Josh Brownhill has his say on Burnley's 'upsetting' Premier League relegation
Former Burnley man Josh Brownhill admits his old club’s relegation from the Premier League is “upsetting”.
The 30-year-old knows all about how tough it is to stay in the top flight, having been part of two relegation campaigns under Sean Dyche and Vincent Kompany.
But the midfielder has had to watch on from the sidelines this season as the Clarets, under Scott Parker until this week’s departure, oversaw another disappointing campaign.
“It's upsetting,” he told Saudi outlet SPL.
“We've been up and down for the past few years and I thought this year was going to be the year where they stay up. I believed in the manager there and in the players - and they recruited very well.
“The Premier League is just so difficult. People think it can be easy because you see Sunderland high up the table, you see Leeds probably just out of the relegation battle, but it's so difficult.
“I feel sorry for a lot of the lads because I still keep in contact with them quite a lot and I know how hard they work, so it's very sad. But I'm definitely sure they'll go back up again next year.”
Brownhill now plays his football in Saudi Arabia, having snubbed the chance to renew his contract at Turf Moor last summer to sign for Al Shabab.
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Opening up on his experience of playing in the Middle East, the former Burnley skipper added: “Apart from early on in the season, when the results weren’t great, I've enjoyed my time here.
“It's been really nice, a change in culture, a change of scenery, playing in nice weather at times. It’s been enjoyable.
“Ideally, I would like to be higher up the table and maybe have won the Gulf Club [Champions League] that we were in, but it's football, there’s highs and lows. I'm already looking forward to next season.
“What has surprised me the most? I would say I knew it was going to be very difficult, for sure, but it’s been probably a little bit more difficult.
“Playing in a lot of heat as well is very tough. I'm used to a super-high intensity, and here it's probably not as intense because you make two runs and you're tired because of the weather.
“I'd say I’ve not been surprised by how high the level is, especially in some games, but it's probably been a better standard than what I first thought.”
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