Football
Electric Start for Burnley Under Scott Parker as Josh Cullen Embraces New Era
Josh Cullen is excited to learn from new Burnley manager Scott Parker, a Premier League veteran, as the Clarets aim for an immediate return to the top flight.
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Josh Cullen is relishing the chance to learn at close quarters from new Burnley boss Scott Parker.
Learning from a Premier League Veteran
Former England midfielder Parker enjoyed a distinguished international and club career, with 16 seasons in the Premier League at a strong of top clubs including Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham.
Now the ex-Fulham, Bournemouth and Club Brugge manager has been tasked with the tough task of guiding the relegated Clarets back to the Premier League.
“He’s (the manager) had a fantastic career, he was a great player I watched and learnt from growing up,” Cullen told SportsBoom.com.
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“I’m looking forward to working with him closely and picking up any bits of advice and knowledge that he has that can improve my game.”
“I’m relishing the opportunity of working under him and carrying on improving. He played in a very similar position to what I do, so it’s great for me.”
Perfect Start Under Parker
The Clarets kicked off their Championship campaign in impressive fashion, proving that the transition from former coach Vincent Kompany to Parker would be seamless. They dominated their season opener, dismantling fellow relegated side Luton Town 4-1 at Kenilworth Road.
“The manager has been great so far; he’s certainly brought freshness to the place,” Cullen continued.
He’s brought fresh ideas and, for players, it’s a fresh start as well.
Josh Cullen
“You know, we’ve got lads coming back from loan, from injury and players who might not have been at the top of the pecking order under Vincent (Kompany).”
“It’s a fresh start under a new manager – and I think you can really feel that around the place.”
“I think everyone’s excited about the new season, I can’t speak highly enough of how the manager has started and all the staff he has brought in with him.”
Reflecting on a Tough Season
Cullen was part of the Clarets’ 2022-23 promotion-winning side which blew away all before them to win the Championship title, winning 29 matches and losing just three times in the league in a season to savour.
But last season was a real baptism of fire for the Lancashire club as they frustratingly slipped back to the second tier having mustered just five league wins all season and suffered 24 defeats from 38 matches.
However, despite the obvious disappointment of getting relegated, Republic of Ireland Cullen believes the squad will benefit from the experience and bounce back better for it.
“As the season progressed, I think we improved, as players, individually and as a team,” added Cullen.
“Unfortunately, we ran out of time in the end (to avoid relegation) and left ourselves too much to do towards the end of the season.”
Ambitions for Immediate PL Return
The Clarets still had a chance to avoid the drop at the end of a testing campaign, but four defeats and just one win in their last seven matches put paid to any hope of a staying up.
Cullen stressed: “I think a lot of people will look at seasons as a chapter, but for me there’s a process to it as players as well.”
“Last season was a good time to learn as a team and as individuals against the best teams and players in the world.”
“This season we have to carry on that development, that mentality that we’re working towards getting back to the Premier League.”
And next time we get back there – and we believe we can get there – then we’ll be a better side for it.
Josh Cullen
“It’s about carrying on that development, learning and taking some of the positives from last season – and there were some – looking to build on those performances this season.”
“Hopefully we can get back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.”
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.