Burnley’s Sean Dyche era had to end but club’s changes must not stop there

A lot can change in a week in football but for Sean Dyche the problem was a lack of change in a decade at Turf Moor. His methods were tried and tested: play 4-4-2 and finish 17th or above. Dyche was the master of keeping unfashionable Burnley in the Premier League but the faith of the players and owners ran out.

Ten of the squad that beat Chelsea on the opening day of the 2017-18 season and took them to a seventh-placed finish are still at the club. Some would see it as a sign of stability but others would argue the team have not evolved in that time, when the plan rarely changed week-to-week and season-to-season. Senior players grew frustrated that areas of weakness were not addressed in recent years, leaving the squad short of depth and in need of revitalising.

Players such as Phil Bardsley have been kept on, rather than being replaced. Bardsley has appeared four times in two seasons in the Premier League, and not since February 2021. Dyche has not called on him in the league this season despite naming him on the bench on 24 occasions. It spoke volumes that with Ben Mee and Nathan Collins absent through injury and suspension respectively, the 31-year-old Kevin Long was asked to make his first appearance in 14 months for the club in the recent loss to Manchester City.

Loyalty to players has always been important to Dyche but without Chris Wood his limited striking options have been highlighted. Ashley Barnes joined in 2014 and has a scoring record of less than one in every five games, including no goals this season; Matej Vydra’s best season at Burnley has brought him a grand total of three goals; Jay Rodriguez hit one in 31 appearances last season, following it up with two in 26 this time; and Wout Weghorst has one in