Beverley Hills Clarets

Around ten days ago thousands flocked to L.A to witness a memorial for the King of Pop Michael Jackson. Today expect to see a few less well wishers as the players and staff of Burnley Football Club arrive in the City of Angels for their pre season tour.

The Clarets head stateside for the second year running hoping to recapture some of the American magic that helped them earn promotion to the Premier League last season.


Three preseason games await Owen Coyle’s men, they play VC Fusion, a rumoured behind closed doors match with David Beckham’s LA Galaxy before heading to Oregon to take on the Portland Timbers. I'm sure there may even be time to throw down some jumpers for goalposts and take on a Bloods and Crips XI.

Prior to arriving at LAX the team has already played two friendlies in the less impressive backdrops of Bradford and Morecambe.

A win and a loss from these two encounters has done the trick of loosening a few muscles and sweating out that promotion party booze.

The new boys also got their first taste of wearing Claret and Blue with record signing Steven Fletcher in particular looking sharp, showing several nice touches, intelligent runs and an eye for goal.

In the meantime the squad has also been taking shape; young defenders Brain Easton and Richard Ekersley have joined from Hamilton and Manchester United respectively to take the last couple of seats on the plane.

Owen Coyle has promised more; the Marcus Tudgay saga rumbles on with Sheffield Wednesday getting all menopausal about letting him go despite being in the last year of his contract. Trailists are also being touted with 19-year-old Ecuador international Fernando Guerrero apparently linking up with us in the USA.

With temperatures hitting the mid seventies (in L.A not Morecambe), the boys are in for a tough workout as our day in the sun gets ever closer. Let’s just hope our trip will be far more successful than when Jordan and Peter headed stateside.

The glitz and glamour of Los Angeles could provide the perfect prelude to our Premier League inauguration.

Just don’t expect to read about Chris Eagle’s getting off with Paris Hilton in the glossys anytime soon.

First posted on http://blogs.soccernet.com/burnley/ on 16/7/2009.