‘Incredible’, ‘boring’ or both? Why Burnley’s amazing defensive record has split fans

Are you not entertained?

Not all fans are happy that Burnley are on track to become one of English football’s best defensive teams in recent memory.

Their play, which features defensive records all around them, has sparked the vehement debate between entertainment and results.

Burnley have the best defense in English league history, but they are also the least entertaining team in terms of goals scored in games.

Here’s a look at just some of their incredible stats, for better or worse.

Spence: As a Burnley fan, I enjoyed the last promotion season more than I ever did, but I’ve never been so happy to give up my season ticket. It’s absolutely dreary. This season has been a test, despite the awfulness of last year’s. Proud of the defence, but what’s the point if it’s this boring and frustrating?

Lee: Seen numerous fans moaning about “Parker Ball” and saying it’s a boring watch. The mission is promotion, who really cares how we get there?

James: Is it entertaining? Sometimes, yes, but for the most part, I wanted to watch the paint dry. We are very rarely at risk of getting caught on the counter because of the extreme risk-averse nature of the game. But ultimately if it is pragmatic enough and gets us promoted, great… but will it fly in the Prem? Probably not.

Danny: I’m loving it. It’s like watching Football Italia in the early 90s – very solid at the back, players reading the game well, very disciplined. Some fans are gushing, but many believed Kompany could not have won a game with his picky team selections and naive tactics, even when he was chucking Premier League games away.

When Burnley were promoted in 2022-23, much has been made of Parker’s and former boss Vincent Kompany’s opposing play strategies.

At one point, Burnley were also on course to have the best ever Championship defense, but they eventually conceded 35 goals, putting them behind Watford and Preston in scoring total of 30 by five goals.

But that’s probably where the similarities between Parker and Kompany’s Burnley end.

Kompany’s team, arguably, won a small number of goals because they were so dominant in their attacks and played games largely in opposition territory.

In that season, Burnley scored 87 goals at a rate of 1.89 per game, compared to 1.19 in this campaign so far. The Clarets will finish this season with about 55 goals, or 32 less than they did under Kompany, if they keep moving at the same pace.

Parker’s Burnley have also already nearly surpassed the number of draws from their last promotion-winning campaign (14) with 13 this term – 10 of which have been 0-0.

Perhaps Parker’s philosophy of pragmatism or just a leaning toward to help Burnley regain its dominance this season raises the question of whether or not he should be trying to get back into the top flight this season? It’s likely the latter, according to previous research.

When he won promotion via the play-offs with Fulham in 2019-20, Parker’s side scored 64 goals at a rate of 1.39 per game and conceded 48 (1.04 per game), meaning they were far more open.

Parker also took Bournemouth up from the Championship automatically, finishing second in 2021-22 with an even more free-flowing approach.

Whether or not Burnley rises will remain to be seen, but regardless of where they finish, they might still break some records.

Here’s a look at some of those they may have in their sights:

Does the end justify the means?

You would think that supporters would be overjoyed if they were in that position, second in the championship, and looking confident in getting promoted.

Fans are becoming increasingly irritated by the manager’s alleged turgid style of play, which is not quite the case with Burnley.

Parker has acknowledged that he is trying to strike a better balance, but there is no disputing the Clarets’ defensive prowess this year.

In the final third, Burnley haven’t been as fluid as they were after Plymouth were thrashing them with a 5-0 lead.

On Saturday, there were chants of “boring, boring Burnley” from Portsmouth supporters at Fratton Park – and the travelling Burnley fans joined in, indicating how fragile the situation is.

If Parker’s men are successful in heading up, they will have done it in the opposite manner. Vincent Kompany’s Burnley entered the Premier League with a thrilling and entertaining style of play, which many people think is the best the Championship has ever seen.