Burnley

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Burnley boss Scott Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire he could see his team adding attacking flair to defensive solidity in their win over Watford.

"Overall the performance was very good today and I thought we dominated for large parts.

"We get our noses in front, which is probably something we've been lacking a little bit, and were well worthy of our goal in the first half.

"The slight negative was we could have had a few more. The second half they changed their system, but credit to the boys, they recognised that fairly early and then caused them problems.

"Back end of the game after that goal goes in it's survival mode a little bit because there's no real tactics for that moment. You just need a group of men to manage the game and we did that very well.

"With this group there are loads that need improving, there are certain elements that don't.

"Defensively we've been pretty rock solid. Probably for the first time I looked at the team from the attacking phase of things that started to look like the team we want to be.

"At 2-0 up everything started to flow and everything looked very easy for us.

"The second goal was high-level technical ability and obviously it was a great finish from Browny (Josh Brownhill) as well."

Burnley are looking to extend their unbeaten run to nine games as they host seventh-placed Watford on Saturday.

The Clarets are third, four points behind leaders Sheffield United, and host a Hornets side who have taken just five points from their past nine away games, in stark contrast to their home record of 26 points from 10 matches.

• Burnley have lost just one of their past seven league games against Watford (W3 D3), never conceding more than one goal in any of those matches.

• Watford have won just three of their 23 away Football League games against Burnley (D7 L13), though all three wins have seen the Hornets score 3+ goals. In that time, Watford have managed to only keep two clean sheets.

• Burnley are unbeaten across their past 10 home league games (W5 D5), drawing each of their last two against Middlesbrough and Derby County. Not since August 2022 have the Clarets drawn three in succession at Turf Moor.

• Watford are unbeaten across their last six league games (W3 D3), last enjoying a longer run between March and April 2021 (eight games).

• Giorgi Chakvetadze has created more chances from open play than any other player in the Championship this season (40), while the Watford midfielder is second this term for dribbles completed (41).

Burnley are in advanced talks to sign Peru right-back Oliver Sonne, 24, from Silkeborg in a deal worth £2.5m. (Football Insider, external)

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Burnley boss Scott Parker says it is still too early in the season to be getting carried away with their impressive form and where they sit in the Championship table.

Sunday's 2-1 come-from-behind win at Norwich City made it eight games unbeaten in the league for the third-placed Clarets who are just one point short of the automatic promotion places.

With 21 games played, the Clarets are more than halfway through their league campaign but Parker is aware significant pitfalls could lie ahead, plus there is scope for his team to get better.

"It's a good platform but I don't take any notice of it, it's about us and the team we want to be," Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire

"We need to worry about and focus on ourselves - the second-half is a performance and a group that will put is in good stead."

Burnley's last defeat in the league was at Millwall at the start of November and they have since won five and drawn three of the subsequent eight matches.

"It's still really early and we're nudging away and we need to keep improving," added Parker.

Burnley host seventh placed Watford on Saturday before a Boxing Day trip to the leaders Sheffield United.

Norwich City will be seeking to get back on track as they welcome Burnley to Carrow Road on Sunday afternoon.

The Canaries sit 10th and have won just two of their past 11 in the Championship to fall off the pace in the play-off race.

The third-placed Clarets are unbeaten in seven but three draws in that run has seem them lose ground on leading duo Sheffield United and Leeds.

• Norwich have won just one of their past 10 league games against Burnley (D3 L6), failing to score in five of their past six matches against the Clarets.

• Burnley have won two of their past three away league games against Norwich (L1), as many as in their previous 16 visits (D3 L11).

• Norwich have already won 12 league games at Carrow Road in 2024, last winning more in a year in 2018 (13). They've scored at least three goals in five of their past seven league matches on home soil.

• Burnley are unbeaten in their past three away league games (W2 D1) and could equal a club record of four successive clean sheets in the league on the road, previously doing so in October 1980.

• Burnley have only conceded four goals in 10 away league games this season, becoming only the second side in Championship history (since 2004-05) to concede fewer than five goals in their first 10 away games of a season; the other was Reading in 2005-06 (three conceded).

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Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has been named the EFL's Championship manager of the month for November.

The Blades were unbeaten last month, taking 16 points from their six matches and climbing to the top of the table.

It is the second time this season Wilder has won the award having also been named the division's top manager in September.

"This award is recognition for a lot of hard work from the players and the staff in the opening months of the season," Wilder told the EFL website., external

"The rebuild of the squad has been talked about numerous times, what needs to be taken into consideration is that this is a new group, providing a new dynamic, which includes the lads who were here last season. There's still a lot of work to do but the signs are good."

Sheffield United have taken four points from their opening two games of December and host Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick, Burnley's Scott Parker and outgoing Millwall head coach were also nominated for the award.

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Millwall's Neil Harris is among four bosses nominated for the Championship Manager of the Month award for November, even though he will leave the club after Saturday's match at Middlesbrough.

Harris led the Lions on a five-match unbeaten run last month from which they took nine points and conceded only three goals.

Chris Wilder's Sheffield United collected 16 points from six unbeaten games in November during which time they went top of the Championship and beat rivals Sheffield Wednesday in the Steel City derby.

Although they lost two of their six league games last month, Middlesbrough went goal crazy under Michael Carrick as they recorded four wins by scorelines of 4-1, 5-1, 6-2 and 3-1.

Scott Parker watched his Burnley side pick up four wins and suffer just one defeat from their six games in November.

The Clarets also only conceded one goal.

The winner of the Championship's Manager of the Month award will be announced on Friday morning.

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Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is ruled out of Tuesday's home match with Derby County after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in the 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.

The ex-Manchester United man is the only new absentee for the Clarets, who have the chance of going top of the league with a win over the struggling Rams.

Hannibal joins a list of long-term absentees that includes John Egan, Lyle Foster, Manuel Benson, Aaron Ramsey, Mike Tresor and Jordan Beyer.

However, Zian Flemming is in contention to start his first match in five games after returning to the side as a second-half substitute on Friday following a leg injury.

"I'm looking forward to having a fully fit squad," Burnley boss Scott Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"It'll give us some headaches but they're the headaches I like, to be honest with you."

Burnley will look to continue their push for promotion when they welcome Derby County to Turf Moor on Tuesday night.

The Clarets are unbeaten in their past six games (W4 D2) and also undefeated in nine home matches so far this season (W5 D4) following a 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough last time out.

The Rams have lost three on the bounce, with the most recent a 2-0 defeat at Leeds, and have won just once in their previous 10 matches (D5 L4).

• Burnley are unbeaten across their past 12 league games against Derby County (W9 D3) since a 1-0 loss in January 2007.

• Derby County have failed to win any of their past eight away league games against Burnley (D3 L5), conceding 2+ goals in six of those matches. The Rams have also failed to score on five of their past seven visits to Turf Moor.

• Burnley are unbeaten in their last 13 league meetings with newly promoted opponents (W9 D4) since a 2-0 defeat to Norwich in the Premier League in April 2022. At home, the Clarets last lost in the league to a promoted side in May 2021 against Leeds (0-4).

• Derby County have only won one of their past seven midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) games in the Championship (D1 L5), although that was their last such game away from home, beating Coventry in November.

• Burnley boss Scott Parker has only lost one of his four previous Championship games against Derby County as a manager (W2 D1), winning both such home games – 3-0 with Fulham in 2019-20 and 2-0 with Bournemouth in 2021-22.

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Burnley head coach Scott Parker said the heavy wind and strong rain had an impact on their 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough at Turf Moor.

"I thought we were well worth three points tonight," Parker said.

"The conditions definitely played a large factor in tonight's game for both teams really. You could see that in the flight of the ball and the winds and the rain. They were tough conditions.

"They scored a goal against the run of play and that was probably down to us a little bit. Certainly it's something we need to look at in that we gifted that a little bit in terms of the way we positioned ourselves.

"As a coach you're always looking at certain moments and seeing the learning from it.

"This is the first time the team has conceded in a long time so it's what sort of reaction we got. I got a reaction from a group of men that was nothing short of superb."

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Burnley boss Scott Parker says his team are ready for the challenge of December's traditionally hectic schedule which should help define the rest of the season.

Parker's title challengers are gunning for their fifth win on the spin and will go top of the Championship if they can beat Middlesbrough at Turf Moor on Friday [20:00 GMT].

The Clarets face the Teessiders twice, along with Derby, Norwich, Watford and title rivals Sheffield United in their six games before the end of the year.

"This period is a very busy one for every team," Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"There's some tough games ahead of us but we're in a good place at the moment and we're looking forward to it.

"The games come so thick and fast and when you come out of Christmas into New Year, you get a clearer idea of where things are and where you sit."

Parker says he's looking forward to taking on his old England team-mate Michael Carrick tonight, and says his squad is in excellent shape ahead of the game.

"There's been some real improvement in the areas we needed," Parker said of his side that's won 10 times this season so far.

"I still don't think we're anywhere near where we need to be but over the last few weeks there's been a real drive to produce more and we've had some excellent results."

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Burnley midfielder Hannibal Mejbri is loving life at Turf Moor following his side's fourth consecutive league win on Saturday.

Hannibal was a late substitute for Scott Parker's men during the 2-0 win at Stoke City which meant the Clarets leapfrogged Leeds United into the Championship automatic promotion places.

"I like playing football, I like playing at Burnley, I like the squad and I like the fans," the Tunisia international told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"We are progressing, step-by-step, we had a lot of new players and slowly, we started to see a real team."

The 21-year-old midfielder is yet to score for his new club since arriving from Manchester United on a permanent deal in August but his combative and tenacious performances have immediately endeared him to supporters.

"On the pitch I like to give everything, I like when there is action when the crowd is with us - it gives more energy for me and I think with my energy I can give more to my team-mates," he added.

"In my family, everyone tells me that I am completely different on the pitch.

"When I came to England, I was more the nice technical footballer, I had character but I didn't really like tackling but now I've got English football in me! If I'm going to tackle, I'm going to tackle."

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It is one of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the football calendar as Premier League and Championship clubs join the FA Cup action from round three.

The draw will take place on Monday, 2 December from 19:00 GMT and can be watched live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.