end to the season without the worry of a possible relegation battle would be good.
A few more away wins than last season would be nice too!
Chris Wood and Charlie Taylor both left Leeds in the summer to join Burnley, what are your thoughts on both men so far?
I’ve not really seen much of Charlie Taylor so far, just a couple of friendlies & cup games. He looks like a good player and maybe one for the future as I can’t see him replacing Ward.
Chris Wood has scored 2 very important goals for us already, and he has a lot of pace, which we were missing after the departure of Gray. He has an eye for goal and I can see him getting quite a few more. His goal against Crystal Palace was spectacular, I hope to see more like that!
For some clubs the league cup can be a distraction. As a Burnley fan, is it something you want the club to be focusing on?
I don’t really see it as something we should focus on too much; it’s good for the players that don’t really get much game time as the squad usually gets a bit of a rotation, so players like Charlie Taylor will get some game time. I’d rather we concentrate on a strong league performance this season, but if we do well in the cup, then it’s an added bonus.
Give us a reason you’ll win on Tuesday?
Again, we’ve had a good start to the season, beating Chelsea on the opening day and coming off a well-deserved draw with Liverpool on Saturday. We have a solid defence with James Tarkowski comfortably filling the space left by Michael Keane, and the ever present Ben Mee to keep the goals out.
Hopefully we’ll see Taylor & Wood start (I’m anticipating some boo’s for them from the away fans). I think if we can catch Leeds on the break, we have a good chance of winning.
Give us a reason you’ll lose on Tuesday?
We always have a tough game against Leeds, and they are going to turn up hungry for the win after their defeat to Millwall on Saturday. They’ve got off to a good start this season, losing only one game out of eight and sitting at the top of the Championship. I think we could underestimate them and be in for a shock. The away fans will create a good atmosphere, which will spur them on too.
What’s your prediction then?
I think it’s going to be a tough game, a cold wet Tuesday night at Turf Moor, but with the solid defence & Chris Wood attacking, I’m going to say we’ll get the win. I’ll say the score will be 2–1 to the mighty Clarets.
We would like to thank Tom for taking the time to answer our questions and wish him luck for the rest of the season.
As for us here at NFS, Anthony Linley previewed the game yesterday, so read that before tonight’s kick off. And be sure to follow us on Facebook or Twitter for more Leeds United coverage every day, throughout the day. MOT.
