Anyone having a quick think about the Clarets will surely conjure images of a middling Premier League club with a distinct mode of operating. They will probably picture manager Sean Dyche’s disk beard, and a handful of limited-but-functional players.
You’d also consider them to be well run. There are few stories in the press about their mismanagement, which makes their conduct over the last 18 months even more surprising.
Surprising
For a club who doesn’t have infinite oil wealth to spend, and for a club who must normally sell to buy, they have just scored a massive own goal. Four players are set to leave at the end of June if they can’t come to an agreement to extend.
What’s more, Burnley have an incredible seven players out of contract in 2021. Some of them are vital first team figures like Ashley Westwood and Jack Cork.
These are all key men who might not be able to take part in these final fixtures because the Turf Moor hierarchy have been asleep at the wheel.
Outrageous
Westwood has play in 28 of the 31 Premier League games this season, Cork 29 and Hendrick 27, who is due to leave in a few weeks. Phil Bardsley (15), Aaron Lennon (19) and Joe Hart (3) will also depart unless new terms are agreed.
Those three might not be first team regulars, but they provide plenty of experience and are important squad men.
Burnley look like lurching from one crisis to another. The fate of Hendrick is particularly perplexing because he’s only 28-years-old and cost the Clarets over 10 million pounds from Derby County. The Ireland international has played 139 games in just four years - a new deal for him must be a priority.
Last Resort
The exasperated Dyche isn’t happy about the situation, and criticised the board about it. It’s rare enough to hear a manager speak about against their bosses, which only highlights the seriousness of the problem.
The Daily Mail reported that he said: “I’ve been talking about this for 18 months. We’ve got to look at ourselves.
“We’ve had plenty of opportunity to make sure situations were sorted out earlier than this. The chairman and the board decided not to do that.”
Burnley now face a ticking time bomb more dangerous than any loss in reputation. No side can recover from letting that many key players leave in such a short space of time, and it’ll only get worse next summer.