Grant backing Burnley to stay up
Manchester United keeper Lee Grant is convinced Sean Dyche will keep his former club Burnley in the Premier League.
The Clarets currently sit at the bottom of the table but have games in hand after a number of postponements.
Ralf Rangnick's men visit Turf Moor this evening (Tuesday), looking to gain three important points in the challenge for a top-four slot. Despite the Lancashire side's precarious position, it is likely to be another test for United in a difficult environment. And Grant firmly believes Dyche will ensure his side beats the drop, albeit hopefully after they are seen off by the Reds on the night.
Training hard for Turf Moor
GalleryOur latest photos from Carrington show a squad that is determined to make a positive statement against Burnley.
“There have been times over the last two or three years where people have probably written Burnley off and I think this may be a time when that noise is starting to surface again,” Grant told us. “But, somehow, Sean Dyche seems to find a way, every year, of galvanising not just his team but the club and the town.
“He does such a good job of that and I think it’s really underrated what he’s done for that football club and that town. Because of that, the expectation of someone like myself, who has actually worked under the gaffer, is that he will do it again, regardless of the fact he’s had to sell big players.
“I’m sure Chris Wood will be a loss to them but I still feel there’s something he’s developed at that football club that will allow them to get out of trouble. As much as it’s a tough game for us, we’re looking to kick on and carry some of that momentum in the league, from what I think was a huge win against West Ham, into that fixture. I’m sure we’ll be up to the task.”
“He does such a good job of that and I think it’s really underrated what he’s done for that football club and that town. Because of that, the expectation of someone like myself, who has actually worked under the gaffer, is that he will do it again, regardless of the fact he’s had to sell big players.
“I’m sure Chris Wood will be a loss to them but I still feel there’s something he’s developed at that football club that will allow them to get out of trouble. As much as it’s a tough game for us, we’re looking to kick on and carry some of that momentum in the league, from what I think was a huge win against West Ham, into that fixture. I’m sure we’ll be up to the task.”
The experienced keeper believes Dyche will manage to keep the Clarets out of the bottom three as they are only currently three points adrift of safety, and with three games in hand on 17th-placed Norwich City.
“I think, regardless of who is playing at that football club, as I’ve said, the management team have a knack of being able to galvanise the football club to get a team that is really able to work for each other all of the time,” he added.
“In difficult moments, win or lose, they stay true to their cause and, long term, I predict that football club to stay up and Sean Dyche to do it again.
“I think one of the most important aspects is they’ve been there before and done it. In many ways, it’s not new for them, it’s not new territory. They’re in a place you can pretty much almost say they’re comfortable with.
“On the inside, it may be a little different, the perspective on it. But from the outside looking in, I would certainly say this is a football club that wouldn’t be panicking right now. Knowing the management staff there as I do, I’m pretty sure that they’ll be nothing but calm and controlled about what is coming for them in the rest of the season.”
“I think, regardless of who is playing at that football club, as I’ve said, the management team have a knack of being able to galvanise the football club to get a team that is really able to work for each other all of the time,” he added.
“In difficult moments, win or lose, they stay true to their cause and, long term, I predict that football club to stay up and Sean Dyche to do it again.
“I think one of the most important aspects is they’ve been there before and done it. In many ways, it’s not new for them, it’s not new territory. They’re in a place you can pretty much almost say they’re comfortable with.
“On the inside, it may be a little different, the perspective on it. But from the outside looking in, I would certainly say this is a football club that wouldn’t be panicking right now. Knowing the management staff there as I do, I’m pretty sure that they’ll be nothing but calm and controlled about what is coming for them in the rest of the season.”
The 39-year-old accepts he joined Burnley at a difficult time, following their relegation from the Premier League. After an initial loan spell in 2006, he signed permanently for the Lancashire club four years later and won the fans’ Player of the Season award in 2012/13.
”It was a good time,” he recalled. “Difficult in many senses with the fact that the club had just come out of the Premier League. To join a club, any football club, at that stage, is always very difficult as it was in a very transitional period at that time. ”A lot of players were coming from the Premier League that perhaps were disappointed to be coming out of that league, having had a taste of it. There’s always that to contend with. I would say, over the three years I was there, there was a huge overhaul of the squad. It was a difficult period and, on reflection, I didn’t realise how big a task it would be going to a club that had just been relegated. ”Obviously, the hopes were really high but we didn’t manage to get promotion in my three years there. But I enjoyed it. I worked under three different managers in three years which didn’t help the stability, to be honest, but it’s a really solid football club and I’ve been really pleased to see how Sean Dyche has been able to transform it and kick on in the last few years.”
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