In one year.......

[sinkov]

.....where will we be ?

Sean is always proud of the progress we've made year on year since he arrived, and we've made such incredible progress that we finished up 7th in the PL and in the Europa League. So how do we progress from that ? To be honest I don't see how we can, the top six is surely beyond us and so the Champions League is as well. The extra games and disruption to the fixtures caused by the Europa League has caused problems for bigger clubs than us, so even a repeat of 7th place will take some doing.

It's quite possible, even likely, that we're going to slip back from 7th, a top ten finish would still be fine, but if we slip into the bottom half, then our relentless progress under Dyche will have been halted, reversed even. How far do we have to fall before questions are asked about Sean ? The Europa League could be used as an excuse, but excuses don't get you far in football management.

Everything in Sean's Turf Moor garden is rosy at the moment. What will it look like in 12 months time ?

I only ask.

[1959_60]

Very true Sinkov.

Footy fans have very short memories - he was actually getting abuse this season when we were on that bad run.

Luckily our board are not the knee jerk type, as they proved during his first 12 months.

But once you lose the fans your days are numbered.

That's why I hope we get knocked out in the first round of the Europa Cup - if we are in a relegation battle the knives will soon come out.

[sinkov]

I'm with you on the Europa League 59/60, the sooner we're out of it, the better our league placing will be.

But there is another scenario equally as worrying, Sean has always said he won't always be Burnley manager, one day he'll be gone. I think he's perfectly happy at Burnley while we keep improving and progressing, but the day he decides he can't take us any further is the day he'll start looking for a new challenge. An OK run in the Europa League, a mid-table finish, as much as we can hope for really, but will that keep Sean getting out of bed in the morning, or will that fateful day have arrived ?

[The Bedlington Terrier]

With the new additions and the dross gone we should be finishing about fourth.

I'm having a dabble at the bookies on that one.

SD is NOT a one trick pony, we will improve once again, it's the Dyche way!

[sinkov]

With the new additions and the dross gone we should be finishing about fourth.

I'm having a dabble at the bookies on that one.

SD is NOT a one trick pony, we will improve once again, it's the Dyche way!

Best of luck with the bet BT, I have no means of checking this, but I would imagine that instances of teams playing in the Europa League AND moving up three places in the league in the same season are as rare as rocking horse ****e.

Sean might not be a one trick pony, but the top six all have one trick Sean hasn't. Huge amounts of money to spend on transfers and wages, amounts Sean daren't even dream about. That's why the top six are the same clubs year after year, managers and players come and go, but not much alters, the money stays the same and the top six stay the same.

The miraculous exception was Leicester of course, but I wouldn't imagine anything like that will be happening again any time soon..

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Watch this space...

[Supersub6]

As long as I am passed fit to drive and I can still get down to the Turf regularly, I don't give a damn where we are as long as we are still in existence and I can watch my team.

There are so many unknown factors related to the game of football, both on and off the field, that nobody can really say what is even likely to happen in the future. There is more chance of forecasting the winning lottery numbers than knowing how well a football club will fare.

[Norder]

.

my worry - is that the other league (teams beneath the top 6) will get their act together this season - sort out their issues and up their game....that last season we were lucky playing against the mostly disorganized - with poor attacking/scoring prowess and weak defence...so S.D used the basic but effective and boring strategy of forget the fancy, hold strong in defence and steal a goal....but will that work again, as say it was a copy of last season - then we'll be weakened with the europa games - so perhaps aren't likely to finish as high as PL seventh, and if changes are made and the opposition does improve - then we're weakened even more - and drop lower again - so I think, the only way to be sure of holding out is to bring in some real reliable quality....more goals and - get out of those Europa games quick sharpish.

[afloatinclaret]

...I don't give a damn where we are as long as we are still in existence...

Yes, that works for me too. I don't want new/foreign owners, I don't want us signing any 'star' players earning megabucks; I'd like to see us do well in Europe, staying in the PL and preferably in the top 1/3 of it once again, but it's not the end of the world if we don't manage all/any of those and they're certainly not worth risking the club's financial stability and viability to achieve. 1 year's an irrelevance, what's genuinely important is that we're still in business and prefably playing in the Championship or better ten year from now.

[sinkov]

There are so many unknown factors related to the game of football, both on and off the field, that nobody can really say what is even likely to happen in the future. There is more chance of forecasting the winning lottery numbers than knowing how well a football club will fare.

I would say that's true for 86 of the 92 league clubs, but the top 6 in the PL this season, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, United, City, Liverpool, will be the top six next season, and the season after that. The FFP rules and TV money make it almost impossible for any other club to compete with them.

There's always the possibilty of another Leicester, but like them it would be a one off, Abramovic could damage Chelsea if he walked away, Everton could challenge if they got their act together, anything could happen, but it's all ifs, the likelihood is that nothing will change and the current top six are in place for a long time to come.