Perhaps deadline-day frustration can prove a cause for celebration after all. If West Ham had sold Carlton Cole to West Bromwich Albion, Brown Ideye would not have provided them with a point at Turf Moor. It said much about the Nigerian’s disastrous debut campaign at The Hawthorns that Albion were willing to swallow a £6m loss to offload their record signing to the Qatari team, Al Gharafa.
Instead a man who appeared to rival Mario Balotelli in the contest for the title of worst signing of the season remains on Albion’s books. Seven months after his arrival from Dynamo Kiev, the £10m striker has finally made a meaningful contribution to the club he could have left. His second league goal averted defeat at Turf Moor and prevented Burnley from leapfrogging their relegation rivals.
“Brown has had a tough time. He is a nice kid. He hasn’t played badly, he has just missed opportunities,” said his manager, Tony Pulis, camouflaging his willingness to sell Ideye. Burnley, who cannot afford the luxury of £10m substitutes, must wish they had, but paid a heavy price for their inability to defend corners. Chris Brunt bundled in Callum McManaman’s set piece on the stroke of half- time. Ideye equalised in more forceful manner from Brunt’s right-wing corner, although Sean Dyche argued it should have been disallowed. “He gets a free header because there is a foul on David Jones,” said the Burnley manager. “If he tumbles to the floor, he gets it.”
Yet his team have conceded 14 goals, a league high, from headers this season and have squandered two-goal leads three times in the past four games. Themes are recurring with disturbing frequency, from the goalkeeper Tom Heaton’s inability to command his box to Burnley’s difficulty in maintaining their initial impact for the entire 90 minutes.
This would have been a fourth successive defeat but for a combination of Heaton, with a superb save, and Ben Mee, who made a goalline clearance, to deny Saido Berahino a redemptive winner. The youngster’s declaration he wanted to leave Albion, in an ill-timed and unauthorised interview, had prompted Pulis to say he was on the “naughty chair”, though he denied that was why Berahino began on the bench at Burnley.
He was soon summoned when Victor Anichebe limped off. “Saido showed his attitude,” said Pulis. “He is a top player. The problem is he lost his father at an early age and he has not had many mentors.” He wants his new signing to become one. “I am hoping that bringing [Darren] Fletcher in will make a big difference to Saido,” said Pulis, who appointed the Scot captain on his debut.
Burnley can testify that goalscorers can become unsettled. Dyche felt interest in Danny Ings affected his performance at Sunderland. “The amount of media pressure on a young man can take a toll and I think it did last week,” his manager said. Burnley were adamant Ings would not leave in January and, rather than leaving Turf Moor, his deadline-day movements consisted of going to watch American Sniper. While the 22-year-old represents a very different type of sharpshooter to Chris Kyle, the protagonist in Clint Eastwood’s controversial film, he is increasingly lethal in his own line of work.
His fourth goal in five league games was, like Burnley’s first, beautifully worked. Ben Foster had already clawed Scott Arfield’s shot on to the bar when Ashley Barnes converted the third of three fine early chances.
Ings apart, Burnley may not have the individual quality other sides possess but their goals showed terrific teamwork. Ings and Arfield exchanged a one-two before the striker lobbed in a cross that Barnes headed home. Then Kieran Trippier released George Boyd with a dummy. The winger accelerated into space and whipped in a cross. Ings met it with a perfectly placed header.
“He was excellent with his movement, his endeavour, his effervescence,” said Dyche. “We were outstanding in the first half.”
“They deserved to be 2-0 up,” admitted Pulis. “We started it as though it was a Sunday morning stroll. Half of them looked as though they were still in bed.” They were sub-standard in sub-zero temperatures. Pulis responded by bringing on Ideye for his left-back, Chris Baird.
It made for a more open second half when Burnley felt they merited a winner. Joleon Lescott cleared Jason Shackell’s looping header off his own line and Gareth McAuley escaped unpunished when Mee’s cross hit his arm.
“I am very surprised, to put it mildly, we didn’t have a penalty,” an aggrieved Dyche added. “The handball is a definite.”
Man of the match Danny Ings (Burnley)
