Clarets trust attacking instincts

17 August 2009 15:15
The Clarets suffered a 2-0 defeat at Stoke in their Premier League debut on Saturday, with Tony Pulis' side once again successfully employing the direct approach that served them so well last season. It was a tough start for Owen Coyle's men, who enjoyed large spells of possession but were twice caught out by set-piece deliveries in the first half. And to make matters worse, four of last season's top five teams await Burnley in their upcoming sequence of fixtures, starting with the daunting prospect of champions Manchester United on Wednesday night. Many would argue that the lesson the Premier League newcomers should take from Saturday is that playing ugly is their best hope for staying up, but Alexander believes that the team's expansive style will pave the way to survival. "I don't think we'll have to adapt our style to survive," Alexander said. "Fair play to Stoke, they play to win games and that's what we're all trying to do but we play in a certain way which we think suits us. We don't play it to look pretty, we play it to win games. "You've got to be committed to your beliefs and principles because that is what we live by and it got us the results last year, got us out of the division we were playing in and that's what will keep us up in this division. "We're going out to play our way and we'll see how far it will take us." Burnley won many admirers last year after some dynamic football took them to the Carling Cup semi-finals and promotion to the top flight via the play-offs. But the same could be said of West Brom before them, who took the Championship by storm and made it to the last four of the FA Cup in 2007-08, only to finish rock-bottom in the Premier League a year later. Burnley remain committed to their playing principles, but Alexander acknowledges that in order for the team to avoid a fate similar to the Baggies, their attractive play must deliver results. "I think we're going to get plenty of respect for the football we play, but respect and results are two different things," Alexander said. "You like to get both but in the professional game, results come first and we need to win games, stay up, compete in the Premier League and then we'll get the respect from that. "We don't want to be plucky losers, come to the big occasion and then be forgotten about. We want to come here and make our mark." The 37-year-old Scot thinks there were enough encouraging signs against Stoke to suggest that the formula will work. "We take confidence from the way we performed when we had the ball," he said. "We didn't seem a million miles off it, it's just the disappointment of conceding two poor goals and not getting off the mark. But I don't think it's going to affect us for the games coming up. "I don't think we blew it. We got beat but I don't think there was a gulf in quality there that maybe people were expecting. "There were people writing us off before and they are writing us off now, but we've just got to prove them wrong and be confident in what we've got in our changing room." Burnley's next opponents pose a different challenge entirely, but Alexander is confident his team can rise to it with the Turf Moor faithful behind them. "If you tell me that there is not a scenario where we can beat Manchester United, I would disagree with you. There is a scenario and it's down to us to find it," he said. "With most games at Turf Moor this season there is going to be a fantastic atmosphere but when you have got the champions coming to you in the first home game, you couldn't ask for anything better than that. "It's something that we are all looking forward to."

Source: Team_Talk