Source: Team_Talk
Blake buoyed by home comforts
The Clarets host Birmingham at Turf Moor on Saturday looking to maintain the 100% home record with which they have started the campaign.
Victories over Manchester United, Everton and Sunderland have left Burnley sitting comfortably in mid-table after seven Premier League games, where many had predicted they would struggle to take anything from a tricky opening sequence of fixtures.
Blake believes that the ever-reliable Turf Moor faithful have raised their game with the team and that their support will prove crucial in keeping Burnley away from the bottom of the league for the rest of the season.
"We have beaten some top teams and we want to keep that momentum going at home," Blake said.
"The way we play and the fans give us a great opportunity to keep that run going. It's a hostile atmosphere and we thrive on that.
"Teams seem to go into their shell a little bit and hopefully that will continue on Saturday against Birmingham.
"At times there was only 12,000 here last year and it was a great atmosphere - now we have virtually double that, so it's double the noise and it's fantastic to be involved at a packed-out Turf Moor.
"The fans are going to be there for us all season, I know that, and they will be the extra man hopefully that can keep us in this division."
The excitement at Burnley's home success has been tempered by their dismal start away from home, with 14 goals conceded and none scored in four matches on their travels.
The latest loss, a 5-0 hammering at Tottenham, was the heaviest so far of a run that has also seen the team beaten 2-0 at Stoke, 3-0 at Chelsea and 4-0 at Liverpool, but Blake insists the players are not at all despondent.
He said: "I think we have played six of the top eight and we are sat mid-table, so for a team that was supposed to get no points at the start of the season that's not bad.
"Even though the teams that have beaten us have beaten us well and it's not nice, we have loads of positives to take out of the season so far and that is what we are going to concentrate on."
Birmingham came up with Burnley from the Championship last year and have secured seven points so far.
With the other promoted side, Wolves also currently on seven points, Blake believes that the gap in quality between the second tier and the bottom two-thirds of the top flight is as narrow as ever.
He said: "Birmingham have started with seven points and I think they have done quite well. Alex McLeish has got them playing well and they are difficult to beat.
"They don't concede a lot of goals, so hopefully we can get at them and cause them a few problems.
"There is a top six or seven in the Premier League that are well ahead of everyone else, but other than that, it's another mini-league.
"I think the teams that are coming up now are just as strong as the teams in and around there and I think you can see that in where we are. The three teams that came up are not struggling at the bottom for points and they all have a great chance of staying up."
Manager Owen Coyle will be without Jay Rodriguez after the young striker injured his ankle in a reserve team match on Wednesday, becoming the third player to be ruled out for three months in the last fortnight.
Chris McCann and Martin Paterson are also on the sidelines until Christmas having sustained knee damage.
