CROWNING GLORY
Vincent reaches peak when Clarets climb back into Prem
VINCENT KOMPANY says steering Burnley back into the Premier League will be more satisfying than any of his achievements as a player with Manchester City.
The runaway Championship leaders can make sure of automatic promotion tonight by beating third-placed Middlesbrough at the Riverside, if Luton fail to beat Millwall earlier in the day.
For a long time, a quick return to the top flight for the Clarets has been more a question of ‘when’ than ‘if.’
They are also on course to become the first team since Leicester in the 2013-14 season to top a century of points in the Championship.
Considering the wholesale changes to the squad and transformation of Burnley’s playing style from the Sean Dyche era, Kompany is justifiably proud of his achievement in his first season in charge at Turf Moor.
“At the start of the season we never imagined we could be promoted by Easter,” he said.
“If I line up the things we had to do to get to where we are today, then, yes, it is a little bit more satisfying than what I had to do to be successful as a player.
“There’s a lot of sacrifices you have to make as a player but management is different.
“You’ve got to collaborate with a lot of people, get people on board – players, staff, the entire club.
“You’ve got to have an idea at the very start, especially when we had not exactly a blank page but definitely a lot of missing pieces to the puzzle when we arrived here.
“That side of it – the thinking, the executing, then maintaining it – doesn’t compare to being a player.
“There’s a lot of responsibility. And when you look at the amount of managers that have been released – not just in the Premier
League but also in the Championship and the divisions below – you are navigating a very tough environment.
“As a player it is different. You have a five-year contract, you just try and perform and if you are good, you play and then you get successful.
“But it is a little bit different when you are a manager.”
Kompany is happy to put any celebrations on hold until after the games against Boro and then second-placed Sheffield United on Monday evening, which will be his 37th birthday.
And he is demanding that if promotion is achieved over the Easter weekend, the Clarets do not ease their foot off the pedal.
He added: “I can imagine a few people will force me to celebrate but we’ll see because my main concern is to finish the season strongly irrespective of any result or outcome.
“I want us to finish in the style we’ve shown all season.”