Gary Lineker is one of many to publicly question why Burnley's owners have opted to dismiss Sean Dyche from his post as manager with just eight games of the season left.
Dyche as been at the helm at Turf Moor for just under a decade, achieving two promotions to the Premier League and two top-half top flight finishes as well as a campaign in Europe - all completed on a shoestring budget. Despite this, the recent run of poor form was clearly enough for those at the top of the Clarets' hierarchy to sack the club legend.
In the immediate aftermath of the news breaking, Lineker took to Twitter to write: " Burnley have sacked Sean Dyche with 8 games left of the season. What a brilliant job he did for so many years. Feels like a really s****y thing to do."
Lineker was not the only footballing figure to voice his disagreement publicly. Another former England international in Michael Owen speculated over whether there had been some kind of fall-out behind closed doors.
"Wow! Sean Dyche sacked. Didn't see that one coming. With just eight games to go, it doesn't seem to make any sense so I can only assume something's happened behind the scenes...", Owen wrote. Alan Shearer could barely believe the news and simply wrote "Wow" in response.
Dyche's dismissal has taken plenty by surprise, but Burnley have provided their reasoning as to why in a short club statement confirming their decision. Clarets chairman Alan Pace explained: "Results this season have been disappointing and, while this was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial games of the campaign remaining, we feel a change is needed to give the squad the best possible chance of retaining its Premier League status."
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Pace went on to reveal that the club are already on the prowl for a permanent replacement: "The process of replacing Sean has begun and further announcements will be made to supporters in due course." Burnley make the trip to West Ham on Sunday without Dyche in the dugout for the first time since October 2012.
Instead, the Clarets have confirmed it will be a makeshift coaching set-up for Sunday's game: "Under-23s coach Mike Jackson, assisted by Academy Director Paul Jenkins, Under-23s goalkeeping coach Connor King and club captain Ben Mee have been asked to take charge of the team for Sunday’s game with West Ham United."
Burnley currently sit 18th in the table, four points adrift of Everton on the same amount of games played. However, the Toffees undeniably have a harder run of games between now and the end of the season, making the decision to sack Dyche all the more puzzling.
