I’m no passion killer. There’s nothing sexier than staying in the Premier League SAYS BURNLEY BOSS SEAN DYCHE
SEAN DYCHE insists there is nothing sexier in football than staying in the Premier League.
The Clarets go into their sixth consecutive top-flight season with Dyche negotiating to sign a new contract and vowing to stick to the philosophy that has served him so well during almost nine years at Turf Moor.
Dyche is adamant he is not a passion killer. But he feels a key factor in the team’s achievement is that Burnley play to their strengths.
He said: “People outside the club think we only play one way. We don’t.
“We do a lot of analysis with the players and look at different ways of playing – but without moving too far away from what has worked for us.
“It’s about marginal gains – even though that’s a term I don’t particularly like.
“Some clubs bring in lots of players and take a huge leap forward.
“Our way of doing things is to just keep pushing and pushing and moving forwards gradually.
“Inevitably you are judged on the league table. But last season was my best season as a manager by a mile – and we finished 17th.
“We got into Europe a few years ago and everyone assumed that was my best season.
“But last year threw up so many challenges that I now see it as something pretty special - both for me and the team.” Only two clubs scored less than Burnley’s 33 goals last season – and Fulham and Sheffield United were both relegated.
But Pep Guardiola once compared taking a team to Turf Moor to a trip to the dentist.
And Dyche enjoys seeing the big clubs suffer some pain at the hands of his men.
He added: “Success for Burnley is proving people wrong when they have written us off in the majority of the games.
“It’s about beating Arsenal away and winning at Liverpool after 57 years.
These are things you work for – and we’ve got to keep doing that.
“When I was growing up in football, pragmatism in management was always looked at as a positive thing.
“But now it is almost like that’s not the case. People want teams to do things they’re just not capable of.
“And what happens to the manager? Six months later, you get the sack.
“My view is that you look at the players you’ve got, you try to stimulate them to become better – and then you stay in the Premier League season after season.
“I’ve always liked that bit, it’s always appealed to me.”
Dyche said: “If I had different players, then of course you would look at their skill sets and how they operate.
But this modern game is peculiar. It’s almost like playing the right way is more important than winning.
“Trust me, it’s not like that when you go out of the Premier League.
“You can play however you want, but if you get relegated then fans are definitely not happy.
“The simple fact is that my players like the Premier League and really want to be in it.
“So I just design a way that I think my players will buy into because they know it will maximise our chances of staying in the division.
“There can be days, when you catch us at the right time, when we play a bit.
“When I was a bit younger, I would try to defend the way we played a lot more – but I don’t feel I have to justify that now.”