Burnley Fan View: Arfield and Marney departures a sign of growth

Burnley announced this week that long-time club servants Dean Marney and Scott Arfield would leave the club in the summer as their contracts expire. It’s mixed feelings from me, as both players are have been a huge part of our success but it also shows we are ready to take the next step in recruitment, if we are prepared to let these two leave.

Arfield looks to be joining Rangers, and at 29 I think he could have a good spell there and would be one of the best players from the off. Dyche revealed that the Scotsman was a boyhood Rangers fan so it will be a special move for him.

Scott’s signing back in the Summer of 2013 was met with very little enthusiasm. He failed to make the cut at Huddersfield the previous season and barely featured in their successful Championship campaign before being released. I was fearing what our prospects were when Arfield was one of our few purchases.

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He quickly broke into the team, but disaster struck against Blackburn when his back pass was intercepted by Jordan Rhodes, who levelled late on to deny us a priceless derby win.

Fast forward to the reverse fixture though and he instantly returned a hero, scoring the only goal, whipping it in from outside the area then sprinting the length of the pitch to celebrate with the travelling Clarets.

After that Arfield was a regular in both the promotion and title winning seasons in the Championship, as well as a big part of the two Premier League campaigns which followed them.

Something of a talisman, and a scorer of fine and important goals, Arfield will leave Burnley as a fan favourite. His passion, determination, grit and energy are what Sean Dyche is all about and he embodies his era like no other player. Best of luck Scotty.

Dean Marney is another fan favourite, partly because of his no-nonsense style, and partly because his name fits in any chant you’d like. With us since 2010 and signed by Brian Laws from Hull City following relegation after our first every PL season, Marney has played over 200 games for the Clarets. That’s some feat considering he has had multiple serious injuries to overcome – it appears the latest was just one too far for Burnley.

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My fondest memory of Deano was his stunning opening goal last season against Manchester City. The ball dropped to him on the edge of the box and he caught it superbly, slamming it first time into the bottom corner and wheeling away to celebrate with the Clarets’ fans behind the goal.

Marney has been the engine of our midfield and even last season was putting in some great performances before his injury. I really hope wherever he goes he can get regular football without injuries, as he deserves that much.

Looking to the future though, the evolution of the club continues. You would imagine the signings made to replace these two will be of higher calibre, and an improvement to the squad, given our Europa League qualification is now virtually confirmed. It’s a very exciting time but let’s not forget where we came from and who got us there.

Thanks for the memories guys, you’ll always be Clarets.