Dave is worrying. He's not a happy chappie at all.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

Sean Dyche’s Everton have played Burnley twice this season, it’s 5-0 to the Toffees over the two games. Dave Thornley casts his critical eye over yet another home defeat for the Clarets.

We’ve seen it dozens of times, haven’t we? A team rocks up to Turf Moor managed by a trendy continental coach with puritanical and idealistic notions of playing slick, scientific, easy-on-the-eye football, dominating possession, describing intricate passing patterns but coming unstuck against a resilient, determined, and organised outfit.

There’s a goal from a set-piece, then a second half spent defending the penalty area, condensing space, winning tackles, and flinging bodies in the path of shots.

Some called it anti-football, we called it Dyche-Ball and Burnley fans used to revel in it.

On Saturday evening however, it was Burnley with the trendy continental coach, and it was the visitors, Everton who inflicted the Sean Dyche lesson and a harsh one it most certainly was.

The match panned out almost exactly to Dyche’s blueprint, his Everton team (containing three other ex-Clarets in Michael Keane, James Tarkowski and Dwight McNeil) harassed, out-ran, out-fought and out-thought Burnley throughout a particularly depressing first half.

After 19 minutes, a point-blank header from Dominic Calvert-Lewin was brilliantly turned around the post by James Trafford, but the excellence of the save was rendered mute when Trafford flapped at the resulting corner allowing Onana an unchallenged header to put the Toffees a goal up.

Their lead was embellished six minutes later Michael Keane sauntered into the Burnley box and found a ricochet off the shin of Dara O’Shea falling invitingly into his path, he made no mistake from six yards out.

The Clarets offered very little in response save for a stoppage time cross from Vitinho which was about to be tucked away at the far post, until Ben Godfrey scooped the ball clear – a brilliant bit of defending which prevented Burnley from halving the interval deficit and perhaps instilling some confidence ahead of the second half.

As it turned out, Burnley were slightly better after the break, Zeki Amdouni drew a flying save out of Jordan Pickford in the Everton goal, and Sander Berge rattled the crossbar from long range, although it seemed that VAR would have denied the goal for an offside.

The most welcome sight for Burnley fans however was the introduction from the bench of first Lyle Foster and later Manuel Benson after their protracted lay-offs. They will hopefully have a significant part to play in the remainder of a season which is spiralling towards a seemingly inevitable relegation, one of the worst in memory, especially coming immediately after one of the best.

For all the talk of gradual improvements and five year plans, and for all that that might have merit; we Clarets fans have witnessed just one victory at Turf Moor all season, all the rest have been defeats. We see the same mistakes being made, the same lack of intensity and passion and frankly, I for one am fed up with it. I can accept relegation, but not like this, not without a fight, not without something positive, however slight, to cling on to. This simply can’t go on.

Editor’s note: I often wonder how we did not manage to keep James Tarkowski at Turf Moor. I also wonder if Vincent Kompany’s credit in the bank with Alan Pace is inexhaustible. I'm just asking for a friend.

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[sinkov]

Perhaps the most depressing aspect was that this was a seriously weakened Everton team, no Gueye, Branthwaite, Young, Coleman or Mykolenko and we still couldn't lay a glove on them.

[Len Bury]

We've been Dyched....

[The Bedlington Terrier]

We've been Dyched....

Well and truly Len.

[ClaretinBudapest]

I lapped it up.It was karma for Pace & Co.They never properly backed SD and therefore never gave him a fair crack of the whip.It is all coming home to roost.
It seems that last year the stars aligned perfectly for us by chance not by good planning, as it seems impossible that the same group of people cannot be responsible for the humongous feck up of this season and the unforgettable journey of last season.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

I lapped it up.It was karma for Pace & Co.They never properly backed SD and therefore never gave him a fair crack of the whip.It is all coming home to roost.
It seems that last year the stars aligned perfectly for us by chance not by good planning, as it seems impossible that the same group of people cannot be responsible for the humongous feck up of this season and the unforgettable journey of last season.

"the humongous feck up of this season"

I cannot better that. It's not possible.

[Len Bury]

Could history repeat itself CB....
Pace gives Dyche 4 year contract, few months later Dyche walks(pushed)...
Kompany gets 5 year contract and ............
Pace isn't afraid to call the shots, or so it seems....

[CornholmeClaret]

I think for many Clarets, me included to be honest. Its not so much about losing games, its the distinct lack of passion, fight and leadership that is on Display while doing so. Most noticeably on Saturday, I also didn't see a lot of passion coming from the side lines from VK. We are a heartless outfit at the moment.

In contrast, Sean Dyche never sat down. He was at the edge of his technical area for the full 90 mins (As he always is) barking instructions, encouraging, organising and b*llocking his team where necessary.

[The Bedlington Terrier]

A United supporting Irish bloke watched the first half with me in a pub on Saturday, he asked me if I thought this was VK's "Vanity Project"?

He also said he could see why I was leaving the pub at half-time.

[ClaretinBudapest]

Could history repeat itself CB....
Pace gives Dyche 4 year contract, few months later Dyche walks(pushed)...
Kompany gets 5 year contract and ............
Pace isn't afraid to call the shots, or so it seems....

He should be losing patience and getting ready to pull the trigger Len but who knows?
At the end of last season he was compairing VK to the most beautiful girl in town and that everybody wants to sign him-he will look a right tool now if he sacks him.
He will know doubt be under pressure from the investors.JJ watt looked like he was well miffed with Saturdays performance.