Owner of pub she named after Clarets manager Sean Dyche says she is in 'total shock' at news of his sacking

Justine Lorriman, who named her pub the Royal Dyche, said: "I am in total shock and just cannot understand the reasoning behind this.

"Sean Dyche has been a fantastic manager for us, he has worked miracles on a tight budget. I honestly thought he had a job for life for what he has achieved for the Clarets.

"I know a lot of the fans will be very angry at this decision and this could be directed at whoever takes over from Sean.

"I don't think anyone else could have achieved what Sean did during his nine and half years here. We have been through some tough times but he has pulled it out of the bag every time and stayed loyal to us but it would seem that loyalty in football counts for little today."

Justine had been celebrating her own team, Blackburn Community Sports Women, winning the league when a friend rang her with the news. She said: "I thought someone had died when I answered the phone."

The shock news that Burnley had sacked manager Dyche, with eight games remaining to retain their Premier League status, was announced this morning.

Dyche, who would have celebrated 10 years in charge in October, had twice led the Clarets to promotion to the Premier League, and a return to European football after half a century, only signed a new contract to the summer of 2025 in September.

A club statement said: “Burnley Football Club can confirm the Club has parted company with manager Sean Dyche, assistant manager Ian Woan, first-team coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer."

Dyche was the longest-serving manager in the Premier League, having been in charge of the Clarets for nine-and-a-half years, overseeing a period which will go down as one of the most successful in the Club’s history.

During this time, the team was promoted twice from the Championship, achieved two top-half Premier League finishes and qualified for Europe for the first time in 51 years.

Only last month Sean Dyche had vowed to visit his namesake pub after he was jokingly presented with a 'Most Incognito Regular' award. Justine had been trying to get the Clarets boss to visit the Yorkshire Street establishment ever since she re-named the bar in his honour in 2018.

The pub held its very own customer awards two years ago, and when Justine knew there was a chance she'd be bumping into Dyche at the recent Burnley FC in the Community awards evening, she couldn't resist taking along his very own specially engraved statuette.

Speculation is already mounting as to who will take over the reins from Dyche and the other burning question, which Justine has already been asked several times, is if she will keep the Royal Dyche name.

"As long as I own the pub the name will stay in recognition of what Sean Dyche has done for Burnley," said Justine.

The landlady has decided that each time someone asks her the question they will have to pay £1 which will be donated to Pendleside Hospice, adding: "It's a bad day today so we may aswell try and get something positive from this."