10 Reasons Why Burnley Are Unexpectedly Back In The Premier League

9. Fitness And Pre-season Training

Ask the players and the chairmen and they look back at pre-season training as being the foundation of the success that followed. It took place in Ireland and ended with a mini tournament in Cork, where an incredible bond was developed between staff and players. It was of an intensity that set the bar for the whole season. Players talk of the tyre-pulling day with a smile and a chuckle, and it all ended with the players in teams when after a day of exhausting training they had to finish in groups and complete laps round the field in a certain time. Instead of willing other groups to fail and have a laugh, they willed each to succeed and complete the lap times, and they all did. When I spoke to him, Tom Heaton said it was a defining moment when they all came together and realised that as a group they had something special. As the season went on even in the final games, the stats showed they were even stronger, even fitter and covering even more ground during a game.