Lancashire

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  1. 'We're competitive and mentally strong' - Parker's culture win

    Natalie Bromley
    Fan writer

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    Burnley players against UnitedGetty Images

    Now that the dust has settled on Burnley's contentious meeting at Old Trafford, there is much to be positive about.

    The Clarets more than matched Manchester United in the second half of that game. They scored three legitimate goals. They had United's talisman dragging himself (and a foul) into the penalty box in a desperate attempt to avoid the embarrassment of drawing at home to a newly promoted side.

    But for the utter shambles that is VAR, that game would have likely finished 3-3 and Burnley would have been sitting on a healthy four-point return from a tricky opening three fixtures.

    The caveat to this positivity is that we are starting games slowly and sloppily, especially away from home. United could, in truth, have been much further ahead by half-time if they weren't struggling themselves. But we're showing something we failed to do in the whole of Kompany's campaign: we're competitive and mentally strong. Scott Parker is exceptionally good at breeding that culture.

    He's also tantalisingly articulate, calmly pointing out to the watching world that we've lost the game we love to the quest for technical perfection. His post-match interview was damning in its precision: we don't celebrate goals any more, the joy and soul have been sucked out of the game.

    This weekend is a free hit - a home tie against the champions - and one where Parker may well think about giving his young players the freedom to just enjoy the occasion and try something new. There's a highly strong chance we get beaten anyway, and whilst Burnley aren't here just to make up numbers and enjoy the tourism of the Premier League, there's an argument to allow these players to just revel in the company they've earned the right to play in.

    I wrote last week about my satisfaction with the transfer business we conducted. If we get the likes of Armando Broja and Florentino Luis fit and in the starting 11, you may just find a little club from east Lancashire elbowing its way into 17th and above. After this weekend…

    Find more from Natalie Bromley at No Nay Never podcast

  2. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice wears a black suit, a white shirt and a light blue tie.

  3. Rory Burns batting for Surrey

  4. A log flume ride on a wooden pier, consisting of a blue chute with carriages desiged to look like logs.

  5. Front entrance of Blackpool Victoria Hospital showing the sign which reads: 'Welcome to Blackpool Victoria Hospital'.

  6. Steps leading on to Blackpool beach, with the tide out. The tower and pier can be seen in the distance against a blue sky

  7. A generic image showing the legs of two primary school girls wearing ankle socks and black shoes on a path. They are out of focus as if the girls are skipping or running

  9. Matt Targett of Middlesbrough celebrates

  10. Mitch Stanley playing for Lancashire

  11. Generic image of children in a classrooom

  12. Josh Tongue bowling for Notts

  13. Generic image of the backs of a female police officer walking beside a female PCSO down a country lane. Both have dark hair tied up at the back and are wearing high-vis jackets

  14. Composite image of the two scooters. A close-up on the left shows the scooter base with a small red and silver motor attached. The image on the right shows a black scooter by a kerb next to two police motorbikes

  15. A scaled-down version of the circular garden, with a reflection pond in the centre with aspherical steel sculpture in the middle made up of rusted circles. A gravel path surrounds it and there are benches in the background

  16. Head-and-shoulders shot of Kerry Vasiliou, sitting in a theatre flooded with light. She is smiling and has long blonde hair tied back off her face.

  17. Georgia Adams smiling while playing for Hampshire

  18. A digitally created image of a tall black technological unit on a footpath. It has a big purple screen on it that reads 'Only BT guarantees broadband speeds".

  19. Sands Hotel on Blackpool Promenade which has a black facade and is located on Blackpool Promenade.

  20. Aerial view of the fireworks display on the beach near Blackpool's North pier showing crowds of people watching on the promenade in the evening with the Blackpool Illuminations on and Blackpool Tower lit up purple in the background.

  21. Sean Dickson swatting a shot for Somerset

  22. Lancashire's Liam Livingstone with his arms aloft as he roars in triumph

  23. The outside of Ewood Park, showing a glass-fronted stand with the club logo of a red rose surrounded by a blue ring.

  24. A rectangular glass building at Lancaster University, with a central black column bearing a red 'swoosh' logo and the university name. There is a grass area to the front of the building, and a bicycle rack to the right