Burnley inquest as Turf Moor turns toxic after Bristol City capitulation

What a difference 10 minutes can make.

As the clock ticked painfully slowly into the 82nd minute, Burnley led by one goal. Nervously, it has to be said, but it was a lead all the same.

Fast forward to full time, Turf Moor was a cacophony of boos after a painful late collapse. While the players and manager certainly got their fair share of Burnley fans’ ire, the main chant - heard loud and clear - was aimed in one direction: towards owner Alan Pace.

It’s fair to say this has been coming, it’s been building up and building up and bubbling away under the surface for some time now. Years, in fact.

This hasn’t all of a sudden been sprung on us out of nowhere. This isn’t a fickle reaction to one defeat, or even Burnley’s nightmare start to the season.

Even prior to this last year’s worth of dismal results, which has seen them win ONE league game in 323 days, there were signs all was not well.

Whether it’s the leveraged buyout, the £140m worth of debt hanging over the club, the constant churn of players every summer, the growing disconnect that has been allowed to fester, the unfathomable decision to keep Scott Parker in position until April, the late appointment of Nicky Hayen this summer or the failure to replace Zian Flemming on transfer deadline day, Burnley fans have finally reached the end of their tether.

Now we’re seeing the direct results of that on the pitch, because, while we’re only five league games into the new campaign, it’s abundantly clear we’re in for a long old season - and that’s without even mentioning Armando Broja arguing with angry supporters in the car park after the game...

Let’s just start with some numbers, some facts and some figures. Burnley - the very side that have romped to consecutive 101 and 100-point promotions in their last two seasons at this level - are currently bottom of the Championship.

They’ve conceded 12 goals from 22 shots on target. They’ve not won a single game of football in 90 minutes, of any kind, competitive or otherwise, in 207 days. Their last home league win was almost a year ago.

Is it any surprise Burnley fans are chalked off?!

It feels unfair to attach any real blame to Hayen, especially at this early juncture. He’s arrived to a mess not of his own doing.

But he’s not immune to criticism either and he’s not exactly helped himself with some of his recent team selections.

I completely understand the need to keep a side fresh and to manage minutes, especially when so many players are coming back from lengthy layoffs - otherwise you only end up with more injuries, as we’ve just seen with Dastan Satpayev.

But to make five changes on Wednesday night and then another six the following Saturday seems a tad extreme, it has to be said.

There needs to be an element of team building, forging of partnerships, getting used to one another. How can the team gel if they’ve got a different teammate alongside them every game?

Perhaps the most wild stat of them all is that, just five games in, Max Weiss is the only player to have started every game so far this season. It’s no wonder the team resembles a team of strangers at times, because that’s exactly what they are.

And yet, for all of this, Burnley were so close to finally getting that monkey off their back against Bristol City. As close as they’ve been for a long time, anyway.

Aaron Ramsey gave them a second-half lead with a cracking finish, a proper emphatic strike from the edge of the box following a neat team move. Completely out of kilter with the rest of what we witnessed, but you take it all the same.

At this point, Burnley just needed to do whatever was required to get the job done. After almost seven months without a win, that first taste of three points was never going to come easily. It was always going to be a slog.

But the Clarets just don’t know how to win anymore, they simply don’t know what to do. How to act, how to manage games, how to wind the clock down, how to set up tactically, to sit and frustrate while also offering a threat in behind on the counter.

While the home side enjoyed perhaps a minute or two of momentum after the goal, as the home crowd got right behind them and roared them forwards to chase a second, the remainder of the game was tetchy, it was anxious and it was full of panic.

They retreated so far back, a Bristol City equaliser just felt inevitable. Burnley had already got away with one when the visitors hit the bar and somehow managed to miss the target from close range, but Hayen’s side clearly didn’t heed the warning.

When the leveller did eventually arrive in the 82nd minute, it was no real surprise. Deflating, perhaps. But not exactly unexpected.

Rob Dickie was the man to get it, allowed to rise highest to meet a corner before directing a header towards goal that Weiss really ought to have done better with, despite getting a hand to it.

Once the visitors had drawn level, there was only ever going to be one winner. Lo and behold, in the final minute of normal time, the Robins snatched the three points as Yu Hirakawa struck a low shot through a sea of bodies and past Weiss, who again was beaten without the ball flying into the corner of his net.

It was all very basic stuff from the Robins but still, Burnley had no answer for it. And besides, doing the basics is not meant as an insult whatsoever. It’s something Burnley have, historically, done ridiculously well in the Championship. But not anymore.

Had Burnley held on, it probably wouldn’t have been deserved, if we’re being honest with ourselves. It would have only papered over the cracks.

They failed to produce a single shot on target during a flat, lifeless first half and ended the game with an xG of just 0.2.

The thing is, while I’m completely on board with the idea that Burnley just need to win by any means necessary and end that torrid wait, I don’t necessarily buy this idea that one victory will magically turn around their fortunes.

There’s so many questions that need answering and so many problems that need solutions, I don’t see there being a quick fix.

Hayen seemingly agrees, claiming after Saturday’s defeat that his side just needs to “survive” and get through to the upcoming international break, and then take it from there. Not exactly the words of a manager that sounds confident of a promotion push, is it?

It feels like a long slog will be required and a long road back to making Burnley a fully-functional, efficient team unit. Crossing your fingers that one of your new signings makes all the difference or the team magically clicks out of nowhere? Nah, that’s just not it.

If Turf Moor is turning toxic and we’re only in the first throes of September, I dread to think what lies ahead.