Everything is possible – if you believe (Burnley FC in 2008-09 season), Part Two

Well-crafted squad started playing attractive football (except for the first round and 1:4 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday). The result followed in the championship and in the cups and everyone waited for the dip in Clarets’ form. But it didn’t happen which proves that you don’t have to be a reach and modern club from the big city with a huge army of fans to fulfill your dreams. The boys in red-blue jerseys were the best promotion of football, having played even 61 competitive games this season with only 23 players. Only Manchester United played more matches than Burnley, but with a much deeper bench equipped for various competitions.

They were two minutes away from the Carling Cup finals but they made amends with the excellent campaign in the league, where they managed to beat Sheffield United in the play-offs finals. Even though they opened the score early on and missed a lot of chances for sealing the deal at Wembley, somehow it seemed that they won’t be punished for that. It was simply one of the games where you know the winner from the very start.

It seems that the key Lancashire team’s success was the manager. Owen Coyle is a great motivator, a man that can implant the winning mentality in his team with an ever-positive and encouraging attitude. The players speak of him as if they would give their life for their boss, if he asked them to. He is the biggest optimist in the locker room before the match and on the break, which is a great boost for average players. Their key in triumphs over West Brom, Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal and almost Tottenham in the cup, and over Reading and Birmingham in the league was the fact that they were focused on their own capabilities instead of on how strong the rivals were. Unity was a crucial factor as well as Coyle’s trust in his men. It was something like a parent-child relation, which is rarely seen.

The city of Burnley has only 80 000 denizens and it will be one of the smallest towns to have a Premier League representative. This small club has been out of the elite since 1976, even though they can boast two champion’s titles, the last one of which was won in 1960. Even the attendance on their stadium wasn’t great this season; barely 13 000 people on average were watching games at Turf Moore that can hold 22 500 people. Even if they return expressly to Coca Cola Championship next season, the Clarets have restored our faith in football. Faith in the play that makes us jump off our seat in celebration or scream like mad when we are angry, they made us believe that not all revolves around moeny in football. Not everything is like the media are trying to present when we hear about millions that club will pay for famous players or when we read the gossip about imaginary transfers.

Genuine attacking football play still exists. It was rediscovered near the very place where it was born. One of the founders of English football league, Burnley FC showed us the way this season. Whatever happens in the elite among the Premier League beasts that will bite them hard, we will remember them as a team that played great with fantastic team spirit and BELIEVED in success…

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