Burton Albion 2019-20 Season Review with Edward Walker

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Edward Walker @edward_w97 is one of the top League One and Two analysts in the country. He’s also a Burton Albion fan. So who better to speak to about the Brewers and their 2019-20 campaign? Here’s our conversation.

Gab: It feels like in 5-10 years time, when all the precise details of this campaign become more opaque, 2019-20 for Burton Albion fans will be remembered as the Liam Boyce season; the time you let a striker who is so important to the team’s build-up play leave near the end of the January window and didn’t truly replace him, falling from two points off the Play-Offs to 11. Do you sympathise with the financial reasoning behind the club’s decision, or were you frustrated by the costly nature of the timing?

Ed: You can’t not be frustrated by it. The thought of heading into the backend of the campaign with that midfield and a front 3 of Jamie Murphy, Liam Boyce and Lucas Akins would have had me googling May trains to London.

There’s no doubt that Boyce’s departure was the major turning point this season, but fans have been concerned about him leaving for the previous 18 or so months, pretty much ever since Burton dropped from the Championship. I still stand by the belief that we wouldn’t have been relegated in 17-18 had Boyce been fit all season, he showed enough in those final few months to convince me that he was the thing that team was missing. I guess he’ll forever be one of the biggest ‘what ifs’ in the club’s history.

The worst part about Boyce leaving was how late into the window it was, it left the club needing to replace one of the best strikers in the division with a limited budget and a handful of days to do it. A near impossible task.

I said at the time that I fully understood Boyce’s desire to move on. He is a Belfast boy. He has no personal connection to Burton-upon-Trent. Going back to Scotland, a League system he has torn apart before, is not only going to get him closer to European Football than he ever could in England, but it will also do wonders for his Northern Ireland reputation. All I can do is wish him the best and have confidence that he will smash it no matter where he ends up in the rest of his career.

On the whole, of course, Ben Robinson does an outstanding job as chairman – and he seems to show a lot of trust in the managers he works with, having not made a sacking since Paul Peschisolido. You must feel lucky to have him at the helm?

If Burton ever erect a statue outside the ground, it will be of him. Most not connected with the club think of Clough first, but Ben Robinson is the most iconic figure in the entire history of Burton Albion.

A local man who has been on the board since the 1970s, Clough would never have come here without Robinson, and all that has happened since would never have happened either.

I have my bias sure, but I genuinely believe he is the best chairman in English Football, at all levels. What he has done for this club is unrivalled and he is loved and adored by every single person who meets him.

One imagines that Robinson has daily contact with Nigel Clough, who has come in for criticism at certain points of his second spell in charge, especially during the 2017-18 campaign, but has achieved a lot as well… how would you assess the job he is doing?

As important a figure he is at Burton Albion, there are plenty of people who feel that he should never have come back for this second spell. You can raise the point about the League One promotion and the successful survival season in the Championship, but a large percentage of that was under the momentum and players brought in by both Gary Rowett and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Clough in some ways is seen as just the facilitator for those moments.

I have so much respect for Nigel Clough. What he achieved here in his first spell should and will never be forgotten, but I do wonder if we’ve plateaued with him. If Clough perhaps has taken Burton Albion as far as he can. He’s well known as a manager who can take over a club in a difficult situation and turn them into a sustainable outfit, but is he the right guy to lead Burton Albion back into the second tier and keep them there? I’m not sure.

Nigel Clough and Ben Robinson are both focused on keeping the club in a good financial state, which I certainly don’t have any complaints about at all, but I do wonder if he allows players to move on a little too easily. One of the biggest frustrations fans have is in the post-season months when some of our best performers are allowed to see out their contracts and move on, usually to a direct League rival. The reason why no new contract is signed is often said to be ‘financial’. If we are supposedly aiming to push for the Play-Offs/Promotion, how can we consistently allow our best players to leave and join teams we’re competing for these top 6 finishes with? I’m really concerned that the same thing is going to happen with the likes of Scott Fraser this summer. If we don’t keep hold of these players, how can we as a club take the next step?

So if I had to assess his job overall, I’d say that from a financial sustainability perspective you cannot fault him, but from a results perspective it honestly feels like Burton are going to become part of the League One furniture at the moment. I hope I’m proven wrong.

You’ve developed goalkeepers from elite clubs over the last two season; Bradley Collins from Chelsea in 2018-19 and Kieran O’Hara from Manchester United this season. Is this a vindication of Martin Taylor’s work on the training ground? Are you establishing yourselves as a club that top clubs can trust to nurture their talent?

Every manager has their ‘group’ that goes around with them, and Taylor’s been part of Clough’s group since 2004, going with him to Derby County and Sheffield United before coming back here as well.

You certainly can’t criticise the work he’s done, the improvements made in the likes of Collins and O’Hara (although his last couple of months have been full of mad moments) is certainly noticeable and he wouldn’t have been with Clough for as long as he has if he wasn’t rated highly by him.

With regards to your second question, I certainly like to think Burton Albion are. Over the last few years we’ve had a good number of young players come on loan from Premier League and Championship clubs and whilst most are still in the infancy of their careers, you can see how the time here has benefited them.

The one I will always go back to is Hamza Choudhury at Leicester City. He was at Burton for around 12 months in 2016 and what he showed at the Pirelli Stadium has hugely benefited his progression into the Leicester first team. He simply would not have learnt what he did if he was stuck in the Under 23s.

There’s all this talk about the need for ‘B Teams’ to progress young players but I find it a load of nonsense. If you want to develop young players, get them out on loan to the lower leagues. There will always be a desire for them and both club and player will benefit hugely from them arriving.

Ben Garratt has only started three games for the club since joining from Crewe… do you think he could be entrusted with the number one jersey when O’Hara returns to Manchester United? Might Callum Hawkins or Teddy Sharman-Lowe get the opportunity to be the number two?

When Collins left at the end of 18-19, the guy I wanted in was Ben Garratt, so to see him contracted to the club is very good. I expect him to be the number one in the next campaign (whenever that is) and it will be nice to have a permanent starting goalkeeper on our books who can grow alongside the rest of the team.

Truthfully, and I hope he proves me wrong; I don’t see Callum Hawkins having a future at Burton Albion. Whenever I’ve watched him, he hasn’t impressed me that much, often left rooted to the spot by shots to either side of him, and he looks a long, long way off being a Football League goalkeeper.

Teddy Sharman-Lowe is a slightly different story. I’m aware he’s been part of the England U17 squad, which is encouraging to see, but he is very, very young still and I haven’t watched enough of him in action yet to draw comparisons with Hawkins. Time will tell with that one.

Right-back John Brayford is now 32 and you don’t seem to have any natural alternatives. It may be optimistic to say that Brayford has another 46-game season in him, so do you hope the club brings in a younger understudy?

I can’t remember the last time Brayford had a 46-game season. As consistent as he is when he performs, injuries are always a possibility and you struggle to get more than 15-20 games out of him in a row.

Regarding the need for a right-back, this is something that has been the case since Clough returned in 2015. It frustrates me a lot of in truth. Lucas Akins can certainly play and perform there, but no fans wants to see him there. He should be allowed to play further up that right-hand-side, but he’s been a victim of his incredible versatility and Clough has always felt as a result that the need for a proper right-back isn’t there. He’s also put Richard Nartey and Ben Fox there in the past, and as much as I love both of them, neither should be out there.

A proper, natural right-back, one who can play out a 46-game season, is something I desperately want to see happen, but I don’t know how long it could be until one actually does arrive.

Conor Shaughnessy and Richard Nartey are returning to parent clubs, Jevan Anderson is yet to start for the Brewers, Jake Buxton is arguably looking a touch error-prone at 35. Is centre-back an area to strengthen once the club can recruit again?

Absolutely.

Fingers crossed, finances permitting, that Shaughnessy’s option to buy is activated at the end of the campaign as I’ve liked the look of him at both centre-back and in deep midfield.

Jake Buxton has had a great career, but I expect next season to be his last. He gives his all in every game he plays but it’s clear watching him that he just can’t do it to a high level anymore. Deserves a lot of plaudits from Burton and Derby fans when he hangs up his boots though.

That leaves you with a very inexperienced Jevan Anderson, who looks a long way off League One level at the moment, Kieran Wallace, who is a very useful squad player, and John-Joe O’Toole, who is a midfielder-turned-defender and very aggressive. When JJ commits to a challenge, he fully commits, and that’s not something you always want from a centre-back who’s normally the deepest-lying as well.

If we’re saying that replacing Boyce’s goals up top is the priority, getting in a set of composed, young defenders is definitely second on that list.

I thought Colin Daniel was terrific last season with his marauding runs but maybe, now 32 and struggling with injuries, he’s endured a more challenging 2019-20 campaign… do you expect Reece Hutchinson to get more game-time next season?

Reece Hutchinson, for me, has the biggest potential of any player who’s come out of the Burton Albion academy so far. Both him and Colin Daniel are at different ends of their respective careers but when you watch them, they feel like they’d be much better off as attack-minded wing-backs in a 5 or a 3, rather than as part of a back four.

Daniel divides opinion on the terraces and is probably the most criticised player in the current team. Often the scapegoat for conceded goals, he doesn’t offer a great deal at all defensively, and the amount of times he has put crosses behind the goal from the left-hand-side gets ignored because you don’t see it on the highlights reel. For every good ball that he’s put in with that left foot, he’s normally messed up 4 or 5 beforehand.

Hutchinson could be a great flying full-back, but the big issue with him is his naivety and his positioning, both from an attacking and defending standpoint. Last season, I can remember Kyle McFadzean getting frustrated at Hutchinson a lot because he wasn’t positioned correctly, both for receiving on the turn when in possession and for being caught too far up the pitch when out of it.

He is still only 20 though, and if he can get those bad habits out of him, we’ve got one hell of a player on our books. I definitely would like to see him be the leading left-back for the club next season.

Stephen Quinn can be a steady player at this level and at times he’s offered much needed solidity to allow freedom to Scott Fraser and either Jamie Allen or Ryan Edwards – but his legs are going a bit at 34. Would you be in favour of Kieran Wallace becoming Quinn’s long-term replacement? Or Ben Fox when fit?

Quinn’s been great, particularly when he came in at the start of 18-19 and brought much-needed balance to that midfield trio. When we’re in possession, he’s often the one with his back to goal and the player the team goes through when moving from one side of the pitch to the other. He isn’t the type that launches 40-50 yard passes out to the flanks, he’ll find space in and around the centre circle and be the link-up options for those nearby. Worth noting as well though how high risk this role has been and has cost Burton goals over the last two campaigns, but his success rate is definitely greater than his failure rate.

I 100% could see Kieran Wallace fill Quinn’s boots. He is a typical Nigel Clough player; versatile, composed and consistent. Hard to believe he was playing at Matlock Town before coming to Burton Albion because he’s really grown on me with his performances. Wallace can be a left-back, left-footed centre-back, or in that deep midfield role that Quinn plays, though he’ll likely look to be more of a progressive passer rather than a link between one side of the pitch and the other. He’s going to be a very valuable squad asset.

Ben Fox has been the biggest disappointment this season for me, and that’s through no fault of his own. He looked set to have a breakout year as part of that midfield but suffered a pre-season injury which has meant that he has missed almost all of the football played so far. It’s such a shame to see because he typifies everything that the Burton Albion Academy aims to produce. He’s composed, versatile, has an incredible engine on him, respectful, determined and honestly looks like a future captain in the centre of the park. He’s as Burton born-and-bred as they come. I really hope that next season can be Fox’s opportunity to show the fans and the League exactly how talented a footballer he is.

As you know, I’m a staunch member of the Ryan Edwards fan club… I love his energy; it feels like he can be a ball-winner one moment and a second striker the next. Do you think he could play in the Championship?

Honestly, I’m not sure. Edwards is a very underrated player who has filled that box-to-box midfield role left by Jamie Allen perfectly. As far as I’m aware no Burton Albion fan has a bad word to say about him currently.

Could he handle the step up to the second tier? I don’t know. He’s 26, older than Allen and Jamie found the physicality of that League very difficult. I wonder if Ryan would have similar struggles as he isn’t a big midfielder. It certainly would do his chances of Australian caps the world of good if he was playing in the Championship rather than League One, but when you compare him to the last Aussie midfielder at the Brewers (Jackson Irvine) they have very different physiques.

I think he certainly deserves a chance to test himself there, hopefully it can be with us!

Fraser, of course, has a sweet left foot and looks a real threat from set pieces. You must feel he’s been a real asset over the last two seasons?

Fraser is yet another example to lower league clubs that there is an abundance of quality L1 level talent north of the border. He’s joined the list of players like Jackson Irvine, Liam Boyce and David Templeton who have come down from Scotland and adapted really well to the English League.

That’s been a real strength of Clough’s recruitment in the last few years. Burton have a minimal budget when compared to other clubs in the division so we look to the lesser-known places, picking up gems on loan deals or pre-contract deals and developing them into stars that other clubs take notice of.

Fraser has shown in the last two seasons that he is easily one of the best midfielders in League One, if not the best, and he fully deserves to have a crack at the Championship, which I’m sure he could handle. That should get him into the Scotland squad as well, because he’s definitely on their radar.

If Fraser was to gain compelling Championship offers in the next window, do you think Joes Sbarra or Powell could step up?

Scott Fraser will be leaving Burton at the end of this campaign, that’s already confirmed.

I really hope that he moves on to a Championship side, because as I’ve mentioned previously, I hate the thought of having to come up against him next season. He’d strengthen any side in the division and if we’re trying to compete for a top 6 finish, having to not deal with him will be a big help.

Regarding the Joes, I already see Powell as his direct replacement. 21 years old and under a permanent deal that lasts until at least 2022, I’ve seen enough from him already to convince me that he can be as good as what Fraser is now, potentially even better. He plays in that exact same role, the playmaker in the side who loves threading passes through the backline to teammates. I’m very excited about watching him develop more and more over the coming months and years.

With Joe Sbarra, I feel like next season is going to be make or break for him. His talent is undeniable, and his crossing in particular is so impressive, but his lack of minutes despite fitness concerns me. Sbarra’s going to be 22 by this time next year, and if he hasn’t earned himself a place in that first team, it’s going to severely stunt his development, and that could well mean he slips through our fingers and ends up elsewhere.

I always feel Lucas Akins’ best seasons at Burton have come when he’s playing either as a right-sided forward as per the promotion seasons, or as a right-wing-back as we saw in the 2016-17 campaign; it seems that he likes to drive forward, rather than start from a central position, where he has to show more of the nuanced spatial awareness that we saw from Boyce. Do you hope that he can stay in his favourite position next season and not have to deputise elsewhere so much?

This goes back to your question about the right-back situation.

I’ve been desperate to see a proper, right-sided defender come in for years now because I’m fed up of seeing Lucas Akins put there. As good as he is in that position, every Burton Albion fan knows that he is at his best on that right flank, when he’s able to get the ball under control, hold off any opponent that comes at him, and drive into the penalty box. Akins is one of the greatest players in Burton Albion’s history, the club’s record goal scorer in the EFL, and has done that despite spending about a third of his time here at right-back. How many more goals could he have by now if he was left to dominate that right wing?

Regarding his central ability as well, whilst I don’t mind him being there, he is clearly a very different striker to Boyce, the kind you’d probably want in a pair. Liam Boyce had the ability to take the ball down from in the air with a defender right on his back, Akins does not have that ability. He needs it to feet, and ideally with him already facing towards goal, his control just isn’t good enough to be a lone centre-forward. Once he has it under control, you don’t get it off him, but spending 80/90 minutes with his back to goal simply does not get the best out of his many talents.

We need that new striker badly.

Jamie Murphy scored 7 goals in 10 League starts after joining on loan from Rangers in January. Did he stand-out in the second half of the season? Hard to replace?

How can you score 7 goals in 10 games and not be a stand-out? It’s clear that Jamie Murphy is far, far too good for League One, let alone Burton Albion, and when you see the number of Rangers fan commenting under every goal notification about him, you understand exactly what I mean.

Murphy’s come in to get game time and is showing Steven Gerrard that he should be on that Ibrox pitch. The guy has so much quality off that left-hand-side that opposing teams are having to triple up the number of players pressing him, and even then, it’s sometimes not enough.

Will be hard to replace, absolutely. But like I said in the first question, the thought of him, Liam Boyce and Lucas Akins as a front 3 for the remainder of this campaign would have left me fully believing that we were in the Play-Off hunt.

Nathan Broadhead looked like a really exciting loan addition after he scored twice at Gillingham in August but he seemed to go quiet after that… and maybe Oliver Sarkic struggled to build on his performance at MK Dons in October. Will you be looking for a touch more consistency from your younger wide players next season?

I really like Broadhead, we haven’t got to see enough of him this year. His close control is perhaps the best in the team and whilst he hasn’t always got in amongst the goals, his ability to go at and past opponents has been so useful when he’s been available. I’d like to see him back again next season.

Sarkic meanwhile, is quickly turning into my favourite player here, mostly because I can’t work out whether he has a weak foot or not. The guy has scored volleys with his right foot and curled shots into the top corner with his left. He’s a great player to have running at opponents from that right-hand-side and has got plenty of development left to do given he’s only 22.

Sarkic, Joe Powell, Reece Hutchinson and Ben Fox are the four I’m really excited to watch develop next season.

On paper, Burton Albion sustaining themselves at League One level would be a fantastic achievement, but perhaps less fantastic when set against two seasons in the Championship. Are most fans happy with consolidation, or is there now a little bit more expectation?

I don’t believe for one second that this club is satisfied with the position it’s in. Whilst it certainly is true that Burton Albion are very small in comparison to other League One sides, you cannot say that we don’t deserve to be competing with them.

This is a community club that thrives off being underestimated. It has done so for the last decade and more. All of the cup shocks over the years, all of the League scalps, they continually happen because teams come to play Burton Albion expecting a walkover. They see the size of the stadium and the crowd and think it will be a walk in the park, yet at full-time they’re sent home with their tails between their legs and the travelling fans in disbelief at what has happened.

There’s no way the project at Burton Albion is done either, the proof is there in the League tables. This club for two years competed in the second tier alongside former European Champions, and it took until the very last day for them to be sent down. Fans in the terraces at the Pirelli Stadium do not want those two seasons to become an ancient memory. We’ve shown before that with the right staff, a group of determined players, and a sustainable setup, Burton Albion can get into the Championship and stay there.  It’s certainly not a short-term target, but I fully expect to see that club back in that League again in the future.

I’ve gave my thoughts before about whether Nigel Clough is the right man for that job, but as we enter our 5th full season with him back at the helm, the truth is anything can happen.

10 years ago, Burton were bringing to an end their first ever season in the Football League. In that decade since, they’ve played in all three divisions of the EFL. They’ve been two games from a League Cup Final. They’ve played at Wembley, Old Trafford, the Etihad Stadium and St. James’ Park. They’ve gone from being a Derby County affiliate to climbing up into the same division and beating them. Twice. They’ve gone toe-to-toe and emerged victorious against the likes of Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, Burnley, Blackburn Rovers and Wigan Athletic amongst many others.

No one back in 2010 could ever have seen that happening, and I imagine in 2030 we will be saying the same thing. This little club is always full of surprises and it’s what makes me and a few thousand others keep coming back each season. Whatever the future holds in Burton-upon-Trent, I’m sure it’s going to be bright.