It just so happens that it is at Watford

28 March 2013 18:31
Burnley travel to Vicarage Road tomorrow to face a Watford side who are pushing for an automatic promotion spot. It's former Watford boss versus the current Watford boss and both have been speaking ahead of the game.

Current boss Gianfranco Zola arrived in the summer following the takeover by the Pozzo family, owners if Italian Serie A club Udinese. After a difficult start he's steered them into the promotion race where they currently sit in third place, just two points behind second placed Hull.

Ahead of tomorrow's game, Zola said: "We have three very important games this week and to start with a victory and a good performance will be massive in terms of self confidence approaching the next two.

"I think it will give us a lot of indications I'm sure, we'll have a clearer idea of what the situation is. They're certainly three massive games but I believe we come to these games in good condition and ready to challenge.

"The few days off has made the players much sharper in training and much more ready to perform. I saw them sharper this week and that is a very good indication. We need to perform until the end because there's no more time to experiment or anything, we just need to get results and keep playing well."

With the Clarets due tomorrow, he added: "It'll be a tough game that's for sure. They are a side that play better when they're away from home so they will make it difficult for us, but I'm relying on our quality and on the fact that we lost the last two games and the players will have a lot to show tomorrow to the people."

And he had a word for Clarets' and former Watford boss Sean Dyche, saying: "I'm sure the supporters will give him a good wave and he deserves that because he's done a good job for the club last year and for the players, so he really deserves that.

"I hope there's going to be a good atmosphere tomorrow because we need it."

It's a first return for Dyche who this week has played it down, and said. "I've made it clear many time, I don't really do old club scenarios. I didn't do it at Millwall and I won't do it at Watford.

"I respect them. I enjoyed my time there and I learned a lot from it but tomorrow is just about winning. It is about getting ourselves right to win a football match and going to deliver a performance to win a football match. It just so happens that it is at Watford.

"There is no bitterness at all, it is bitter in the sense that I thought we were building something but that is life, it's football. There are people out there who don't have the back up and support that I've had from being in football for twenty years when they're sacked, so I'm certainly not going to cry 'oh, woe is me'.

"Live is callous when you have three mouths to feed and a missus at home and you are a bricklayer with no work. In my world I've worked hard to afford myself a chance that if things go wrong at least I have a net start if you like and something to fall back on.

"That's how I look at life. Football is a marvellous situation in that respect and I love the ups and downs of it, so I'm certainly not going to be crying because someone comes along and says 'It's not for you and we're going to change it'."

Source: Clarets Mad

Source: FOOTYMAD