Thread by @GeorgePuddle

Absolutely brilliant interview with Alan Pace on Clarets+ just now, with lots of exciting little snippets. Think the full interview is going out for free later, but will share what interesting little bits I picked out #twitterclarets

Thread below 👇🏼

He has already seen things he says that need to be changed with the club, says that is evidence of how important it is that he is involved with the club hands-on, mentions living in the local area and spending 80% of his time here (other places in London and America).

Meeting with Dyche went well. Says big difference between his relationship with Dyche, and the relationship between the previous Chairman’s relationship with Dyche, is that Dyche now knows he has the Chairman’s full support, whereas before Dyche had to guess about that.... 👀

Transfers are going to stay fairly consistent for now, but Dyche can move quicker in the transfer window. He stresses importance on moving quickly in the window, with more support, over just a bigger chequebook being available.

Short term aim is to deliver a good job in this transfer window and to stay up. Long term ambition is to become Britain’s favourite underdog club.

He is delighted with the academy. Wants to expand both the intake and productivity of the academy.

There are definitely improvements that can be made with the stadium he says, but stresses the importance of the ‘fan experience’ being improved. There are improvements to be had, but to me it appeared as though this was more of a long term ambition.

Wants us to become a more ambitious club, but the building blocks are already in place. Says if he is lucky enough to be here in 20 years, then the ambitions of the club will be FAR DIFFERENT than today..

His overriding emotion at the moment is pure joy and excitement. He would like to stay on social media and is enjoying interacting with the fans, an experience he likens to meeting your in-laws for the first time. But says this is only contingent on people being respectful.

There were multiple times last year that he wondered whether or not buying the club was a good idea, due to the COVID climate. However, he says project restart greatly helped in showing them what product the Premier League could produce, even in these strange times.

When asked about the difference between himself and other foreign owners (specifically American), he says we haven’t seen anyone like him. There has been no one, to his mind, who has done it at this level (moving to the area etc). He will not do stupid things & will be different.

When asked about the Premier League approval process, specifically in relation to the Newcastle debacle, he says the process was ‘thoughtful, thorough and asked the right questions’. He says it was exactly what you’d hope for from a League as great as ours.

He sees this community as unique and wants to help the whole town become more desirable.

When it comes to transfers, this is completely up to Sean he says. Sean has always been thoughtful with his transfers and this will continue. Pace and his team will be supportive in helping him achieve his targets. Sean will ‘not be frustrated’ when it comes to transfers.

Wants a broader mix of players considered he says, when asked about international signings. There are a lot of factors to consider however, namely Brexit. Says it is not nationality based, but that the culture of Sean’s team is essential.

When asked about staying up, he says of course it is important, but stresses it is not essential. Says going to the Championship can be like ‘going to make an artsy movie sometimes’. What I took from this was his long term commitment to the club, even if the worst happened.

When asked about the dept question, he stresses that this takeover is sustainable and done in a financially sound manner. As @Natalie_Bromley explained to me last week, lots of takeovers are done in this way & it is really nothing to worry about.

He hopes the fans are warming to him, sees himself as in a honeymoon period at the moment, and wants to become part of the permanent family.

There are plenty of differences to be had between himself and the past ownership, namely communication. If he does something silly, we must tell him. If he does something stupid, ‘wait a while, and then come and tell me!’. We will notice other differences to the club over time.

Puts importance on spending time with the staff to put together their two visions and then combine those to create a long term vision for the club. This is not an overnight fix, it is a long term process and he is fully committed to Sean. He’d only leave if it were his decision.

Due to COVID regulations, his favourite things about living in Burnley so far are ‘Turf Moor and Tesco’. Alan later reiterated his support for Tesco as it is ‘big and has a large selection’! Plenty of smiles and laughs with the media throughout.

He doesn’t want the ambition of the club just to be to stay up. He says that is like going into the ocean and only striving to stay afloat, rather than enjoying the beauties around you.

When asked about how this will change the club in terms of the international market, Alan says he wants to give the international audience a reason to be interested & involved with the club, whether that be atmosphere, players etc. Wants this connection to be real & long lasting.

Says it is early days to share information about it, but ideally they want a partner club in Europe. In what manner that is, he didn’t say, but hinted at a Chelsea/Vitebsk type arrangement. Stresses importance of player development and club links following Brexit.

When asked about Garlick and John B staying, he says that it is crucial to have advice. They have put the building blocks in place. Says if he just comes in with a new slate, it would be easy for them to make stupid decisions. Wants to listen to their advice & experience.