The upcoming double gameweek 29 should perhaps be termed the “Owen Coyle Double Week” as the Scotsman’s current and previous clubs, Bolton and Burnley, are the only teams with two league games on their agendas, with both looking for points to help ease their respective relegation worries.
First up in our analysis is Burnley, who take on Arsenal away and Stoke at home. Following a great start to the season, the Turf Moor men have rapidly fallen apart, and are now second bottom of the table, having won just twice in their last nineteen league games…
Opponents
Burnley travel to the Emirates to take on an Arsenal side now just three points off the top of the table, following their spirited fight back against Stoke last weekend. With Nicklas Bendtner now bedding in nicely up front, Cesc Fabregas back to his brilliant best, and Arsene Wenger promising the injury to Aaron Ramsey will spur his team on in the title race, the Gunners should easily run up a substantial victory.
Currently, Derby County have the worst away record in Premiership history; two seasons back they chalked up three points on the road all season, but with just a single point earned on the road from fourteen games, Burnley are on course to eclipse that.
Burnley then host Stoke City, in a match Brian Laws will surely have earmarked as a must-win. Despite having won just twice on their travels this season, Stoke are unbeaten in their last three away fixtures. Their defeat to Arsenal was Tony Pulis’ side’s first in eight games, having previously been unbeaten since the turn of the year.
Current Form
P7 W1 DO L6 F6 A17 PTS 3
Brian Laws record since taking over the managerial reigns mid-January hardly makes for promising reading. The club have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of the games, though on a (slightly) positive note, they have managed to find the net in all three of their home games under the new boss.
As stated above, the club’s away performances have been appalling this season, with only a series of fantastic results at Turf Moor keeping them in the running for survival. Having previously been unbeaten in five home games prior to Laws’ arrival, Burnley have now lost two out of three, with bottom dogs Portsmouth the latest club to leave Lancashire victorious. But for Brian Jensen’s penalty save last weekend, their defeat would have been more severe.
Rotation Risk
As Mark mentioned in a recent “Knee Jerk” article, Brian Laws’ selection policy from game to game has chopped and changed to such an extent that previous favourites are now uncertainties.
Chris Eagles and Wade Elliott, mainstays of Owen Coyle’s midfield, are, perhaps surprisingly, not guaranteed starts. New boy Jack Cork, despite impressing in the away defeat to Aston Villa, was subsequently benched against Pompey and ended up with 28 mins playing time. Martin Paterson, scorer of the club’s goal against Portsmouth last weekend, was playing his first full 90 mins of the season.
If club captain Graham Alexander is fit to start this weekend, the likes of Andre Bikey or Kevin McDonald could make way in midfield. Bikey could then drop back to defence, thus threatening the starting positions of the likes of Clarke Carlisle or Leon Cort at centre half. In short, very few players are certain to be starters as the new boss wields the axe time and again in a desperate bid for points.
Potential Targets
In all honesty, it seems – given the form and uncertainty over playing time- that Burnley offer very little positives for this upcoming DGW. Investment, therefore, comes at a risk, but with so many teams on FA Cup duty and players subsequently missing from FPL line-ups, there will undoubtedly be many managers willing to take a chance.
Brian Jensen
The goalkeeper comes into the DGW on the back of a penalty save against Portsmouth, and is possibly the nearest thing to a nailed-on starter you could get under Brian Laws. Will be under siege in the Emirates game, though given that Paul Robinson picked up 5 FPL points when Blackburn conceded six at Arsenal (thanks to the number of saves), Jensen could come out of the first game not too badly.
Having failed to keep a clean sheet under Laws, Jensen’s luck seems unlikely to change in the home game with Stoke either, considering Portsmouth had 16 shots at goal last weekend.
Predicted Return: 15 saves
Danny Fox
Fox caught the eye and was subject of much talk on the FFS boards with 13 points on his debut, but has subsequently picked up 2 points from his last 3 games. The fact that he takes corners and free kicks is worth a gamble, though, giving Fox a better chance than most to grab an assist. Has missed a mere five minutes since joining the club at the end of the January transfer window, so is more likely than most to participate.
Predicted Return: 1 assist
Graham Alexander
Having turned out for the reserves midweek following a recent calf injury, the club captain will surely return to the starting line-up this weekend. Being the club’s penalty taker has helped boost his goals tally to five in the league this season, and despite missing the last five games, has only 5 less FPL points than Chris Eagles. Of his total of 72 points, 57 have been picked up at home.
Predicted Return: Good chance he‘ll not score, but then again it‘s always worth having a club‘s penalty taker in the ranks, especially when he‘s priced at £4.7m.
Chris Eagles
Earlier in the season, it seemed the midfielder merely had to turn up on the pitch for FPL Bonus Points to come his way; so far Burnley have been awarded 62 Bonus Points this season, with 18 going Eagles’ way. However, it now depends if Brian Laws allows the winger time on the pitch. He has played just 28 minutes of the last two home games, and has failed to hit Bonus in Burnley’s last five games, but if anyone can give the team a much-needed creative spark, it’s him.
Predicted Return: 1 Bonus Point
Steven Fletcher
A steady return of two goals and an assist in his last five games is pretty much a reflection of the forward’s season. Having pulled out of Scotland’s midweek match with a broken hand, Fletcher’s availability is still anticipated this weekend, with Brian Laws hoping the hitman can take to the pitch with a protective cast. As mentioned earlier, Burnley have scored in all three home games under Laws, and Fletcher, as their top scorer, is their best bet to notch a goal.
Predicted Return: 1 goal.