"Belief is a constant for me," says Burnley boss Sean Dyche, after worrying start to the season!

Though not Sean Dyche' s words, they certainly resonate in Burnley's current predicament.

This isn't the Clarets' chief's first fire-fighting mission, it might not be his last.

But there's a reason why the 50-year-old is the Premier League's longest serving manager.

He and his players, in unison with the backroom staff, have a proven track record of being able to get out of tight spots.

And a less than favourable start this season hasn't caused him to doubt their capabilities this time around.

"Belief is a constant for me," he said. "There is no lack of that, you can see by the way they are performing.

"The challenge of the season is the season’s work, I have been down this road before.

"I think the experience of what we've been through is important, and the experiences the players have had are important, but they know it's a continued challenge in the Premier League and we're the only ones that can change that.

"That's the clear-minded view for myself, the staff and the players."

In Burnley's six previous seasons under Dyche in the top flight, the club has had less points at this stage of the campaign just once.

That was during the 2018-19 term, when spinning several plates at the same time, as they returned nine points amid their maiden Europa League venture.

They survived, comfortably in the end, when finishing up on 40 points, six more than 18th place Cardiff City, while Brighton and Southampton provided the buffer.

The Clarets also replicated that feat in 2016-17 and last term, having accrued 14 and 13 points respectively at this point.

Dyche said: "A few seasons ago we had 12 points from 19 games and ended up with 40 so we understand the nature of the market we are in.

"We understand the challenge, I quite obviously do.

"I believe in these players because we have got quality and we are showing it but we are not far away.

"The challenge for us is to have a clear minded focus, it is our job to look after ourselves.

"We have been down this road before, unfortunately, where we have had to work to keep the right mentality."

Dyche is confident that the tide will turn when his side iron out a few creases in their performances.

Burnley have clocked up just two shots on target in as many games of late and they've now failed to score in half of their 14 fixtures.

After Newcastle United joined the Clarets on 10 points, alongside Norwich City, Dyche concluded: "We are just short of the real detail in the final third.

"A lot of the defending has been good.

"It is the cutting edge that we continue to work on and look to find the moments to make a difference.

"That is a continued work in progress."

He added: "That continues to be a challenge for us, those cutting edge moments and trying to find a way in that top third.

"That is the challenge that’s ahead of us because generally the performance was solid and organised.

"There have been some good individual performances.

"It is a really frustrating one but it has been like that this season where we have never been a million miles away but are not finding the key moments."