It’s no secret that Bolton have played some fine football this season as their current fifth place position proves. While Bolton were once a side under Sam Allardyce who played anything but beautiful football, Owen Coyle has done wonders at the Reebok in an incredibly short time. With a cast of players largely similar to Gary Megson’s Bolton who languished in the Premier League towards the bottom and with no real ambition, Coyle has been able to inject his brand of gusto-laden football into Bolton to the tune of some more than healthy results.

In just four and a half short months last season, Coyle proved the right man for the job when he pulled Bolton out of the relegation zone and finished the season in 14th on 39 points. Over the summer, Coyle secured the services of Martin Petrov and Robbie Blake but it was his time spent with his first choice starting XI that has proved most decisive in Bolton’s impressive run of results this season.

While Bolton continue to thrive under Coyle and chase a European spot of some form, I can’t help but to notice just how many other Premier League sides are implementing similar styles of attacking football and staying committed to the cause of attack.

Joining Bolton on the list of clubs who are attempting to shred the moniker of dull and boring sides in the Premier League are West Brom, Wolves, Blackpool and Wigan (Saturday’s match between Bolton and Blackpool is sure to be an incredibly open and entertaining match).

Although Coyle himself is no innovator of tactics new or unheard of, his dedication to positive football seems to be catching on as teams once thought of as unable to compete with traditionally bigger sides have enjoyed some success against them this season.

West Brom drew United and beat Arsenal away from home, Wolves beat Manchester City at home and Wigan beat Tottenham at White Hart Lane. Although Wolves and Wigan remain in the relegation zone currently, it’s not for their lack of trying while they’ve stayed committed to attacking football.

While Coyle’s formation of 4-4-2 that has been so successful isn’t breaking ground in English football, his tactics and organization of his team have been paramount in what Bolton have been able to achieve this season. A central midfield pairing of Stuart Holden and Fabrice Muamba compliment each other well and both feature close to the top of the tackles won list. Both work hard and have the ability to complete a decisive pass while Holden often gets forward resembling a third striker.

Kevin Davies continues to do what Kevin Davies does well and strike partner Johan Elmander has been in scintillating form in recent weeks. Chung-Yong Lee has performed tirelessly on the wing, exposing many of the league’s left backs with his pace and invention and a back-line led by Gary Cahill has been solid enough without flirting with shakiness.

Coyle’s strength can be described as noticing what players are good at, recognizing that talent and molding it with other players who have different strengths to form a cohesive unit. Whether or not Coyle and Bolton can keep up their fantastic run is yet to be known, but what is a sure thing, is that Coyle will stay committed to attack thus proving he’s a quality manager while it seems others are noticing and trying their best to do the same.

When Bolton paid a club record fee of £8.2 million for the Swedish striker Johan Elmander, a few eyebrows were raised. Yet, the former Toulouse striker had been one of the most consistent players in the French league during his time for the Téfécé and had built a reputation as a creative deep lying centre forward. Unfortunately, joining a side whose manager lacked any creative spark seemed an unusual step for the likable Swede.

It was as unusual for a manager as lacking in creative idea’s as Gary Megson decision to sign him. To put it mildly, Elmander had a nightmare first 18 months at Bolton, playing in a defensively minded side and struggling to cope with being used as a main striker, rather than his usual deeper role. His play suffered, his reputation fell and a nightmare 9 month barren spell seemed to be a millstone he couldn’t shift.

The sacking of Megson was not only a god send for the Bolton faithful, but for the striker as well. Owen Coyle brought a breath of fresh air to the Reebok stadium that removed all the negativity that had built up under the previous two regimes. Despite the continual negative press that Bolton continue to garner, Coyle’s appointment has been one of continual improvement and changing perceptions.

It’s always easy to label sides such as Bolton Wanderers as purely physical, but Coyle is trying his upmost to change the footballing opinion of the side. Any side that had players such as jay Jay Okocha and Youri Djorkaeff cannot seriously be considered a long ball side. To counter this though the lack of credit for players such as Jussi Jaaskelainen and Kevin Davies showed their achievements were never considered seriously.

Coyle’s appointment has seen Elmander return to his previous quality that he showed prior to joining Bolton. It’s not just a flash in a pan either, he’s been playing consistently well since Coyle took over in January this year. The manager clearly identified Elmander as key to creating a new Bolton Wanderers and the club is beginning to reap the dividends of the change. As an avid watcher of French football, I was always impressed with the strikers ability, skill and quality.

It was a real surprise to see him struggle so much and of course, some players for one reason or another, simply cannot cope with playing in a different league or a new country. Yet Elmander had adapted to playing in Norway, the Netherlands and France so much easier, it was strange to see him look so uncomfortable. Coyle clearly identified the problems and addressed them immediately, allowing Elmander to release the stresses that had clearly held him back.

This season has seen him already equal his league goal tally from last season with 3 to his name so far and Bolton bloodied Manchester United’s nose on Sunday. This is a side clearly on the up, playing attractive, positive football and finally seeing the best of Johan Elmander. It should be a good season for the Bolton faithful and one that will see them bloody a few more noses of more illustrious opponents. Elmander has the skills to unsettle the best defenders and I hope we seem him continue to get the goals his approach play this year clearly deserves.

There are green shoots of recovery around the Reebok Stadium, after several winters of discontent under Gary Megson. With Owen Coyle’s arrival, suddenly Bolton Wanderers are playing football again and trying to win games, rather than bore teams to death and hoof it skywards. Megson’s long ball banality has no place in modern football and I feel sorry for the next bunch of fans that have to suffer the tedium of his tactical ineptitude.

Thankfully, Phil Gartside realised that he preferred being the chairman of a Premiership club more than defending a manager who had lost the entire crowds respect. His own position was under threat and no matter how well a chairman and a manager get on, eventually it becomes a question of self preservation. Gartside made the selfish decision after two bad, bad managerial choices almost finished the club off. Now things are a whole lot rosier down Burnden Way and the club can look to a more positive future.

At the time when Coyle left, I was critical of the decision, mainly as I didn’t think Bolton could strike up the pace as quickly as they needed and Burnley seemed to be doing well. I didn’t understand it, but then again, not many people did other than Bolton Wanderers fans. The Green half of Glasgow were certainly left scratching their heads as they watched Tony Mowbray’s reign imploded in a series of bizarre transfer and selection issues and wondering how they couldn’t attract Burnley’s manager over the summer.

So Coyle kept his part of the bargain, he turned his back on devotion and demi-god status at Turf Moor, to ride to Boltons rescue and try and keep them in the Premiership. He did it and with points to spare, such was the dearth of quality shown by the bottom 3 sides for most of the season. Whilst the bottom 3 were nowhere near the worst the Premiership has seen, the lack of a consistent goalscorer in all three relegated sides was too much to bare.

Now Coyle has a few weeks off, and will look to pre-season training in July to begin to continue the good start he’s made to his 4th managerial position. Bolton fans came in for some criticism last season with their campaign to get rid of Gary Megson. “Ideas above their station” ” Spoilt by the Allardyce years” and “Small club punching above their weight” were just some of the delightful accusations levelled at the fans. Quite why wanting rid of a manager who messed up the biggest night in the clubs modern history and would send his teams out not to lose, rather than to try and win games is such a problem.

They pay money and are rightly entitled to their opinions, whether we agree with it or not. I’ve never understood how Gary Megson keeps getting jobs, his record other than at West Bromwich Albion is abysmal. Only Megson could unite Nottingham Forest and Leicester City fans in their hatred of him, such is the feeling of anger towards him from both sets of supporters. Now that takes some doing in anyone’s book, at least Coyle only has one clubs fans anger to deal with, probably for life. Bolton wasn’t a massive rescue job, he just needed to remind the players how to play football, as daft as that sounds.

He simply needed to get the core performers back in unison and on song. The spine of a decent Premiership side was always there, it just wasn’t allowed to be a football team. With Jaaskelainen, Davis, Elmander, Cahill, Taylor and Davies to call on, it simply needed the depressing air lifting from the place and things would soon settle down. The first 6 weeks were tough, but eventually, points started to come, performances started to come and the team began to climb the table.

Next season will be Coyle’s biggest test so far as a manager. He had nothing to lose at the other jobs he took, Burnley achieved more than even the most loyal fan could have imagined, but I doubt Bolton will be scraping around the relegation zone next season. Despite what their critics may say, Bolton have now been back in the top flight of football for ten years and are an established Premiership club. The troubles of the last 3 seasons should prove nothing more than a bad dream for the Wanderers fans, mid-table is more than realistic for next season.

Now, I suppose some people out there are still scratching their heads over Burnley’s appointment of Brian Laws and I must admit I was a tad taken aback. Anyone without a knowledge of the game outside of the Premiership, and there are plenty of those fans in England, never mind outside the U.K., would be wondering where on earth he’s come from.

Yes, it is a bit of a left field choice, but Burnley’s board have long admired Laws’ qualities as a manager and at the third attempt to sign him, they have got their man. Burnley went for Laws before they appointed Steve Cotterill back in 2004 and again in 2007 before going for Owen Coyle. It seems a spiritual affair too, as Laws’ playing career started at Burnley, who spotted him playing for the legendary North East junior team, Wallsend Boys club.

Most of the surprise seems to be based on the fact that Laws was until two weeks ago, manager of Sheffield Wednesday. Now a quick look at the Championship League table will tell you all you need to know about why some people are shocked he’s landed at Turf Moor. Yet I don’t think that paints the full picture of his abilities and the achievements that he had whilst managing Scunthorpe should not be underestimated. Not least being sacked for 3 weeks before being re-instated back in 2004.

He achieved miracles on a shoestring whilst he was at Glanford Park and rightly earned the chance to have a crack at trying to deal with the poisoned chalice that Sheffield Wednesday now offer. 13 managers since 1st January 2000, including 5 caretakers, tells you all you need to know about a club with ideas very much above its station. In fact, quite a lot of people had a lot of sympathy for Laws when he was shown the door at Hillsborough, because they were aware of the financial constraints that he has had to work under, tallied with with an over demanding level of expectation. Leeds United they are not.

Yet it is that same ability to work within tightly controlled budgets that probably gave him the nod to take control at Turf Moor and as an ex-player he will know all about the history and pride that Burnley fans have. Some people may be underwhelmed by the appointment and I was surprised when I saw that he’d been approached in the first place, but in the cold light of day I can completely see where Barry Kilby and the Burnley board are going here.

They haven’t gone down the depressing route of looking to a foriegn manager or an ex-player with loads of badges but no ability. Yes, he got sacked from Sheffield Wednesday, but as with Paul Hart, it’s not as obvious as things can be made out on the surface. No-one has succeeded at Wednesday since the early 1990′s and when he took over at Hillsborough in November 2006, the club were in danger of being relegated back to Division One.

Laws is a prudent, honest and no-nonsense manager who could be a great success at Burnley, don’t be too hasty to chastise him. Survival would mean everything to those Clarets fans and after all the upheaval in recent weeks, Laws can offer a smooth and straight talking style immediately. He served under Brian Clough as a player for 5 years during Forest last heady days of success and was always on the fringes of the England squad at the time.Now if he can survive a baptism of fire at Old Trafford and avoid hitting his star player in the face with a plate of chicken wings, he’ll do just fine.

So it’s official then, Owen Coyle will be the new manager of Bolton Wanderers and Burnley now have to find the right man to replace him as they look to continue the good work this season has produced. It is crucial that the chairman, Barry Kilby, makes the right decision in who to appoint as Coyle’s successor at Turf Moor.

Without wanting to state the obvious, it is paramount to Burnley’s continued success this season that the right man is given the job. That means the chairman has to avoid being star struck when the same old names come calling for the vacancy. Get it right and Burnley’s home form should see them stay up. Make the wrong decision and the club could spiral to the foot of the table in weeks.

Whilst Kilby should be rightly lauded for appointing Coyle in the first place, I don’t think anyone could have predicted just how much of an effect he would have on the sleeping giant. Stabilising the club by keeping them in the Championship and slowly building, improving the side year on year would have been a wonderful achievement. He surpassed all that when they won the play off final with their highest finish to a season since 1976.

Yet, you only have to look back to the mid nineties to see the age old disease that afflicts certain chairman. They get star struck and with the tenures of Adrian Heath and Chris Waddle still in the minds of Burnley fans, the last thing the club needs is a ex-footballer who thinks he can manage in the Premiership. They need someone who knows the demands of Premiership football and what the club means to the fans. It is not an easy decision for the club to make but they have to keep their eye on the prize.

It also means avoiding such arch self publicists as Graham Souness, Ruud Guillit, Bryan Robson and Gianluca Vialli. Men who’s reputations are fanned by the hero worship dished out to them as pundits on Sky Sports. Ignore their failings as managers, they’ve won countless trophies as players, men such as Tony Cottee who took over a Barnet side flying high only to completely destroy them in less than 5 months. Star struck chairman should be banned.

So I had a look on the League Managers Association Website earlier, to see who was available on their list. Oddly, Souness, Vialli and Guillit are still touting their wares, but a couple of oddities appeared. Burnley’s two previous managers before Coyle, the overrated Steve Cotterill and the universally detested Stan Ternent are still on there.  In fact most of the list reads as a who not to give the job too, with John Barnes and Tony Adams still refusing to realise their limitations and the ever popular Gary Megson available if you want to alienate your entire fan base.

Yet there are some stand out candidates, firstly Alan Curbishley is there, as is Mark Hughes and Steve Coppell. Former Scotland manager George Burley and  Paul Jewell are still available. For me, those are the 5 top options of unemployed managers that the LMA are offering. Curbishley wouldn’t probably want to move so far North and probably Coppell is wrestling with the idea of returning to Reading no doubt.

It may be too soon for Mark Hughes to return to the game so quickly after his ignomious exit from Manchester City which leaves Burley and Jewell. Burley proved at Ipswich that he could work on a tight budget, play effective and attractive football and earn promotion whilst at Ipswich. What he has against him is his failure to deal with bigger name players and keep sides in the Premiership. Jewell also has proved an ability to make a purse out of a sows ear, as his spells at Bradford City and Wigan Athletic showed.

Jewell though is still tainted by his awful spell at Derby County and Burley proved in his third Premiership season with Ipswich and during his time as Scotland manager, he just can’t handle big name players. He was also tainted with a torrid spell at Pride Park, which begs the question, what happens to managers at Derby County?? So would going after a manager currently employed be the answer?

Looking outside the Premiership though only seems to point to one candidate who could cope with the job and the pressure of Premier League football. He’s managed an international side and took a team from non league to the cusp of promotion to the Championship. He then took over another sleeping giant and took them up before almost taking them to the Premiership in 2008. That man is Gary Johnson at Bristol City and I believe he’s the only man out there for the job at Burnley.

Now, don’t laugh but I honestly feel he’d be perfect for the job and would keep Burnley up. The only downside is that potentially, Bristol City are a bigger club, with a larger fan base. This season, they’re averaging 14,553 fans a game, whilst Burnley are almost at capacity with 20,344. Promotion for Bristol City would be a massive boost for the area, and with plans to move the club to a 30,000 seater stadium by 2011, with option to increase it to 42,000, would Johnson give all that up for a crack at the Premiership? It’d be a tough ask, but if they could get him, then they should bite his hand off. Just don’t give it to one of the usual suspects, it’d be curtains for Burnley.

Well it certainly sounds like Owen Coyle will be moving the 25 or so miles to Bolton Wanderers to replace the sacked Gary Megson. After being given permission to talk to the Trotters, Coyle looks set to  become the manager of a club he served so well for two years between 1993 and 1995. By all accounts, it’s a done deal and Burnley will begin to look at who they will need to replace the excellent work that Coyle has started at Turf Moor.

Phil Gartside, the Bolton chairman has certainly acted quickly to replace Megson, but their are two things about this potential appointment I can’t get my head around. Firstly, people are saying he has more of an emotional attachment to Bolton than Burnley and secondly, why on earth is Burnley’s chairman Barry Kilby allowing Coyle to talk to them?

The second point perplexes far more than the first. Why has Kilby allowed Coyle to talk to Bolton so easily? For all the criticism of football players agitating for moves, football managers it seems can simply walk away from a contract for nominal fees. Coyle signed a contract extension in the summer after turning down Celtic that tied him down to Turf Moor until June 2013. Now an offer from Bolton Wanderers is more appealing than talking over Celtic?

Now no-one can tell me that the Bolton Wanderers job is anywhere near the level of being in charge of Celtic. It’s a non-starter without question especially right now. Burnley are two points ahead, although having played two games more than Bolton and Wanderers travel to the Emirates on Wednesday night for one of their games in hand.

Burnley fans are rightly scratching their heads thinking what on earth is going on and I can understand their confusion. Why has Kilby not put his foot down and simply pointed out to Coyle the 3 years left on his contract. Or is Bolton’s offer simply too good for Kilby to turn down? Yet for all the money that may be on the table from Bolton to take Coyle, who on earth could replace him?

The first point that I mentioned, the much vaunted emotional attachment, doesn’t add up either. As a player, Coyle played 74 games for Bolton and as of Saturday, he has managed Burnley for 113 games. So how can he have such an attachment that makes Bolton a more attractive prospect than Celtic or staying at Burnley? It’s something that I just can’t understand, which seems to echo the feelings of the majority of Clarets fan.

To be honest, a move to Bolton is more of a sideways move right now than a move up the managerial ladder. Bolton, since Allardyce left have drifted along in the lower echelons of the Premier League, whilst Burnley have been on an upward trajectory ever since Coyle landed. All the pre-season predictions, except for one idiot, pointed to Burnley being cannon fodder.

Yes, their away form has been abysmal, but it smacks of naivety more than a lack of ability. On Saturday, they were being tipped as a team that could be embarrassed by lower league opposition in the F.A. Cup, but in the end, the comfortably dealt with M.K. Dons. They’ve impressed many people this season and good luck to them. Ironically, it was Coyle’s behavior after that game that set tongues wagging.

By claiming he couldn’t go the the post match press conference as he needed to catch a flight to Scotland immediately after the game, people thought fair enough. Unfortunately, Coyle was then caught out by still being at Stadium M.K. an hour later. It was then that questions began to be asked and since then, no-one has become any the wiser as to what on earth is happening. Just a word of advice for Mr Kilby, whatever you do, don’t give Graeme Souness the job!

Another away game and another game which could have been closer ends up running away from Burnley. Similar to the match against Tottenham, when they had a dubious offside decision against them, Burnley pushed West Ham close for the first 15 minutes, conceded a goal and ended up finding themselves 5-0 down. It must be infuriating for the manager, Owen Coyle to constantly see his side start well, get caught cold and then play when things are beyond them.

It must be especially galling for him when the performance against Manchester City showed promise and a real determination to hold on and keep in a game. Gaining a point at Eastlands against such attacking intent and resources and then falling so far behind at Upton Park leaves me scratching my head. They seem to keep getting caught cold, by sucker punches, when playing well. I know that a lack of nous and experience can catch you out in the Premiership, but to this extent?

Add to that, the excellent home record that the Clarets have and it leaves you bemused. The concern for me is that whilst the home form is currently excellent, it can’t continue. Presently they’ve got the joint third best home record in the Premiership, with Sunderland and behind Manchester United and Chelsea but the worst away record. At home, that’s an impressive bit of form, but the bad home run will come and it’s the points that newly promoted sides nick away from home that make the difference.

Burnley have the worst away record in the Premiership, so when the bad run comes, they could find themselves sucked down the table toward the relegation battle. Currently 5 points off Bolton Wanderers who sit in 18th, December will see the home form come under a severe test. Arsenal, Fulham and Bolton will all be visiting in the run up to the end of the year, interspersed with away games at the struggling trio of Portsmouth, Wolves and injury ravaged Everton.

Burnley’s season could hinge on getting something from those 3 away games and with all three teams currently below them in the league, it’s crucial they take 3 points from one of them. Yet those sides will be viewing the visit of Burnley with the feeling that they can win the game. This is a side that’s conceded 25 goals in 7 away games, an average of 3.5 a match. Any side that’s struggling for points will be praying for a visit from Burnley currently and they need to tighten up.

Not doubt that for me, December is a crucial month for most sides. With 6 league games to be played in the next 4 weeks, this is the period that can see sides cut adrift, or kick on and move onward and upward. Burnley have shown a resilience and strength of character at Turf Moor that they simply can’t replicate on the road. Tactically, they seem too open and set up to concede  on their travels, individual mistakes compounding the tactical naivety.

Of course, it’s refreshing to see sides go away from home and try and play football, but Burnley’s main concern is now to make themselves tough to beat away from home. They need to be able to grind out games, rather than try and out score the opposition. It may not be pretty to watch, but survival is the key here and Burnley’s away form could yet come back to haunt them. Owen Coyle will be hoping for some much needed defensive strength in his Christmas stocking this year.

Admit it, after the lacklustre opening day game against Stoke City, you simply couldn’t see Burnley picking up anything from their next 2 games with Everton and Manchester United visiting Turf Moor. They were tough games, that most established Premiership sides wouldn’t be relishing to have back to back so how the Clarets fans must have felt, I can only imagine. However, a quick look at the league table shows the facts. Played 3, won 2, drawn 0, lost 1, Scored 2, Conceded 2.

What a delightful surprise Burnley have been already and I’m delighted to see just how well they’ve done. Of course, Manchester United bossed the game, but they couldn’t score. Chances came and went, a penalty was saved by the Beast in the Burnley net. Brian Jansen will break opposition strikers hearts throughout the rest of the season but it’s edifying to see Turf Moor rocking so early in the season. No one wants to see promoted teams hammered so soon but Burnley are loving it so far.

Of course, the knockers will be queuing up to get the pessimism in as quickly as the pints of    Moorhouse were probably going down yesterday around the town. Many a fan will have awoken fighting the effects of a Pendle Witches hangover, but still smiling like a Cheshire Cat. When you’ve just beaten the defending League Champions and then the most consistent side outside of the top 4 over the last 5 seasons, this feeling will take some beating.

No-one, other than Blackburn fans I suspect,  would have taken any satisfaction if Burnley would have been hammered in the first 3 games. As Hull City showed last season, winning the play offs seems to see you hit the ground running when the season kicks off. Burnley are living the dream, teams like the Clarets aren’t supposed to get in to the top tier but thankfully football will always throw a spanner in the works.

Whilst Hull City beat Arsenal last season, the size of Burnley’s achievements shouldn’t be understated. Manchester United don’t lose to teams like Burnley, they always fashion something to save their skins but they couldn’t manage this time. The easy money was on Everton steam rollering Burnley after the opening day hammering Arsenal handed them at Goodison. That didn’t happen either.

I know people were saying this was going to be the most open Premiership but I don’t think anyone anticipated the start Coyle’s men have had. When the fans see the newly published fixture list in June, they all cast their eyes and begin to work out where the points will come from. I find it hard to believe that any fan of the Clarets would have gone for the last six points  in a month of Sundays.

The addition of Andre Bikey adds a bit more steel to the backline, but this is no team of mugs. A smattering of experienced heads, fearless youth and canny international players gives Burnley more quality than people want to admit. Martin Patterson had Everton’s defence on the run and Wade Elliott has a classy range of passing. Tyrone Mears didn’t spend a year at Marseille for a laugh and Coyle did well to get him in.

Of course Burnley are going to have a blip, though god forbid it’s as bad as the one Hull City have finally put to bed. Of course, they rode their luck against United but they deserved the points against Everton. Yet this is what being a fan is all about.  A visit to Chelsea beckons this weekend and it will be interesting to see just how they’ll hack it before they visit Anfield. Even with two defeats in the next two games, a return of 6 points from those first five fixtures will stand them in good stead for the remainder of the season. Keep smiling Clarets fans, I think more happy hangovers beckon this season.

OK, so if you’re expecting sarcasm and a general belittling of Burnley, then I suggest you look for another article somewhere else on the internet. There will be no mention of pets, the diet of Burnley’s population, nor its voting habits. Just a simple look at the side’s footballing credentials and what next season means to the Claret fans.

So, let’s be honest, did anyone outside of the UK not from Lancashire originally or over 50 years old know where Burnley even was before they stormed to the Play-Off’s on the last few weeks of the season?  In my footballing watching and supporting life, Burnley have never been anywhere near the top division in just over 30 years, so it may have caught plenty of people out, but as I’ve mentioned previously, Burnley and their fans aren’t expecting a good press.

Nope, they are this season’s cannon fodder if you believe everything you see written about them so far. Odds on to come straight back down by every bookmaker in Britain; the omens do not look good on paper, yet no-one wins things with paper players. Burnley made a dreadful start to last season, only scoring 1 goal in their first 4 games, but then began to make a steady climb up the table from September onwards. Coupled with the fantastic run in the Carling Cup, which saw them beat Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal and be two minutes from Wembley until Jermaine Defoe saved Tottenham’s blushes, Burnley ruffled feathers all season.

With bigger clubs and considerably larger budgets brought down to earth, Owen Coyle created a side that played neat, tidy and incisive football for the majority of the season. As it drew to a close, they hit a tremendous run of form, with just 3 defeats in the final 18 league games and as Cardiff City imploded, Burnley could still have missed out if results had gone against them. Yet, when it came to the play offs, they were imperious, beating Reading home and away before easily dealing with Sheffield United in the final.

Coyle has certainly got Burnley playing football, which can cause sides problems at any level. Becoming the first team to beat 5 Premiership sides in a season without actually being a member is an enviable record. The key question is can they bring their cup form in to a full Premiership season. As daft as it sounds, it may be easier for them to play football in the Premiership this season, with sides prepared to match them stride for stride.

As with all newly promoted sides, home form is crucial and there is no doubting the level of support the Clarets will receive. Turf Moor, whilst not the ramshackle, ancient ground some commentators will make you think it is, it can still be an intimidating arena for visiting sides. Contrary to popular belief, Burnley is not colder than Russia in December, so watch out for sides being warned about “not fancying it up north on a cold November night”. Oddly, that didn’t help either Newcastle or Middlesbrough last season, but it’ll still be bandied about by cliche addicted commentators.

Signings wise, it was obvious that the team needed strengthening and Coyle has so far brought in several players. Tyrone Mears returns to the UK after a year at Marseille, the promising Steven Fletcher finally gets to try his hand in English football and a trio of promising young defenders have signed up. Brian Easton comes south, from Hamilton Academicals, Richard Eckersley joining from Manchester United and David Edgar left Newcastle on a Bosman. The key factor for me with these signings are all under 27, hungry and eager to prove themselves, something Coyle looks to capitalise on.

Added to the two major signings they made last season, Chris Eagles and Martin Patterson, Coyle is building a team that can keep progressing. Whilst questions may be asked about the age of the new signings, Coyle may be working with the attitude of a younger team showing less fear. Overall, I have to say it’s going to be tough for them, but as with the two other promoted sides, there are other teams in the Premiership that could continue the dreadful form in to the forthcoming campaign.

Hull City and Portsmouth are both finding it increasingly difficult to add to their squads, which could give Burnley heart. Also, Burnley’s start for a newly promoted side is hellish! Starting away at Stoke, they then entertain Manchester United and Everton, before trips to Chelsea and Liverpool. Any points at all from those 5 games will be a fantastic achievement, but if not then they have to take strength and realise they’ve got those games out of the way. Their run in is a considerably easier task to face and could be crucial come the final few weeks of the season. No-one gives them a prayer, but Hull City showed what a team spirit can get you for 3 months and Coyle will be keen to keep Burnley fighting all season.

So less than 24 hours after Promotion to the Premiership and the usual round of tired cliches and articles about “brave little Burnley” are beginning to pop up on-line and in the press. Do they never learn, Do they know the football history attached to this club? Burnley fans will probably laugh in the face of these doom mongers and pessimists, they’re just glad that they still have a club to support and after you’ve faced that, you can cope with anything.

Back in the 1986-1987 season, The Football League had finally bowed to pressure and allowed relegation to the Football Conference for the first time. Previously, the side that finished last had to seek re-election from the rest of the League, a ludicrous situation, similar to asking turkeys to vote for Christmas. The only amazing thing about that was that some clubs were actually removed from the League, giants such as Barrow, Workington and New Brighton.

Burnley went in to the final game of the season knowing that they could face relegation to the Conference if results went against them. As it was both Lincoln and Torquay failed to win and Burnley finished 3rd bottom, a lowest low for a side that had reached the Quarter Finals of the European Cup back in 1960-1961. This is a side that had won the First Division twice as well as the FA Cup and almost won the double in 1962, finishing runners up in the League and the F.A. Cup and only left the First Division back in 1976, ironically relegated with Sheffield United.

To face that possibility that a side that had played European Football could really find themselves out of the league within a generation must have been terrifying for the fans of the Clarets. To face that fact and to overcome it puts the fans of Burnley in an ideal position to deal with Premiership football and the pressures that come with it. They’re not scared of anything that the top tier can throw at them, after the rollercoaster history they’ve had in the last 25 years alone, next season will be a delight for Clarets fans.

This is a side that have been at the top end of English football before, in fact in the 1960′s, they were one of the big English teams, challenging for trophies and finishing in the top 10 5 times under the legendary Burnley manager Harry Potts. Oddly from 1967 until 1970 they finished 14th every season, back when the top division had 22 clubs.

Of course, next season will be a massive challenge for Burnley, but no more so than the one faced by Hull City and Stoke City this season and their exploits in this season’s Carling and F.A. Cup competitions will stand them in good stead. They have nothing to fear with promotion, the manager Owen Coyle has been earning plaudits all season with the expansive football his side plays and they’ll be looking forward to bloodying the noses of more estabilished Premiership sides next season.

By winning the Championship Play Off Final through Wade Elliott’s super strike, Burnley have become the 42nd side to play at least a season in the in Premiership now. As a founding member of the Football League, some would say it’s been overdue to see them return to the top flight after an absence of 32 years, but they’ve not gained promotion through sympathy, they’ve played their way up.

This is a side with history, both good and bad behind it, and they’ll be relishing next season more than most fans. The fact that they can play a bit too, will make it an interesting season at Turf Moor and good luck to them.