Sean Dyche Interview: Mentality is the key for the Burnley boss
Saturday 15 August 2015 09:36, UK
After the Premier League adventure, Sean Dyche remains committed to getting the best from Burnley. Adam Bate caught up with him to discuss the season ahead...
Sean Dyche is accustomed to challenging the stereotypes. The former centre half with the gruff voice and the gruffer appearance could easily be characterised as a bruiser. It's perhaps why he's always been happy to point out that he began life as a tricky midfield player under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest.
As a manager, Dyche is still busy changing the perceptions about him within the game. First, there were his thoughtful appearances on the Soccer Saturday panel and then, as Burnley manager, he earned plaudits for sticking up for his player after Jose Mourinho made his own foray onto Sky's Goals on Sunday programme to criticise Ashley Barnes.
Dyche calls it "seeing through the noise" and while the fact that he remains at the helm following Burnley's return to the Championship might be seen as evidence that relegation was no surprise, the man himself remains ambitious. He continues to set high standards and has no intention of allowing Burnley to slip quietly back into the Championship pack.
FL72 Live
Part of the explanation for this bullishness is that one year in the Premier League has changed the club's financial capabilities and with it the expectations upon him. Even so, the basic principles remain the same. "Finance is one thing but getting the team out there willing to perform and win is the main thing," he tells Sky Sports.
"Our budget has increased for obvious reasons, but we're certainly not market leaders in the Championship by any means. There are some massive budgets out there. But it has grown and we think we can be competitive with wages and transfers. But put that to one side and it still comes down to the mentality of the players and myself."
Mentality
Mentality is a recurring theme with Dyche. Unashamedly old school in some respects, he's a man who came within moments of reaching the FA Cup final as a Chesterfield player in 1997 and continues to be shaped by that underdog spirit. He speaks of respect and passion with a conviction that makes you wonder how they could ever go out of fashion.
There are the tales about not wanting to spend all the club's money when they could be worrying about paying the electricity bill in two years' time. But Dyche sees no contradiction with maintaining this line of thinking and still being modern in his thinking. It's persuasive. When he uses the term 'detail down' as a verb, you can't help but nod.
Sir Alex Ferguson called him one of the most promising managers in the game, but he is acutely aware that this season represents a challenge. Given that Dyche has suggested that losing just a few individuals can change a dressing-room dynamic, the loss of top scorer Danny Ings, captain Jason Shackell and key full-back Kieran Trippier would seem a problem.
"We know we've lost key players," he acknowledges. "They have been very good servants for the club. But they're not irreplaceable. We like the players we're working with. We want them to grow and take on the challenge of becoming the next big players."
Return
The return of Sam Vokes, who missed much of last season with a cruciate knee injury, is a significant cause for optimism given that he scored 20 goals in the club's promotion season. The Welshman came off the bench to score a late equaliser at Leeds on the opening day of the season. "We've only just started getting him up to speed and sharp," adds Dyche.
"He did terrific for us when he came on against Leeds and scored a fantastic goal. We're looking for him to discover his true fitness." There are new additions too. "Jelle Vossen is still adapting to the new group, Tendayi Darikwa has come in at right-back and done very nicely and then there's Matt Lowton as well."
So will Trippier's delivery be missed? "We want to create chances all over the pitch but it's fair to say it was a fantastic cross from Tendayi to Sam Vokes last week." The chemistry between Ings and Vokes? "There are relationships all over the pitch. They are important between strikers but we think we've got options up there."
The optimism is relentless and it all comes down to that word, mentality. Dyche knows from experience just how vital it can be. Burnley were unfancied last time around in the Championship but lost only five of their 46 matches to claim automatic promotion. It remains his template for success.
Consistency
"The mentality of the whole squad is very important because the ones not getting picked can be as important as the ones who are," says Dyche. "Consistency of performance is essential. You don't have to be exceptional every week but as a minimum you need to be at a level that even on a bad day you get points on the board.
"You need good fitness from the players and the organisational structure has to be there from early on in pre-season because the games come so quickly that you don't have much time on the grass with the players to shuffle the pack tactically. And that's just yourself, of course. Then you've got the opposition who are trying to stop everything you're planning."
The games come so quickly that you don’t have much time on the grass with the players to shuffle the pack tactically.
There will be less time to plan this season but, typically, Dyche refuses to accept it's an issue. "On the one hand, you get more time to prep in the Premier League but on the other hand, some of those weeks are wasted where people are almost willing for another game. Some players like to play consistently." Remove the excuses.
Could the transfer window be a problem? "My view is irrelevant. All we can do is stick to the rules." Was the Capital One Cup defeat to Port Vale a concern? "I'm not going to overthink a cup game. That's not relevant to the bigger picture. I'm more interested in what the league's got for us this season." Clarity of purpose.
Performance
"We want to be strong and we want to be in a position to maximise the potential of the players in every game because it's a long season with 46 league games. We focus a lot on performance here. If your performance levels are right, that brings results and that brings momentum naturally. We believe in the training schedule."
And Burnley believes in Dyche. The point at Leeds was "a marker to go on with" but now his men are back at Turf Moor and looking to pick up their first win of the season in front of the Sky Sports cameras against Birmingham on Saturday lunchtime. It's time for Sean Dyche to confound the expectations once again.
As proud sponsors of the Football League, Sky Bet are giving all customers a £10 free in-play on every televised Sky Bet Football League match this month when you place a £25 bet on that match.
To claim your free bet, go to: https://www.skybet.com/10free (Terms and Conditions apply)
