TIKKA-TAKA Dyche and flatmate Woan move curry night to Wednesday as Clarets spice things up in Europe
SeaN DYCHe has been forced to change his regular Thursday curry night for something a lot hotter – a run in the europa League.
The Burnley boss and his assistant Ian Woan, who were team-mates under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest, share an apartment for three nights a week.
They are holed up in a basic flat in a village just outside Burnley, while their families live elsewhere.
And Burnley’s first adventure into Europe for 51 years has necessitated changes for the two close pals.
Dyche revealed: “On a Thursday, we like to go out and have a couple of pints and a bite to eat, which is usually a curry.
“So now, with the Europa League, Wednesday has to be the new Thursday.
“We’ve got a little routine going on. We go out and it’s football-obsessed about Burnley and what we are doing.
“We usually end up talking about formations and team changes with all these games coming up.
“It’s a bit of down time for the pair of us, but we will gladly sacrifice a couple of pints and a curry on a Thursday night to progress in this competition.”
It was past closing time on Thursday night when Dyche reflected on another extra-time victory – with a talented Istanbul Basaksehir, including names such as Emmanuel Adebayor, Gael Clichy, Emre and Gokhan Inler as the latest victims.
In the previous round, it had also needed 120 minutes in the home leg to get past Aberdeen, but Dyche has the taste for the competition – even if it puts a strain on the Premier League schedule, which continues today with the visit of his former club Watford.
“You could see, against Basaksehir, there was a desire to win. That was quite evident,” he said.
“It takes a lot of effort from the players to have this mindset. Whatever comes our way, we will take on the challenge.
“We have a bunch of players who know it’s not just about the glorious game. To be honest, the teams who do play the glorious game have usually spent hundreds and hundreds of millions of pounds.
“Look at who we played on Thursday. Their players will be on big wages, big contracts. We know what we are, but we are proud of what we are. It’s not a JAVI GRACIA wants to write his name into Watford folklore – alongside legend Graham Taylor.
The Watford boss has vowed to win their first major trophy... even though he has never achieved it at the 11 clubs he has managed.
The 48-year-old Spaniard’s contract ends next summer and he wants to stay and stop the rot damning thing, it’s a really positive thing. One of the secrets – not just in football, but in life – is to know your skill set and deliver it and I think we have a group who know their skill level and will deliver.” And Dyche was full of praise for Jack Cork after his brilliant winner. He said: “Jack Cork’s goal was to be marvelled at. He is a very good player. “How he is overlooked in the Premier League, I don’t know. We were on it like a shot when he became available at Swansea. “It was a case of what had to be done, get it done. He’s been first-class, a great professional.” Dyche also had a swift retort to those who questioned him buying Joe Hart from Manchester City, especially after the former England No.1 pulled off a succession of brilliant saves against the at a club whose trigger-happy Italian owners sack managers after just a few months.
Gracia said: “I like to think we can do a Leicester and shock people. I want to be part of that.”
As a player, Gracia played for six clubs, grubbing around, never lifting a trophy. As manager, he has gone to Greece, Spain and Russia, hoping to find success. Turks. “Every single question seems to be about Joe. Joe Hart, Joe Hart, Joe Hart, why did you sign him? Why have you done this? Why have you done that?
“Three clean sheets, that’s why,” he added.
“I think it’s great that Burnley football club have now got three England goalkeepers [Hart, Tom Heaton, Nick Pope]. I don’t think that would have been on anybody’s lips a few seasons ago.”
Dyche and Woan have shared their rented dwelling for six years.
Woan (below) said: “It’s no frills, it’s not exactly a palace. There’s a couch where we can sit and watch endless box sets on a big screen.
“There are two beds and that’s just about it.
“I’ve known Sean since 1990 when we were at Forest.
“He was in digs when I signed. When I bought a house in Nottingham, he moved in with me for around four years.
“We’re best mates. I was best man at his wedding.”
In the Europa League, it’s Olympiakos in Athens next Thursday night.
So Messrs Dyche and Woan will probably have to forget about the vindaloo – Athens should provide all the extra spice they need. Watford may be his last chance and he’s ready for the challenge.
He said: “Of the clubs I have managed, I won promotion to the top division, but I never had a chance then to win anything.
“I see this as my best chance now to win something. I do not know if our best is to beat teams like Manchester City or clubs like this, but we will try to win. We are confident we can win the next game against Burnley and then we try to go on from there.
“I would like to think we can do a Leicester. Maybe in six months we can talk about this, but it is just the second game.
“When you start a competition, you have possibilities and have to try to win it and now we have a squad where we can play for all