KIERAN TRIPPIER: The intimidating, hoarse voice of Sean Dyche has turned Burnley from relegation favourites into Premier League contenders
Kieran Trippier spent 12 years at Manchester City before signing for Burnley in 2012 and this season has helped the club mount an unlikely push towards the Premier League. Having won two England under-21 caps, the right-back who was voted in The Championship’s all-star team last season could still have a future at senior international level provided he can get into the Premier League. Highly valued by Burnley, In his debut Footballers' Football Column Trippier reveals the secret behind their success this season – and which Manchester City star left the biggest impression on him.
I was just nine-years-old, a young lad from Bury, when I signed for Manchester City. They weren’t in the Premier League but it was still an amazing experience to go and train at their academy at Platt Lane was amazing.
The guy in charge Jim Cassell was just a genius, he brought so many players through from Shaun Wright-Phillips, Micah Richards, Daniel Sturridge, Stephen Ireland, Nedum Onouha and many more.
The funny thing is Jim lived in Edenfield, not too far from me. So my mum would drop me off at Birch Services and Jim would drive me in for matches and stuff like that. You can imagine the stick I got off the other lads when they’d see me climbing out of the coach’s car!
Looking up: Kieran Trippier is focused on getting Burnley promoted to the Premier League
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But Jim was great for me – he’d give me advice and teach me to keep my head down at school, make sure I made it as a footballer which I really appreciate.
The only downside joining City was I had to leave my dad’s local team, Seafield, where I played with Dean Kiely’s son Chris. But I made new friends at City and it was a real buzz when the first-team players like Shaun Goater would come down to Platt Lane to visit us.
Daniel Sturridge was just a few months older than me but by the time he was 17, he was already training with the first-team.
He was a top lad, kept himself to himself mainly, but when he came back to the youth team, he was incredible.
I remember one tie at Reading, we were losing 1-0, then Danny scored three goals out of nowhere and we won 3-1. It’s the sort of thing he could do and we ended up winning the FA Youth Cup that year.
I saw him score England’s winner against Denmark on TV recently.
I don’t know what went on at Man City to make him leave but he’s doing brilliantly at Liverpool. He never used to dance after he scored for us though, I’m still trying to figure out to this day what it is!
Everything changed at City after the takeover in 2008. But for all the foreign stars that came in, there was nobody better in my book at that time than Craig Bellamy.
Everything about him was top professional. The way he trained, and prepared himself, he was in the gym for an hour-and-a-half before training doing his rehab.
Things like that made him a real impression on me, what you must do to be a top professional and have the career he’s had.
He was no different on the pitch, he played and trained the same way. He was as good as any of the big signings, and gave 100 per cent every session whereas maybe others didn’t.
Dan's the man: Trippier is pleased to see his former teammate Daniel Sturridge kick on at international level
The early days: Trippier and Sturridge both came through the youth ranks at Manchester City
Big impression: Trippier says Craig Bellamy was one of the best professionals he played with
The only downside was you didn’t really want him in your team during small-sided games because he could go mad with you! He was only trying to help the young lads getting better, he had a go at me a lot of times. We knew that.
I was destined not to make it at City. I’d been on a pre-season tour to America with City and done well but I still didn’t get my chance so I decided to leave. I’d been on loan to Barnsley and then Burnley and when their manager at the time Eddie Howe asked me to sign permanently in 2012, I didn’t have to think twice.
City had some world-class players at the time and it was difficult for a young English lad like myself, particularly when I felt other people in the youth team were getting their chance before me.
Roberto Mancini had Pablo Zabaleta and Micah Richards to pick at right-back and when they weren’t available, he gave Dedryk Boyata a chance there, who was more a centre-back.
No chance: Trippier knew when it was the right time to leave City when Roberto Mancini was manager
Tough job: Trippier knew it was difficult to get his chance with Pablo Zabaleta and Micah Richards ahead of him
Brian Kidd was trying to explain things to me and keep my spirits up but I decided things happen for a reason and went to Burnley.
It’s not luck Burnley are in the hunt for promotion to the Premier League at the moment – it’s down to the very tough pre-season the gaffer Sean Dyche put us through to build team spirit and togetherness.
We were fourth-favourites for relegation this season and even in the first two months people were writing us off. But we’re still there in the top two with Leicester City.
Making it happen: Sean Dyche is the man who has turned Burnley into promotion candidates
We went to Cork in Ireland pre-season and we went out onto the pitch expecting to train, but we saw these massive tyres. And when I mean massive, they were up to my chest, like tractor tyres but maybe even bigger.
The drill was for us to push these tyres against each other in a kind of race. It’s the thing the army do for power and conditioning.
It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but the gaffer did it for team spirit. Although we were racing each other, we were also doing it as a team. If anyone was really tired and wanted to quite, or fell over, we had to shout encouragement, pick them up, push each other through it.
Sticking together: Trippier puts Burnley's good season down to the team spirit in the squad
Getting stuck in: Trippier also says Burnley are one of the fittest sides in the division
It was really interesting and I think it’s made us one of the fittest teams in the division. The hoarse-sounding voice you hear from the gaffer, that’s what it’s like every day. And he can be intimidating at first, like Stuart Pearce was when I had him at City and England under-21s. But I’ve every faith and respect in him, he has brought so much for the team. We were conceding two goals a game and now we are keeping clean sheets for fun.
Our strikers Danny Ings and Sam Vokes are getting all the plaudits because they’ve been phenomenal in front of goal, but it’s a genuine group effort.
Safe hands: Tom Heaton has kept 14 clean sheet this season in Burnley's promotion push
Dynamic duo Sam Vokes and Danny Ings have scored 44 goals between them for Burnley this season
Out goalkeeper Tom Heaton has done brilliantly with 14 clean sheets, our winger Scott Arfield was released by Huddersfield but has been outstanding. If Danny and Sam don’t score, Dave Jones and Dean Marney have popped up with goals. I’ve got a really experienced centre-back Duffer (Michael Duff) next to me and he’s helped me a lot.
We’re all in it together, even the lads on the bench or who can’t get on the pitch. We’re not talking about promotion, just trying to collect as many points as we can and see where it takes us.
I enjoyed playing for England from under-17s and to under-21s and really enjoyed it. I don’t think I have missed the boat with the senior England team but obviously I’ll have to play in the Premier League regularly to get that chance.
International aim: Trippier has played for England at youth levels and believes he can still make the first team
There are quality right-backs like Chris Smalling and Kyle Walker doing well in the Premier League, I’m doing well in the Championship but if I can get up there, it might be me knocking on the door. That’s the plan.
We had a good under-21s team, Stuart Pearce was our manager, and players like Phil Jones, Tom Cleverley and Jordan Henderson were in the squad, and Scott Sinclair was on the right-wing ahead of me.
It was a proud moment, I’m still only 23, I know this World Cup isn’t realistic but I’ve got time yet to try and get to big tournaments with my country.
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