HAYEN'S PRESS POINTS: WEST HAM UNITED

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Head Coach previews league opener

2026-08-14T14:30+01:00

HAYEN'S PRESS POINTS: WEST HAM UNITED

Head Coach previews league opener

2026-08-14T14:30+01:00

Nicky Hayen’s first Sky Bet Championship match in charge of Burnley is edging ever closer, with West Ham United visiting Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon.

Ahead of the 4pm kick-off, our Head Coach sat down with the assembled media on Friday afternoon to discuss his start to life in Lancashire, the challenge he expects from the Hammers, and how important it is to move on from last season.

Hayen also explained what he thinks it takes to be successful in this division, before providing an update on various members of the Clarets squad.

STARTING AT HOME

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a home game, so I’m looking forward to playing in front of our fans at Turf Moor in the league for the first time.

“I’m really enjoying my time here, and that’s what we actually want to show on the pitch.

“It’s been very busy (since joining the Club) but it will be every week, because you play 46 games. We don’t have a problem with it, and we manage it quite well.

“We know the players really well, and we are trying to execute everything that we are asking on the pitch, with performances turning into wins.

“West Ham continue the way they play (from last season). They have the same manager and, okay, they’ve also changed a lot of players, but the playing style stays the same

“They are one of, if not the biggest, favourites for the title this year, but it’s nice to play against them in the first game because no-one is 100% ready to start the league at the moment.

“Both us and them are implementing new players, but that’s why it will be exciting on Sunday.”

FORWARD THINKING MINDSET

“We have to forget the past, because you can’t change the past anymore. The only thing that we can change is the future, and that’s the mindset that we want to bring in the dressing room.

“Sometimes you can see the goal, everyone is thinking it won’t be the same story as last season, but that’s something we have to change.

“We want to show more resilience and, together with the fans, we want to show that we’re quite a difficult opponent to beat. We have to show this mentality on the pitch.”

KEY ATTRIBUTES NEEDED IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP

“First of all, physically you have to be strong because you have to play three games in a week.

“We know that we will be one of the dominant teams in the league and play against a low block, so we need a lot of goal threatening players also. We need depth, we need creativity, but also, we need to keep the structure and the discipline, and that’s something we want to bring into the team.

“Nothing is perfect, and it might not be perfect until the end of the season, but you’ll see that they (the players) are into it and are hungry.”

SQUAD UPDATE

“Josh Cullen is of course out, as are Enock Agyei and Ashley Barnes.

“Lyle Foster and Armando Broja are both fit, so we try to get them both as fit as possible for the squad.”