What Chris Wood brings to Burnley

 

Chris Wood hit the headlines yesterday after he became the first player to score a first-half hat-trick since Michael Owen did it for Liverpool against Newcastle in 1998.  

That hat-trick also meant he has hit 10 or more league goals for the fourth successive campaign. This achievement holds more significance considering his slow start to the season where he had only scored four league goals before March.

Since then he has got on the scoresheet six times in the last six games. As well as providing a goal threat he also has other qualities that he brings to the team, let’s go deeper into these qualities:

 

Unselfish play

Strikers can often be selfish in the way they play and become hell-bent on scoring goals which is all well and good but a Sean Dyche side focuses on a collective effort rather than the performance of one individual. 

Wood fits into this dynamic well and that can be shown with the fact that he has registered two assists in his last three games. One of those assists came in yesterday’s game and was a perfect example of his unselfishness.

 Jay Rodriguez gave him the ball in the box and having already scored three times he would have been forgiven if he had tried to add to his tally. Instead, he laid the ball off to Ashley Westwood who rifled the ball into the top corner. 

His assist in the previous home game against Newcastle took more work. You don’t expect strikers to be putting crosses in but this is what Wood did as he picked out Matej Vydra with a low-driven cross and the number 27 finished off his teammate's good work.

Predatory instinct 

Like all great strikers Wood has the ability to be in the right place at the right time. This was evident in his second goal at Molineux when after seeing Dwight Mcneil dispossess Nélson Semedo in the penalty area he raced across the box to pounce on the ball and tap it home.

 

Marc Atkins /gettyimages

In the Arsenal game last month Wood scored a goal similar to the one he scored for Leicester against Watford in 2013 except this time it didn’t hit him square in the face. 

Along with his strike partner Vydra, Wood set out to press the Arsenal defence in the box and this forced Granit Xhaka to make a rash pass intended for David Luiz. Unfortunately for Xhaka it hit Wood and bounced off his thigh into the net. They all count.

 

Ball control

Burnley fans have been critical of Wood’s ability on the ball in the past but it looks to be an area he is developing in. 

His first goal against Wolves was a superb finish where he held the ball up, knocked it through the legs of Conor Coady and smashed it into the opposite corner. 

He is no stranger to this type of goal, in the final game of last season against Brighton he exquisitely controlled Erik Pieters ball over the top and slotted it past Robert Sanchez for his 14th league goal of that campaign. 

With five games to go that figure is well within reach this time around and if he keeps on firing at the rate that he is, that can only bode well for the Clarets. 

Funny Tweets from the world of sport

 Although Twitter can be a toxic place at times it can also provide us with moments of great humour especially in the sporting world. I have picked out four tweets which I found amusing below:

Dulux and Totteneham Hotspur

When a football club forms a new partnership with a company it is customary to expect them to start singing each other’s praises on social media with cliche tweets like “We can’t wait to start working with you”.

What you don’t expect is for them to start laying into their new partners within minutes.

This is exactly what happened moments after Spurs announced that Dulux had become their official paint supplier.

In reply to one user’s tweet about the London club’s lack of trophies the Dulux Twitter admin posted a picture of an empty trophy cabinet that had the club crest on with the caption” For sale unused trophy cabinet: Telephone 03444995000”. 

They would later go on to suggest that the Dulux dog could do a better job at the back than the current crop of defenders at the club in response to another tweet. 

You do have to wonder whether the person behind the tweets was an Arsenal or West Ham fan, fair play to them for having the bottle to do it but I expect they will be receiving their P45 in the post.

Amir Khan Anthony Joshua

Khan may be six weight classes below the World Heavyweight Champion but that didn’t stop him from calling out Joshua on Twitter, just not in the way you might think.

Whilst out in Dubai Khan announced that he had split from his wife Faryal Makhdoom accusing her and Joshua of having an affair.

The funny part about this Twitter spat is that AJ cheekily responded with a video clip of the song It Wasn’t Me by American artist Shaggy. 1-0 to the Champ.

MRWGifs

Jarrod Bowen

As a teenager out shopping with his dad Bowen probably thought nothing of his tweet which let the internet know he was “Milf Hunting”.

But as we have come to find out with social media, once you click the post button it is out there forever and these kinds of tweets have a tendency to come back and bite footballers years later.

One thing I will say is that I admire his ambition for thinking he could get a bit of action in the middle of B&Q.

Gary Lineakar’s pants

When the Match of the Day host told the web that he would present the first show of the following season in his pants if his beloved Leicester City won the league he probably didn’t think it would come true.

That’s exactly what happened though as the Foxes pulled off the unthinkable to lift the 2015/16 Premier League trophy as a 5000/1 outsider.

Linekar’s Leicester shorts were on show to the nation as he analysed the reigning champion's performance against newly promoted Hull City. Let’s just hope he wasn’t too cold...

Do you have any particular tweets from the sporting world that have amused you over the years? Let me know in the comments!

When Athletes change sports

Jeff Kravitz gettyimages

After MMA fighter Ben Askren’s humiliating defeat to Youtuber Jake Paul in the boxing ring on Sunday I’ve decided to take a look at athletes who have tried their hand at more than one sport during their careers. 

Rafael Van De Vaart

Van De Vaart is a product of Ajax’s illustrious youth academy and has played for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid.

Arguably the greatest achievement of his career was helping the Netherlands reach the World Cup final in 2010. Since hanging up his boots in 2018 VDV has swapped his studs for the arrows and become a professional darts player.

The 38-year-old took to the oche under the jurisdiction of the British Darts Organisation at the Denmark open in 2019. Things got off to a flyer for him as he defeated Thomas Anderson 4-2 in the first round of the tournament but he bowed out against Mogens Christensen in the second round.

It is unlikely that he will be able to perform at the same level as his Dutch compatriots Michael Van Gerwen and Raymond Van Barneveld but it would be some story if he did!

Curtis Woodhouse

Growing up Woodhouse had two loves football and boxing. He would go on to have a career in both sports firstly as a footballer captaining Sheffield United at the age of 19, before eventually becoming a pro boxer in 2006. 

The defining moment in his career came when he won the prestigious British Title at Light-Welterweight in a split decision victory over Darren Hamilton in 2014. In an interview with IFLTV after the bout “The Troll Hunter'' described it as his “destiny” to win the Lonsdale belt.

Petr Cech

Cech stands at 6”5 and holds the record for the most clean sheets in the Premier League with 202. After retiring from football in 2019 he returned to Chelsea to assume the role of technical and performance advisor.

Alongside his new role, he ventured onto the ice rink to play for semi-professional hockey team Guildford Phoenix on a part-time basis.

The small-sized goals proved to be a perfect fit for him and he put in a man-of-the-match display on his debut which included two penalty saves in a penalty shoot-out win.

Usain Bolt

Central Coast Mariners must have thought they’d hit the commercial jackpot when they took the Olympic sprinter on trial, especially after he scored two goals vs Macarthur South West United in a pre-season friendly.

“Lightning Bolt” looked to be fulfilling a childhood dream and Mariners wanted to extend his stay but both parties were unable to agree on a deal.

Perhaps this was for the best as fellow A-League player Andy Keogh didn’t speak very highly of his footballing ability stating that “He had a touch like a trampoline,” not exactly a glowing report is it. 

The future's bright for Benn

History tells us that when former world champion’s offspring step through the ropes they struggle to escape their fathers shadow. 

 

You only have to look at Chris Eubank Jr and Julio Caesar Chaves Jr as prime examples of fighters that have carried the burden of living up to the family name.

 

I mean Chavez Jr’s nickname is “El Hijo de la Leyenda” ("The Son of the Legend'') which is exactly what he is and that must be a huge amount of pressure to cope with. 

 

But in Conor Benn, we have a man that is taking to that pressure like he does to fighting, with ease.

 

His father Nigel is regarded by the WBC as the best Super Middleweight of all time alongside Joe Calzaghe.  

 

The “Dark Destroyer'' enjoyed a coveted career which saw him win the WBC world title as well as the WBO and Commonwealth belts but he is most synonymous for his bitter rivalry with Chris Eubank Snr. 

 

Eubank Snr who is a divisive character in the sport has taken a hands-on role throughout his son’s career which has been to his detriment on certain occasions.

 

He may be known as “Simply the Best” but he is also known to be notoriously difficult when negotiating fights and has perhaps been guilty of letting his ego get in the way of what actually matters, his boy’s success. 

 

Granted Jr has won a version of the world title in the IBO belt but you almost feel that if Eubank let him get on with it then he may have achieved more by now.

 

Benn Snr on the other hand has opted to take a back seat lending an ear when Conor needs him and that decision looks to be paying off.

 

At just 24, the welterweight contender is well on his way to becoming the UK’s next pay per view star after his emphatic victory over Samuel Vargas on Saturday night. 

 

Vargas is no mug; he is a seasoned pro who has been in with the likes of Errol Spence Jr, Danny Garcia, Vergil Ortiz Jr and Amir Khan. We will come back to him later.

 

Benn got rid of Vargas quicker than any of those men could, teeing off on his opponent at will  before referee Michael Alexander stepped in and waved off the contest within 82 seconds of the opening bell. 

 

Everlast

The Colombian bemoaned the timing of the stoppage in his post-fight interview with Sky Sports but in stopping the fight Alexander actually prevented him from getting badly hurt. 

 

Talk quickly turned to his next bout and in a  division littered with talent, there are a host of names “The Destroyer” to choose from. 

 

It was however “King Khan” that the Essex fighter demanded his promoter Eddie Hearn put him in with next. 

 

Khan hasn’t fought since his win over Billy Dib in July 2019 and has recently expressed a desire to revisit his long standing feud with fellow Brit Kell Brook.

 

The pair have gone back and forth for over a decade without ever meeting in the ring and the British fight fans have grown tired of the talk that has yielded little action.

 

A fight with Benn is much more appealing but would the Bolton man be willing to risk his legacy without a major title on the line? It appears not. 

 

The former WBA and IBF Light-Welterweight champion took to Twitter yesterday to congratulate Benn on his win. However, he played down any hopes of a future fight between them stating that “Maybe if he had some belts that fight would make sense but he’s got a long way to go yet.” 

 

If Benn isn’t able to land the Khan fight, challenging David Avanesyan for the European title is a viable option.

 

Avanesyan, who is managed by Neil Marsh retained his European belt by dropping Olympic Bronze medalist Josh Kelly twice in the 6th round of their fight in February at which point trainer Adam Booth threw in the towel.

 

Kelly and Benn had looked destined to collide at some point in the near future until Avanesyan squashed those plans. A further statement of intent could be made by Benn if he was able to do what Kelly couldn’t and take the Russian’s belt from him.

 

Outside of the ring, Benn has an endearing nature about him just like his dad. When addressing the camera it is clear that he has an unwavering desire to create his own legacy in boxing.

 

This may be down to the fact that he is no longer just fighting for himself having become a dad to son Eli in January whose name is emblazoned on his shorts.               

 

Once he had finished calling out Khan he also told reporter Andy Clarke “I want to be retired by the time I’m 30 with a few M’s in my bank account”, and who could blame him.

 

Boxing is an unforgiving sport but if you get it right it is one hell of a rollercoaster and I for one will be enjoying the ride that Benn takes us on.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Should players celebrate against former clubs? My view 5th April 2021

 

Should players celebrate against former clubs? My view

I have seen criticism directed at Danny Ings on social media in the last 24 hours and it has got me thinking, what’s my view?

Well, looking at it from both sides of the coin I can see how it might rub some people up the wrong way, but can we really say that we wouldn’t do the same in his shoes?

Football fans, myself included in this, label players as ‘robots’ at times but yet when they do something perfectly natural like celebrating after scoring a goal against their former team we blast them for it.

The feeling of scoring a goal at the highest-level crowd or no crowd is an emotion we can only begin to imagine.

How can someone in that situation be expected to shrug off their onrushing teammates and go “No lads I played for this team once let’s show some respect and walk back to our own half.”

It doesn’t work like that, we might want it to, but the reality is it doesn’t.

It is highly unlikely that as Ings rounded James Tarkowski and prodded the ball through Nick Pope’s legs to equalise that he was thinking “Yes I have scored against Burnley!”

Glyn Kirk-Pool gettyimages

What might have been running through his head is, “Brilliant I have got back on the scoresheet after getting past another injury”.

An injury that forced him to sit on the treatment table for a month as his current team were struggling for points.

The 28-year-old isn’t the only player to get on the nerves of opposition supporters, let’s look at some other examples where this has occurred in the past:

Jamie Vardy

Amidst the well-publicised feud between Rebekah Vardy and Coleen Rooney who as I am sure you are already aware are the wives of Vardy and former England captain Wayne Rooney. The travelling Burnley fans sang songs about Mrs Vardy on our visit to the King Power Stadium last season.

True to form Vardy scored against us and proceeded to implore the away end to sing some more. You know what I say? Fair play to him. It was funny. Even though we went on to lose that game.

Stephen Pond gettyimages

Charlie Austin

I have to admit the sight of Austin running towards the Turf Moor advertising hoardings cupping his ears after converting a penalty against us for QPR the club who we sold him to infuriated me as a 15-year-old.

And along with my cousin I ran, or should I say drove as fast as I could at the time to those nearby hoardings to let him know what I thought.

That involved plenty of shouting on my behalf and a few V signs at close range from my enthusiastic relative.

But looking back why did we do this? Charlie was simply expressing his delight at scoring a vital goal for his team and why shouldn’t he?

If you listen to the forward speak on talkSPORT and his Studs Up podcast you will know that he is a man who speaks with honesty and passion when talking about his career in the game. As fans, we are often deprived of such openness and I believe more players should follow suit.

Matthew Ashton- AMA /Corbis gettyimages

Jay Rodriguez

Say if Jay had scored a 90th-minute equaliser yesterday would it have crossed our minds if he celebrated against his former employees? Rodriguez spent five seasons at Saint Mary’s in a period where he made his England debut.

So I would expect he has nothing but fond memories of his time on the South Coast. Would he have celebrated if he had scored? Who knows as that is down to individual preference at the time, but I would have been right behind him if he did!

Thankfully, most Burnley fans don’t seem to mind the fact that Ings celebrated. But other people seem to have forgotten that this is a man who set up the Disability Sports Project at Burnley FC in the Community in 2014.

A project which I work on and get to see the benefits that sport provides to disabled people on a weekly basis. Does this scream a man who doesn’t care about Burnley and its people? Not for me.

Look, I realise I may be coming across as slightly bias here. As some of you may be aware, I know Danny personally after he gave me his boots when I was 13 and a friendship grew from that.

We don’t speak as often as previously with him now being based down south, but I have continued to follow his journey since he left Burnley and couldn’t be more pleased with the progress of a true gent.

Forget football he is a brilliant human being and I think that should be remembered.

Lancashire Telegraph- Me with Danny as we celebrate promotion to the Premier League in 2014. A year after he gave me his boots!

What are your opinions on this subject? Are you all for celebrating against former clubs, totally against it or not particularly bothered? Either way, I would be interested to find out!