Good mate of mine used to play with with Jon Parkin and I think he told me this story… The team are having a pre-match meal for an away fixture and just got a lad on loan from QPR. They’ve got chicken salad, and the new lad looks over at Parks. He’s got smiley faces, chips, beans with cheese on top. So the new lad asks, “Why’s he not eating the same as us?”. Without looking up Big Jon says, “How many league goals have you scored this season?” the loanee answers that he hasn’t. “Well then young man, I’ve scored 27, so when you’ve scored 27, you can have smiley faces, chips and beans with cheese on top, ok?” and continues to eat his dinner.
I’m re-telling (and probably butchering) this story for two reasons, one he’s ex-City and it’s funny and two, right now if Ollie McBurnie had smiley faces, chips and beans with cheese on top, I don’t think anyone would mind.
I was on the fence when he came in this season, partly because he’s not always been prolific and partly because he’s frankly trolled our club both on and off the pitch for years, however we’re far from the only one. I’m very glad to have been wrong and (try doing it a little more on X City yutes, it’s quite endearing) I’m not afraid to say so.
In my slight defence I think I was exhausted by FIFA playing lads called Jason_#hcafc lots of flags having told me in the past that Malcolm Ebiowei is “about to cook” and the “streets will never forget” Salah Oulad M’Hand. Buuuuut… then it’s my fault for reading this utter gubbins in the first place.
McBurnie is a really rare talent in the second level in that he can hold up the ball like a big man, but he doesn’t have the first touch of a dustbin like Lyndon Dykes or Keiffer Moore for example. His interplay, and two touch and one touch interactions with others are to be fair, pretty much Premier League level and within weeks he’s become our best striker at the club in a long, long time.
How long? Well, that got me thinking, when we brought back Frazier Campbell in 2017, he’d lost a bit, but could still do a lot of that dog work too, I think McBurnie is another level up from that, and don’t even form the word “Estupinan” because he’s waaaaay below OM. I guess in reality you’re saying he’s the best since Abel Hernandez if we’re talking about an out and out number nine, and I know, that’s a big statement, but I’m not sure we’ve had a better one in that time.
He’s not perfect, and there’s a couple of bits I think he can do better. He and the whole team pretty much hit a wall on the hour at Watford and when he’s shattered, you can see it very clearly, but he didn’t have much of an off season, so that will continue to improve. People have mentioned him getting in the Scotland squad, but personally I’d rather see him on the training pitch here and recuperating at 29, than going off to Middleofnowherevenia to lose 2-0 with his national team.
And there’s something else at play with him. Something we’ve addressed before with other players (see Honeyman G), we were soft last year, we lacked personality and fight last year. Crooks helped with that, Egan does, Lundstrum certainly makes a difference… but Oli turbo charges that. He does not back down, does not allow us to be bullied and won’t let others around him do it either. This is the championship, the league of fine margins, we need what he has in bottles being given out to the whole squad. If there’s one thing we can all agree on (and there’s probably only one thing City fans can ever agree on) it’s that the fans love a fighter, love passion and love someone who loves them back. Oli is all of the above.
So… we have the new cult hero, we have a proper nine and in his small cameos so far, we might even have an ok back up in Destin. With OM’s discipline, age and style, we will need it at some point, but it’s also worth noting that the much maligned Kyle Joseph (steady on there Jason_#hcafc lots of flags) has looked a better player already alongside Oli and I think it’s the best thing to have happened to him, if he can learn from the man himself.
We do need more, our midfield still isn’t quite right and defensively we are currently Shakin’ Stevens shaking a packet of shaky steaks reading Shakespeare, we’ve got to get some stuff sorted out if we are to get the thoroughly dull mid-table existence lots of us crave, however Oli McBurnie is far and away the shining light so far and long may it continue. Thanks for reading and UTFT.