Opposition View: TurfCast

Ahead of the Hatters' clash with title contenders Burnley, ORH spoke with TurfCast to get their views on the upcoming fixture, the Clarets' hopes for the season, and their view on Luton Town.

Tell us a bit about your background as a Clarets fan…

I'm Burnley born and bred, with Burnley supporting parents, and grew up on a street where you could literally hit the stadium with a stone if you threw it far enough - so football and more specifically Burnley FC was always going to be my first love.

Some people have criticised Vincent Kompany for his lack of managerial experience prior to being handed the Burnley job, but after a strong first showing against Huddersfield, and a new style of play, how do you expect the Clarets to fare this season?

I think we will be there or thereabouts, definitely feeling a lot more confident at the moment after the result against Huddersfield last week, although admittedly they were poor. We have recruited well but I do think there are parts of the squad, and management, that do lack experience so that could be our undoing by the end of the season, but there have been no faults so far so I'm still confident we can be in the conversation at the very least towards the business end of the season.

Burnley have made a large number of signings this season while comfortably sitting at a net profit. Which of these signings excite you the most? And how impressed are you by the shrewd business conducted in this window?

I think our best signing is Josh Cullen and I said that at the time we signed him. He is a brilliant midfielder - and in my opinion, he will prove this season he is one of if not the best in this league - and deserves to be playing in the Premier League. 97% pass accuracy against Huddersfield where he dictated the pace of the game, mopped everything up, and passed it on brilliantly. He's brilliant.

Do the high-profile departures this summer, with the likes of Dwight McNeil, James Tarkowski, Nick Pope, and Nathan Collins all leaving the club, worry you at all? Or do you think the remaining squad will cope well enough to bring the club success in this campaign?

Slightly yes, I do think there is only so much change a squad can handle and I think we're well over the usual threshold of that with (currently) 9 new signings and more than that leaving, and of course a whole new management team. So my concern is we may become a little disjointed at some stage especially as there's still pretty much a full month of the window left.

On that note, are there any positions you would ideally strengthen further before the end of the window, and if it were down to you, would you have any names in mind?

We still need another striker, for me, and an experienced centre-back. I'm excited by the signing of Scott Twine from MK Dons but think he'd work even better alongside an out-and-out striker, like a poacher type. Also, the centre-back positions are slightly inexperienced compared to the types that we're used to, so would like another in there, although again they were all brilliant against Huddersfield.

Having not faced Luton since 2007, what do you make of the Hatters’ recent rise through the divisions, and how do you think they will do this season?

Yeah, it's been sensational, reminds me of our rise from the late 80s to the early 2000s from the Fourth Division to fighting for playoff places in what is now the Championship. The only difference is you fell further but thankfully we didn't fall out of the league trap door but you could still rise further yet. It must have been a roller-coaster for you guys.

Time for some predictions - who do you think will (i) get automatic promotion, (ii) make the playoffs, and (iii) get relegated?

It's very difficult to predict at this stage as so much more can happen, and I don't want to put us up for automatics just yet but we're definitely capable, but I'm going for (i) Watford (sorry) but only if they keep old of that front 3 and Middlesbrough (ii) Burnley, Norwich, Sheff United & Swansea (iii) Reading, Rotherham, and Blackpool.

Finally, give us your score prediction for the Weekend's game…

2-1 Burnley