Shit is a bit harsh but we were not at our best. First half Coventry were easily the better side. We improved second half but were still not at our best. Coventry looked a decent side, Gyorkes looks a very good player. We play WBA Friday, that may see our unbeaten run end as they are on it. As sweet as that would be for us there will still be 8 games to play so that seems unlikely plus a lot of football between now and then before we can even think about promotion.

I’ve only seen him once in the flesh - and forgot he was on the pitch. I guess the manager has earned the right to identify players but I can’t say it’s a signing that will make me think ‘that’s it, we’ve won the league’. Mind you we probably need to cough up near 20 million for the likes of Gyorkes and that isn’t happening.

So they say - will need some tlc to get the best out of him IF we sign him. I think I’m just tired from all the cheque signing 😬

There are no excuses. We are 14 points clear. If all we lose player wise this window is one player to injury for a couple of months then we shouldn’t break stride. I’m just saying he’s a big player for us.

Not sure but I had the impression he turned us down in the summer anyway. We have Taylor who can cover there but wouldn't be my choice. McNally did look ok against Bournemouth once he'd settled down but not sure he's ready and we are about to sign a 20 year old Belgian/Iraqi but not sure whether he's ready to step in either. The way we play is very dependent on CH's and defenders who can play out from the back, at pace when needed so this is definitely a set back for us.

Stories now seem to back this up, suggestions he's out for a couple of months. Big loss for us.

Took me a minute that one He's not the quickest but he is good in the press, good with the ball into his feet and back to goal. It soon transpired he was completely wrong for our system and wrong for our dressing roon. I suspect he might do OK at UTD - and hope he does so we can sell him for a bit of a profit in summer.

He’ll be a big loss for us if that is accurate. No news from the club so far that I’ve seen. We have Taylor who played their early part of the season and McNally who’s somewhat unproven at this level. And the way we play out is central to our system and success. We are linked with a couple of central defenders so this might force our hand. 3 of our first choice defenders are loans as is Tella up front.

As I understood it, when he signed it was agreed that if we were relegated he could go on loan to a top flight club because of the upcoming World Cup - I don’t think was something that came about after he signed. So he never refused to play in the Championship, he just negotiated a deal to protect his place in the National side.

Always - though the Venky years have been somewhat therapeutic 😬

This is apparently true - United are interested in loaning him. But it’s complicated as he’s on loan at Besiktas for the season with an option to buy. So some wheeling and dealing required if they are serious.

Bleeding heck I thought I was quite reserved

You mean since 1992 don’t you? Ahh yes we all remember Trelleborgs - and was it Batty and Le Saux scrapping against Spartak? ps we also went to Istanbul and Greece. But you are right, we won exactly the same number of European completions as you did. *corrected that for you 😉

Some good results today but this one stood out for me.

Agreed but we also need to navigate this window that could see players recalled from loans - and the aforementioned Kompany being poached by a West Ham, Everton etc as well just the run of the mill drop off in form that can happen. It isn't over until it is over.

In time I might be. I realise so far it isn't quite going to plan, yet you are third. Imagine if he can get a couple of players in, those missing links. Kompany has done amazingly well to gel a new team - but in some ways the blessing is he could bring in exactly the type of player he wanted. Personally I wouldn't be writing JDT off yet - but I accept it isn't my team and I don't see the performances week in and out. The way this league has gone it is more than conceivable we are both PL next season - or that neither of us are.

😁😁😁 You are lettting your bitterness cloud your view. Firslty he inherited an Anderlecht side in big financial trouble, he brought through youth players and took them from 8th to third. It was no easy task and he did it with aplomb - a read here if you are really interested https://breakingthelines.com/tactical-analysis/analyzing-vincent-kompanys-anderlecht/ . As for his splurge - he spent about what you guys did on Diaz As for he will move onto bigger and better than us. Well of course he will, only fool would imagine he is anything other than ambitious. He's also astute, he will go when it is the right opportunity. I have no doubt he has a pretty clear career trajectory in mind. But if he leaves because they've come calling it means he's done well, ergo we've done well. Our fond memories will hopefully be putting your guys to the sword twice, a promotion, maybe being Champions and, with a huge slice of good fortune he stays next season in the PL and can guide us to safety. I imagine his stay will be 2 or 3 seasons depending how we finish this season.

Kompany gets it:

Very much so. With so many players out of contract any kind of rebuild in the PL would have been very difficult, perhaps financially impossible. 100%, the last few seasons of Dyche were painful and perhaps things had their course. I don't really blame Dyche, he just "cut his cloth", the previous board who built up 60/70 million in the bank rather than strengthen when we were doing well, they killed it. Aye, with our own money, that we earned 😁

I was going to share the Alex Crook diatribe - Maybe I should have done as I do share your disgust in The Daily Heil and all the other right wing media types and gammon we have in this nation of ours. Severly dislike Talk Sh*ite as well though.

The first 15 years of the PL they didn’t share a penny of the TV money with the football league - prior to this tv money was split 50% for the 1st division, 25% for division 2 and 12.5 for each of 3 and 4. This dried up over night, league teams had to survive with significantly reduced incomes. None of the PL clubs at the time - you included - gave a toss about those you were ‘leaving behind’. Now we’ve managed to claw our way from near extinction to the top division (briefly) and have completely rebuilt the club you think we should feel bad about it or feel it’s unfair? Creating the PL has brought great things to our football. It has also poisoned it but please don’t try to convince me that if you were still in it you would believe it was unfair or be crying out for Burnley to be given a bigger slice of the pie. As for me, we won’t be around it forever, we are not a big city club so I’ll just have to enjoy it whilst we can.

But we did. It is a business contract we entered into that comes with agreed payments based upon certain outcomes. We earned it by virtue of reaching the PL - and that option remains available to all 24 Championship Clubs. It doesn't stop other clubs doing what they want to do - indeed Our promotion in 13/14 was achieved without parachute payments. You benefited in exactly the same way for years in PL and post relegation. I am willing to bet you never returned a penny of the money you got from the PL or complained about it at the time. It galls you now because it is us getting it - and using it well. Fair enough, I absolutely felt the same back in the day before we benefited. No issue admitting to being an absolute hypocrite. It won't stop me enjoying this season immensely whether we get promoted or not. If we are Champions there will be no "*" in the record books - just as there isn't if I look up the 94/95 season - and I will celebrate it like I did our more recent Championship promotions.

Wagner to Norwich. His first spell at Huddersfield aside - and even that went South - what else has he achieved? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64161503 Wouldn't have been top of my list - then again I doubt I'd have sacked Farke.

Not sure this is right - the definition of buying the league for me comes from spending money your were gifted rather than earned - so City for example. I have no issue with teams outspending us because they earn more then we do, twas ever thus. That site you quoted is guessing at best - and is clearly wrong on many wages. For example Cork signed a new contract in summer and his wage will have dropped. Same with Rodriguez. They show Sander Berge as earning less than Brownhill - they paid 22 million for him, he's earning more than any Burnley player. Rhian Brewster is another, we looked at him when he went to Sheff Utd, we were in the PL but couldn't afford his wage demands. So whilst I accept we will have a higher wage bill than you, largely because of those PL wages we couldn't shift off the books, I don't accept it is what that site claims. But regardless, it is funded by our trading activities. Our owners take money out of the club not put it in.