Sean Dyche Sacked

As Burnley sit within the relegation zone, owners decide now is the time to change

Burnley have had a terrible season, struggling for wins and a surprisingly poor defensive record, they are in a real fight for survival.

Within the last week Burnley have decided to take a leap of faith and sack their manager, Sean Dyche.

The man that brought them up to the Premier League twice in three seasons and has since not only kept them in the topflight but in 2018/19 he got them to finish seventh.

Dyche was the longest serving manager in the Premier League and broke a number of records at the club. He also did so on the smallest budget in the league.

When joining the club in 2012, they were 14^th in the Championship and the facilities had not been upgraded since he’d left the club as a player. He looked to change the way the club functioned, to make it a more sustainable club, one that deserved to be in the top flight.

Since taking the helm, the training ground has been upgraded, the academy has risen from Category Three to One status, and the scouting has also been expanded. He may not have been directly responsible for these changes but was the tour de force behind them.

Ultimately Burnley’s style of football hasn’t been the most progressive. They feel like a very traditional English side playing traditional English style of soccer. Epitomised by a 4-4-2 formation that is compact and strong at the back and uses big clinical strikers who must make the most of the few chances that come their way during the match.

This style of soccer will never win you favours as you fight for survival in the league, if the results go your way, then all is well but at Burnley this season, that’s not been the case. They’ve conceded just too many goals.

It is understandable that the owners, after a decade with Dyche, would want to change, but in the current position they’re in and the lack of funding they have given him it seems unfair and a little baffling. It is unlikely that a manager will come in and change their run of form with only a few games left to play. Would it not have been better to let Dyche see out the end of the season and then refresh?

The ALK Capital owners have had a massive clear out since buying the club in 2020, sacking assistant coaches, goalkeeper coaches, the technical director, academy manager, sport scientist and S&C coach. This might be the start of something big for Burnley, but after a decade of stability, turbulent times may be ahead.

The only certainty is that Sean Dyche has shown what he can bring to clubs with limited resources, and a job in the Championship will surely be around the corner. Although he may never revolutionise the game or manage the biggest clubs in the world, he has his part to play in transforming smaller clubs and bringing them success.

Although his style of soccer may not be missed in the Premier League, his official Burnley suits, gravelly voice, ginger disc beard and charisma definitely will.