Burnley FC blog: Leave McDonald out for one game, and one game only

6:20am Thursday 8th April 2010 in Chris Flanagan Photograph of the Author By Chris Flanagan, Sports reporter

Burnley FC blog: Leave McDonald out for one game, and one game only Burnley FC blog: Leave McDonald out for one game, and one game only

SOME say freeze him out for the rest of the season, others say play him on Saturday and he will respond. But Burnley might like to follow the example of Martin O'Neill when they address the thorny issue of Kevin McDonald.

If McDonald will always be remembered at Turf Moor for his two goals against Arsenal in the Carling Cup, then Saturday’s events will also feature heavily in the summary of his Burnley career.

McDonald was the player who visited a local bar at the weekend while his team were losing 6-1 at home to Manchester City, having been substituted at half time, and notoriety like that can be pretty hard to shake off.

On the plus side, the 110 Club has rarely had such publicity.

McDonald was always likely to be one of the hardest hit when Owen Coyle left for Bolton Wanderers in January, such was the close relationship the shy 21-year-old appeared to have with his boss and fellow Scot.

Coyle had won McDonald over from the start, driving up to Scotland and meeting the midfielder’s parents face to face in a successful attempt to persuade them Turf Moor was the place for their son.

We cannot know all the circumstances behind his early departure on Saturday, but the fact that the club confirmed it was without permission suggests a worrying disrespect towards new boss Brian Laws.

Laws has dealt with the incident and a fine has been issued.

So what to do now?

The Clarets face a game of paramount importance at Hull on Saturday and one would like to think McDonald is ready to reaffirm his commitment to the club with a determined performance.

Such is the difficulty of the decision, it would be hard to blame Laws no matter what he opts to do.

The O'Neill solution may be the best.

When Nigel Reo-Coker clashed with the Aston Villa boss on the training ground in September, the former England under 21 midfielder was dropped for one game and one game only.

“Nigel did not train this morning and obviously will not play tomorrow,” said O’Neill at the time.

“But I have dealt with the issue as I see fit and that’s the end of it. Monday we are back to normal.”

The logic is obvious, the compromise sensible.

To play McDonald on Saturday could send out a dangerous message to the rest of the squad.

At a time when Laws’ authority is coming under rather more scrutiny than he would like, dropping McDonald from the 18 should make it clear that flouting discipline is not without its consequences.

And if the Scot is ready to respond, then surely every other player in the Clarets squad will feel the same after the embarrassment of that City defeat.

But nor should McDonald be banished completely. That would be cutting your nose off to spite your face, as the phrase goes.

Despite a dip in form, McDonald clearly has talent and could still have a lot to offer if Burnley are to revive their hopes of staying in the Premier League.

But for one game they can manage without him.

* Should Burnley select Kevin McDonald for their match at Hull City on Saturday?

Comments(15)

bfc11 says...
9:08am Thu 8 Apr 10

yes he should be selected.

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bankhall says...
11:39am Thu 8 Apr 10

does it really matter we are down and won't win another game .I just am thankful i sold my season ticket back when the dimwit laws got the job so i have had a good holiday and haven't had to put up with the cr@p

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bfc11 says...
12:12pm Thu 8 Apr 10

bankhall wrote:
does it really matter we are down and won't win another game .I just am thankful i sold my season ticket back when the dimwit laws got the job so i have had a good holiday and haven't had to put up with the cr@p
oh a true fan, I assume you bought the ticket when we won promtion?we are going to miss you (NOT)

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philipmorris says...
12:49pm Thu 8 Apr 10

Martin ONeill ?Stop trying to draw the big club analogy. Its like Burnley lasses : it doesnt wash or work ;-)
Ossy Claret

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vintageclaret says...
1:00pm Thu 8 Apr 10

Chris stop trying to raise the profile on this. Laws said the lad has been fined and disciplined. He's young & with that comes the naivety of youth. Despite this I think he has been o.k. this season despite some of the fans getting on his back for errors (some of which have been minor compared to his so called seniors. We need as many of the squad together for the last push. This young lad has a good future ahead of him if nurtured properly (some of his passes have been visionary and swung change of play, yes some have been gaffes also) I agree he is probably missing his mentor, but the fact this has not been picked up and worked on, says a lot about the so called man management strategy of the current managerial squad. I have noticed that as early as 2nd weekend in February some of the team were arguing on field castigating each other several times in a match. The once happy team, willing to play their socks off week in week out in the Championship for each other and the Clarets, seems to have disappeared under Mr. Laws. I earnestly believe this is because he seems to lack personality and motivational skills besides confident strong team tactics. They say rot starts at the head, we can continually go on about Messrs Kilby & Flood for their appointing him but they are mainly concerned about financial aspects (for which choice of priority leaves a lot to be desired). Mr. Laws is head of the team & playing squad & as such bad results, bad team tactics, lack of fitness, lack of desire to put their bodies in the way of play have to be laid at his door. To Mr. Laws and all responsible I say it will be wrong & immoral to making a scapegoat to hide behind in the form of young Macdonald, just to take the heat for these disastrous past 3 months. The lad has at least shown some courtesy to the fans in his apology for his indiscretion. Now let us see some of the same from Kilby, Flood & Laws and explain what really were their ambitions towards staying in the Premiership and what are their intentions for an immediate bounce back (or is it to be a second consecutive drop into league 1?)

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vintageclaret says...
1:15pm Thu 8 Apr 10

philipmorris wrote:
Martin ONeill ?Stop trying to draw the big club analogy. Its like Burnley lasses : it doesnt wash or work ;-) Ossy Claret
In support of all Burnley people I take great umbrage at your infatuous remark. By your own admission, you spend most of your life clutching your remote stuck on your couch never getting off your fat a**e to go to the Turf (oh sorry! 4 times in 20 years). I wouldn't be surprised if you are continually stuffing your mouth with garbage food which obviously seem to clog your brain. Time you got out of the closet, show your true BRFC colours and leave this site to genuine supporters.

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philipmorris says...
1:58pm Thu 8 Apr 10

Im sick of telling you im not a closet b****d. Ive attended regularly sine 74.

Can I suggest something : instead of abusing me for being real concentrate on 1 win in 22 games, £11million in debt, a player who buggers off to the pub at half-time, thousands leaving before the end , very real concerns regarding the people running the club but above all absolute garbage players some of whom just go through the motions.

Thats what you ought to be concerned about not me. Apologies for just pointing out a few facts. Sometimes the truth hurts.

Ossy Claret

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vintageclaret says...
3:16pm Thu 8 Apr 10

philipmorris wrote:
Im sick of telling you im not a closet b****d. Ive attended regularly sine 74. Can I suggest something : instead of abusing me for being real concentrate on 1 win in 22 games, £11million in debt, a player who buggers off to the pub at half-time, thousands leaving before the end , very real concerns regarding the people running the club but above all absolute garbage players some of whom just go through the motions. Thats what you ought to be concerned about not me. Apologies for just pointing out a few facts. Sometimes the truth hurts. Ossy Claret
I had a go at you because of your comment about Burnley Lasses (which as usual when it's direct, you chose to ignore and i think you should offer an apology). Your lies/myths exploded a) By your own admission several postings ago, you stated you'd been on the Turf about 4 times (that is not a supporter whether it's in 1 season or 20). b) Saturday night there were possibly a couple of hundred left by half-time not thousands (unlike you I was there and to the end). c) A lot of the so called unknown hidden financial facts you spout about are always followed by " There are libel laws you know, so I can't go too deep". It is not just myself who is convinced you're a closet BRFC but many of the other posters as well. Your rantings are so negative supposedly backed up by facts/figures gleaned from Internet information they do not hold much credibility in similar manner to your claim to be a Clarets fan. So your version of truthful statements don't hurt or create angst; just your continued claim to be a true supporter when all you want to do is create mayhem and unrest. It wouldn't surprise me that if you are employed is that you are a Unionist Activator and probably on behalf of The Deadwood Park Association of Zombies

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philipmorris says...
5:18pm Thu 8 Apr 10

Still engaging in abuse. The comments about Burnley lasses is a jke but grounded in personal experiences. Re yiour other points :

1.The table doesnt lie at this stage of the season.
2. £11million ndebt is a company law audited figure produced by the Footaball Finance Unit at Deloitte the international accountancy firm.
3. I notice you dont deny the comment about poor quality players going through the motions.
4. Having watched the entire City game live on big screen tv it certainly looked like thousands left.Big gaps in most of the ground.

As i say the truth hurts. If you want to stick your head in the sand thats your problem.
Ossy Claret

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hasslem hasslem says...
6:00pm Thu 8 Apr 10

Now, now girls.
Vintage and Morris you are behaving like squabbling burnley defenders.
.
I have no axe to grind against Burnley- and as a Rovers fan, all I feel for you is sympathy for your plight and that you live in the shadow of a team which has secured a record 11th season in the top flight.
.
But Vintage, if you try to claim that only 200 left the ground in the 1st half then you must have been watching a different game to the one shown on TV on saturday evening. Loads of supporters leaving through the vomitaries (real word) and loads of empty seats in second half. The ground was either full of plastic cut-outs in the first half that were taken down at half time OR there was a mass exodus.
.
I was at a wedding of a Burnley ST holder on monday and he confirmed that the ground had a major exodus in 1st half.
.
Don't con yourself.

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vintageclaret says...
8:51am Fri 9 Apr 10

hasslem hasslem wrote:
Now, now girls. Vintage and Morris you are behaving like squabbling burnley defenders. . I have no axe to grind against Burnley- and as a Rovers fan, all I feel for you is sympathy for your plight and that you live in the shadow of a team which has secured a record 11th season in the top flight. . But Vintage, if you try to claim that only 200 left the ground in the 1st half then you must have been watching a different game to the one shown on TV on saturday evening. Loads of supporters leaving through the vomitaries (real word) and loads of empty seats in second half. The ground was either full of plastic cut-outs in the first half that were taken down at half time OR there was a mass exodus. . I was at a wedding of a Burnley ST holder on monday and he confirmed that the ground had a major exodus in 1st half. . Don't con yourself.
Hasslem;Thanks for the sympathy. I must admit though I didn't realise Old Trafford & Eastlands cast a shadow so far away as to encompass this region :-)).

Obviously anyone watching the game on TV (Ossy) can see more of the ground than someone sat in it, but from where we sit it certainly looked like only a few hundred.

Yes agree vomitary being an ancient word for exits such as from the Colessum in Rome. However, the old and probably correct spelling is vomitory.

Ossy: Most financial figures such as Balance Sheets are historical of the previous year. I suggest somehow (you seem to state you have the contacts) that you obtain current management accounts that will probably show Burnley as debt free according to Kilby & Flood.

Ossy: I don't deny we have (for Premier League status) some poor, over the hill players. In like manner we have some poor "supporters" that i) Only watch games on T.V. ii) leave matches early instead of getting behind their team. As is usual in couch supporters, they are the most vociferous in their condemnation of the team they purport to support. This is usually due to the fact they accept in themselves they haven't a clue about the game, lacking the confidence to make their comments when sat among real supporters.

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philipmorris says...
10:56am Fri 9 Apr 10

Totally wrong. I make these comments when on the Turf. If £11 muliion debt is based on last year the position may have worsened given huge increases in expenditure. Will be interesting to see when the new accounts come out.

Bottom line is most of the players are poor quality, nowhere near PL standard. We might stay up but if we do it will ( unless we recruit proven quality players) get even worse next season : 15 points maximum believe me.

In some ways relegation will be merciful, bringing this farce to an end. It is reducing us to the laughing stock of English football , including us as supporters.

Ossy Claret

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Nostradamous says...
11:16am Fri 9 Apr 10

Back to MacDonald eh!,Laws will do the right thing here,he will do the right thing for Burnley FC,Laws is being made a scapegoat for Killby who could have kept Coyle here without doubt,now i am not saying like many other fans that Coyle would have made a better fist of it than Laws has,but these players in the main are Coyles players,the way that Coyle left must have had a major impact on there commitment to an obvious unambitous club the players needed a masive lift and i reckon not even a renowned top class manager could have got them out of the doldrums,look at it this way,look at our points total end of Oct early Nov and then look at that total in early Jan when Coyle left,not much different it was obvious even with Coyle we were on the slide then,Killby is getting away with murder here, his signing of a manager has deflected his short comings,the prem money will not go on better players just mark my words it will go on ground improvements and who's company ownes Turf Moor?,i will leave you to find that one out.

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johnnoblue says...
9:20pm Fri 9 Apr 10

If Kilby had borrowed half of the guaranteed parachute money and let Coyle have it to buy some players we might have stayed up.Laws is only doing his job like every working man. It's kilby's fault.

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philipmorris says...
12:39pm Sat 10 Apr 10

Kilby is a businessman full stop.
We earned £60 million from promotion. Work it out for yourself - its not difficult.
Ossy Claret

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