Lancashire

Image source, BURNLEY FC

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at a football club?

BBC Bitesize sat down with members of staff from Burnley to find out more about their jobs and how they all contribute to the running of a football club.

Jack Tebbutt is currently the first-team player care lead at Burnley. His role is far removed from tactics boards and team talks. He's there to provide support to the players, and other staff, on the very varied issues that life can throw at them.

His role can vary from helping players with admin at home to sorting out flat tyres on the side of the road, guiding them in times of grief and assisting with matters around mental health.

"For a lot of our lads, just having someone in the building and knowing they've got a safety blanket is a big thing for them," he explains.

For him to have the most impact in his position, Jack says that the players' trust has to be earned, especially when new signings arrive. That's why he is always one of the first to greet any new players. However, gaining that trust can be tricky. Being curious about people and why they might not be trusting is an important part of the role for Jack.

"We, as people, judge people's behaviour all the time. In fact, we should become more curious about their behaviours," he believes.

"The manager knows that I'm giving the players support to make them thrive on the pitch, which only gives him an easier job."

Jack's phone is on 24/7 and he makes himself available to players whatever the situation. He's always there on matchday too. He explains that in the build-up to kick-off some players just want "a normal conversation that detracts from the game and the tactical stuff". Then, after 90 minutes he's there to offer honesty and support, but uses emotional intelligence to know what to say and when.

It's this emotional intelligence that Jack says is one of the key skills if you want to work in player care. This could be noticing when a player looks out of sorts on the training ground and explaining to the manager they are not just being lazy, but they have something going on at home. Or, it could involve interpreting a conversation a player has had with another member of staff.

"Players are not invincible… they might make a lot of money, but they still have problems that money doesn't take away," he says.

Read more about Jack and other members of staff at Burnley here

Paul Heckingbottom has blasted the 'foolish' scheduling which he feels has contributed to an injury crisis at Preston and beyond.

North End defenders Lewis Gibson and Andrija Vukcevic sustained muscle injuries in the win over Sheffield United which will rule them out for several weeks and they join Ali McCann, Brad Potts, Will Keane, Jordan Thompson, Robbie Brady and Pol Valentin on the sidelines, though Jamal Lewis arrived on a short-term deal as cover on Friday morning ahead of Saturday's trip to Southampton (15:00 GMT).

The victory over the Blades was a third game in six days for Preston immediately after the international break and Heckingbottom said the load on players' bodies amid the intensity of the modern game is leading to more injuries.

He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "It's a blow. We've got too many senior players out.

"Look around the clubs and the injuries. I just find it foolish when lads have been away and you get three games in six days as soon as they come back.

"When you're with the big boys in the Premier League there's people travelling with them, masseurs, squads are big enough to rest and adapt for that - ours is a bit different and it's tough to contend with and it's a consequence of that."

Heckingbottom predicted nothing will change in terms of the scheduling, adding: "It's about the number of games. We had it last year with the [cup runs] and that caught up with us at the end of the season.

"It's just something you have to try and navigate through the season. If you have a bigger squad, more options, you can change things."

Asked to compare the number of injuries with football in the 1970s and 80s, he said: "The bar has raised. The intensity of games, the forces that go through the body increase year on year, it's tough.

"Pitches have improved and there's less tackling but the outputs of players, the amount of sprint distances, are huge, that's why the type of injury is changing - they tend to be big injuries when they happen. They are athletes now."

Burnley defender Axel Tuanzebe spoke to BBC Radio Lancashire to reflect on his strong start to the season, his growing partnership with centre-back partner Maxime Esteve and what it has been like working under manager Scott Parker.

The 27-year-old, who joined the Clarets in the summer, spoke candidly about the positive atmosphere in the squad, the honesty of the management team and his determination to keep developing as a player.

He also outlined the collective goal of securing Premier League survival and the value of learning from a manager with top-level experience like Parker.

This - it seems - is the season of the set piece.

The Premier League debates are more about dead balls than ever before, with some sides enjoying immense success from corner kicks, throw ins or well-worked free-kicks.

What fine timing then for BBC Sport to launch a column with former manager Tony Pulis, a man who seemed to finely extract the fine margins from the game.

You can take in Tony's column on set pieces here

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal at Turf Moor (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He said "it's been a good few weeks" for his side, with the mood around the club carrying a "real buzz and confidence" as they prepare to host the league leaders.

• On the promoted sides: "The three teams that have come up have been very competitive. This is still early part of the season, and there is still a long way to go. The consistency of us and the consistency of many teams will be the defining factor. Some really good early signs certainly from us, which is very encouraging."

• Parker added that it has been "very pleasing" to pick up points against Leeds United and Wolves, highlighting the "psychological element" in "certain fixtures" where his team "had to go and get a result".

• On having a hostile atmosphere at Turf Moor: "That's the aim. That's what we needed it to be. We have an incredible home record over the course of the past 14 months. We've been hugely competitive, fans have been every part of that, and we need to make this place very difficult for teams to come."

• The Burnley boss also stated that performances away from home are just as important and has recalled moments in almost every game where he feels his side are "hugely competitive".

• On Axel Tuanzebe: "He's done really well. We were disappointed with Axe coming in with a bit of an injury. We are starting to see the best version of Axe over the weekend. I thought he was very good. We are pleased to have him back fit now, and he'll play a large part for us this year in that back unit."

• On Arsenal's style of play: "When I'm watching them, I see a fluid team really. I see an unbelievably well-coached team, a team that solves situations. This is definitely not a team that relies on set-plays. Now obviously, over the start of the season, there's been key moments where they've got wins from set-plays. This is a functional team and they're very fluid in the way they play. And defensively, it is really a foundation and probably something we lived by last year. It gives you a bedrock, and they've certainly formed that. This is a top team."

• Looking ahead to hosting the north London side, Parker said Burnley "will work on" limiting Arsenal's threat from set-pieces, adding that they are "doing everything we can to stop this and how we can be effective to nullify".

All the key lines from all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Burnley v Arsenal on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 at 15:00 on Saturday

And also get commentary with Scott Read and David Unsworth on BBC Radio Lancashire (95.5 FM)