Following a massive win over Everton, it seemed like the Clarets had a chance to get out of the relegation zone before laying an egg versus Norwich City on Sunday losing 2-0 to drop to four points behind the Toffees. As the gap grows larger between the bottom three and that elusive 17th place in the Premier League, Burnley chairman Alan Pace was left with a tough decision to make and has decided to sack Sean Dyche.
Dyche was the longest-serving manager in the Premier League at nine and a half years, known for his defensive tactics and his ability to keep the team afloat despite a shoestring budget. Dyche led Burnley to the Europa League play in rounds in the 2018-19 season and has overseen five consecutive Premier League seasons after leading the team back to the top flight. But all good things must come to an end.
In a statement Pace said,
“During his time at Turf Moor, Sean has been a credit both on and off the pitch, respected by players, staff, supporters, and the wider football community. However, results this season have been disappointing and, while this was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial games of the campaign remaining, we feel a change is needed to give the squad the best possible chance of retaining its Premier League status.”
Burnley relegation battle
The key points there are that Pace felt that continuing with Dyche would lead to the team being relegated and considering that the Clarets have only scored 25 goals on the season, second-fewest in the Premier League, while also not retaining their stout defense due, at least in part, to injuries to Ben Mee he’s likely right.
Looking at the current bottom four in the table, Watford are getting too close for comfort while Everton could be in a position to pull away.
|
Team |
Games Played |
Win |
Drawn |
Loss |
Points |
Goal Difference |
|
Everton |
30 |
8 |
4 |
18 |
28 |
-19 |
|
Burnley |
30 |
4 |
12 |
14 |
24 |
-19 |
|
Watford |
31 |
6 |
4 |
21 |
22 |
-31 |
|
Norwich |
31 |
5 |
6 |
20 |
21 |
-43 |
Not utilizing talent like Maxwel Cornet, Dwight McNeil — who has been benched for the past few games, and Wout Weghorst properly seems to have proven to be the final straw for Dyche ahead of the run in. Relegation specialist Sam Allardyce is currently the favorite to take over at Turf Moor, but a final decision will likely be made soon. Their final schedule will see them face West Ham, Southampton Wolves, Watford, Aston Villa twice, Tottenham, and Newcastle so the chances for points are there.
Dyche’s first team staff including assistant Ian Woan, coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer have also been dismissed. Under-23s coach Mike Jackson will take charge with the help of U-23 goalkeeping coach Connor King, academy director Paul Jenkins and club captain Ben Mee.
