Burnley opens its 2024–25 season today, so let’s start by discussing the Ottawa Senators. What have those guys been up to?
Not a whole lot since we last did this a month ago. They swapped some minor leaguers, but while Kevin Mandolese is now under the employ of the Colorado Avalanche, nothing else about the last 33 days calls to mind a mass of snow, ice, and rocks rapidly falling down a mountainside. For the most part, the NHL finished its offseason business in the first week of July then went away for the summer. The European influence is strong.
Speaking of Europe:
Burnley!
The Burnleys resume play today, and they’ve got work to do. With everyone else’s first match complete, Burnley enters this afternoon trailing the league leaders by a full three points. They’re already four tallies behind Sheffield Wednesday in goal differential. And it’s not even Wednesday!
Who’s on the Team?
Wow. Transfermarkt really held my feet to the fire on that accept–cookies page. It hit me with a choice between paying for a subscription or accepting cookies. No option to reject cookies without paying Transfermarkt something called a Euro. Fair play, Transfermarkt. I respect the hustle.
OUT: Aro Muric (Ipswich Town), Bailey Peacock-Farrell (Birmingham), Samuel Bastien (Fortuna Sittard), Charlie Taylor (Southampton), Jack Cork (retirement?), Lawrence Vigouroux (Swansea)
RETURNED FROM LOAN: Jacob Bruun Larsen (TSG Hoffenheim), Lorenz Assignon (Renz)
OUT ON LOAN: Darko Churlinov (Jagiellonia), Dara Costelloe (Accrington Stanley)
This is an incomplete list…probably. There’s probably more to come.
Muric was the big sale so far. Burnley tried to retain Larsen and Assignon, and might still be trying, but so far they haven’t pulled it off.
It’s sad to see Cork and Chuck Taylor leave, but time comes for everyone (besides Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson) in the end. Overall? Nowhere near the size of the 2022 selloff so far. Although I guess Vincent Kompany kind of counts as a sale. Burnley made some good cash off that.
IN: Andreas Hountondji, Lucas Pires, Shurandy Sambo, Vaclav Hladky, Etienne Green
BACK FROM LOAN: CJ Egan-Riley, …Wout Weghorst?
Burnley spent big to retain Mike Trésor and Maxime Estève, then spent smaller on these other guys. It’s unclear if Etienne Green, acquired from Saint-Étienne, cost more because he shared a name with his former team. I would imagine that commands a surcharge. Again, more might be coming here.
I don’t know what’s happening with Wout Weghorst, but that’s normal. I never know what’s happening. What’s not normal is that it seems like no one else knows what’s happening either. Wout Weghorst is the Burnley saga that will never end. It’s at the point where I love him?
The latest news-ish development is that Burnley appeared to initially forget ol’ Wout on the list of squad numbers. They added him to the mix, but the implication is that they’re trying to sell him? And he’s probably trying to get sold? Again, I think I love Wout Weghorst. Just a tall dude who’s very inconvenient for everyone involved.
STARTING XI: ???
There is really no way to know. I can’t find much agreement on reddit or English betting sites. Probably best to wait. Should be announced momentarily anyway.
How Good Will the Burnleys Be?
Betting markets opened with Burnley second-likeliest to earn promotion, behind Leeds. Still an underdog to be promoted, but in a better spot than anyone else. Beyond recent EPL teams (Leeds, Luton, Sheffield United, you can probably count West Brom in this still), it appears Middlesbrough has the highest expectations. Brough Culture, man. Insufferable.
The big picture is that Burnley should be pretty good. By which I mean anything less than the Championship/FA Cup/League Cup treble will be a massive disappointment and will result in Scott Parker’s dismissal. (Parker often has great hair, by the way. Better the longer it gets. Especially when it can be misted-upon and rainswept. Something to keep an eye on.)
Today’s Game
The details:
- Burnley at Luton Town
- 3:00 PM EDT
- Paramount Plus
Let’s get the big thing out of the way. It looks like it’ll cost $53.91 to watch Burnley this year, barring price change, Burnley playing in an otherwise untelevised promotion play-off final, or you already subscribing to Paramount Plus. That doesn’t include the Cup matches.
Secondarily, Burnley’s kind of favored here. As in, they’re not supposed to win, but they’re likelier to win than Luton is. So is a draw the favorite? No! Probability is rowdy.
Luton’s going through the same relegation thing as our lads, but maybe they’ve sold a little more value. That or Burnley really underachieved last year. That or people still don’t believe in the Hatters. Couldn’t be us. We love the Hatters.
Mission to Burnley Still Exists
The other talk of the town is this clip from Season 2 of Mission to Burnley, in which Vincent Kompany unloads on Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson for ostensibly complaining. We are, of course, Team JBG. I don’t know that the Disco Inferno hates Kompany or anything, but you don’t speak like that to our Viking king.
Around the Championship
Elsewhere in Lancashire, Preston North End mutually parted ways with Ryan Lowe, its new ex-manager. This isn’t what happened but I hope they’re firing managers after every loss. Like pickup basketball. Winner stays.
Portsmouth and Leeds tied at Leeds after a pair of stoppage time goals. 3–3 final score. Leeds is evidently still chaos, so that’s fun.
Major League Soccer?
As Americans blogging about British soccer (and Canadian hockey), I think it’s our duty to inform you on recent happenings with our local MLS team, Austin FC. They lost their first Leagues Cup knockout game to LAFC. Good riddance. The Leagues Cup is bullshit.
Our Schedule
We’re eying publishing Disco Inferno on Fridays throughout (American) football season, but as always, that is aspirational and subject to change. For example: Today is a Monday.
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Disco Inferno is our joint Burnley FC & Ottawa Senators newsletter, written for American college basketball fans who became supporters of both out of conceptual loyalty to the National Invitation Tournament. If you’re reading this and you don’t fit that description, it’s ok. Just don’t do it again.*
*Kidding, kidding. Please come back and read more. We need all the reading we can get.
