It's not been a great week for the ongoing relationship between Burnley Football Club, its manager and the fanbase.
The day started with chairman Alan Pace appearing on Football Focus where he faced questions about the struggles of this season and where the club found itself. If the opening comments weren't sufficiently alarming – Pace admitted that around the time ALK purchased the club people had made it sound to him like Premier League survival was "just a given" – things went to a whole other level as what appeared to be digs at his fan base started to roll off the tongue.
Pace dismissed fan concerns as somewhat irrelevant as they came from those who "just play this game on a computer somewhere". He went on to liken those same fans to three-year-old toddlers having a tantrum. Such comments – as innocent as they may have been – were not well advised.
The day ended with Scott Parker facing the press after a damning defeat at home to West Ham United, delivering an interview that was profoundly uncomfortable to watch for anyone with an ounce of empathy. He acknowledged that the boos from the Turf Moor faithful were understandable, but also stated that they were not helpful.
The problem I have with this weekend's reaction from the club is that it was made to sound like this was a knee-jerk reaction from unreasonable fans the minute things got tough. We haven't won a game since October. Nothing is being done to change the position we are in. We are getting worse with each attempt we have made at Premier League survival since Sean Dyche was sacked in a "difficult decision" by Burnley's new owners. That sacking, by the way, was made as the board felt that "change is needed".
The Clarets' fanbase is famously loyal and forgiving and doesn't have unreasonable expectations. We now await the explanation as to why the club has not felt that change was needed this year.
Find more from Natalie Bromley at No Nay Never podcast
