What a Corker! Burnley’s best start since ’73
Paul Clement stopped Jack Cork in his tracks, graciously pulling him aside long after full time for a quick congratulatory chat.
Best wishes about the england cap and a begrudging well done after the opening goal here for a player he has known for more than a decade.
that conversation was probably the Swansea manager’s only taste of light relief all day. their relationship stretches back to the Chelsea youth team, when both Clement the teacher and Cork the pupil were making their way in the game.
‘He’s got quality as a manager,’ Cork said. ‘He’s been there before and what he did last season was an unbelievable achievement.’
that was very nice of him to say but there is no mistaking how bad Clement’s side were on Saturday. Swansea lacked any semblance of a defensive clue and did not register a shot on target until stoppage time. they are sinking without trace, their fans apoplectic with the board and players not responding to the man who kept them afloat last year.
It could well be that the firing squad arrive shortly. american co-owner Steve Kaplan was sat grimacing inside the turf moor directors’ box. the numbers are frightening. a sixth defeat in seven Premier league games. Only seven goals all season and just 23 attempts on target.
they are still only two points from safety, but ironically that could be Clement’s downfall. the Swansea board will rightly view the gap as surmountable, yet their head coach is not getting a response from his squad. usually there is only one outcome, even if Clement felt emboldened after talks last week.
Cork backed his former mentor and appeared to lay a portion of blame with the Swansea supporters, who booed their side at the last home game and, at Burnley, called for chairman Huw Jenkins to step aside.
‘the fans here (at Burnley) are brilliant — they’re right behind us,’ Cork said. ‘Swansea have been in the Premier league for a number of years, so maybe they have greater expectation than us.
‘It’s a bit difficult for them and they’re stuck in a bad situation. We don’t want to get carried away. I’ve been at clubs where we’ve got a bit carried away and then you get brought back down to earth.
‘ last Christmas we (Swansea) were on 14 points or something and four or five points off safety. (Clement) pulled us right out of it, got some big wins, and they know at that club that he’s capable of doing that.’
Cork suggested Clement (right) did not want to sanction his £10million move to Burnley in the summer.
‘I was with him for a few years at Chelsea, going back to when I was 15. He’s been a really big part of my career and when I was coming through the youth team. I’ve always been close to him.
‘I think it maybe wasn’t his decision. they bought me for £1.5m, the bid came in from Burnley, which was a lot more than they paid, and they were obviously trying to raise money to bring more midfield players in. He said to me, “look, you’ll probably play more games there, the club will probably accept the bid, what do you want to do?”’ Cork chose as wisely as Swansea did poorly and Burnley lie level on 22 points with both arsenal and liverpool, their best top- flight haul at this stage since 1973. Cork has arguably been their star so far. He makes Sean Dyche’s side tick as they look to keep the ball more than ever before. ‘I feel good, I feel fresh, I feel confident. maybe it’s the move and the new environment, that can always help things,’ he said. ‘the start has been unbelievable. We’ve been fantastic and we have to keep this form going until the end of the year and then see where we are.’