When Burnley suffered relegation from the Premier League on the final day of last season, it was the end of an era.
After six years in the big time, the perennial strugglers had finally dropped back into the Championship and Sean Dyche - one of the club's greatest ever managers - had gone. His permanent successor was Manchester City icon Vincent Kompany, who was a questionable appointment after two unremarkable seasons in charge of Anderlecht.
Yet six months later, Burnley are top of the Championship and 18 points clear of Watford in third. They've lost only twice in the league this term, boast the division's best attack and its best defence. Unless something disastrous happens, the Clarets will be promoted back to the top flight come May. Unquestionably, Kompany has done a brilliant job at Turf Moor.
Yet to rebuild Burnley, he had to take their squad apart. A whopping 33 players have left the club on a permanent basis since last summer, with others completing loan moves.
Many of those were youngsters, but plenty were not. Several senior professionals - such as Phil Bardsley, Aaron Lennon, Erik Pieters, Dale Stephens, James Tarkowski, Wayne Hennessey and Ashley Westwood - were out of contract and released by Kompany and his assistant Craig Bellamy.
Burnley also lost some of their best assets. Captain Ben Mee, after a decade of service, joined Brentford. Nick Pope, Nathan Collins, Dwight McNeil and Maxwell Cornet were all sold to Premier League clubs for eight-figure fees, while Wout Weghorst - their big money signing in January 2022 - was allowed to leave on loan. Manchester United fans will be able to tell you what he is doing these days.
A squad ripped apart all in one hit is not usually a good thing, but Burnley fans knew it was inevitable.
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"I would have loved to have kept Ben Mee... but the rest of the players, I knew they would go," Natalie Bromley, who hosts the No Nay Never Podcast, tells Mirror Football.
Yet there was some uncertainty over whether Kompany was the right manager for the job. Kompany's first venture into management did not go as well as hoped. As one of Belgium's biggest clubs, Anderlecht were expected to compete for the title. Yet they finished fourth in the table during his first season in charge and third the following year.
Other critics were also wondering what Kompany knew about the Championship. After all, this was an ex-defender who played at the top of European football for more than a decade - winning 15 trophies - and appeared in two World Cups with Belgium.
But while Kompany may not have been an expert on Luton or Huddersfield, he is a well-respected and connected figure. His ability to attract players - plus his willingness to play eye-catching football - is what persuaded owners ALK Capital to hire him.
ALK were under pressure to get this appointment right. The Americans completed a takeover of Burnley in December 2020 through a leveraged buyout, which saw them borrow millions of pounds to buy the club. The headlines last May were worrying. But most fans are fully behind the strategy ALK and chair Alan Pace have adopted, particularly now.
ALK were right to say goodbye to Dyche, says Natalie. "I thought it was time. He did an incredible job... He should be applauded and he rightly takes his place as a complete legend of the club, but that period had come to a natural end.
"We needed a clear rebrand."
ALK agreed and hired Burnley's first non-British manager in Kompany. They also aimed to create a more diverse squad and professionalised their women's team for the first time.
The centrepiece of ALK's revolution was transforming Burnley from a defensive, hard-to-beat team into an eye-catching, possession-obsessed side. They also wanted to invest in young, relatively unknown players - just like Premier League overachievers Brentford. ALK gave Kompany more than £20million to invest in his squad. Fans of rival clubs have accused Burnley of trying to "buy the Championship" - but that was just a snip when when compared to the amount of cash they generated by selling and releasing players.
Kompany has spent the money wisely, using his knowledge of the Belgian market. Samuel Bastien, Josh Cullen, Vitinho, Manuel Benson, Anass Zaroury, Marcel Lewis and Ameen Al-Dakhil were all signed from Belgian clubs. Kompany also called up his old City boss Pep Guardiola to sign Arijanet Muric permanently and Taylor Harwood-Bellis on loan.
Harwood-Bellis was not the only player to join Burnley on a temporary basis. Kompany also agreed loan deals for Ian Maatsen of Chelsea, Nathan Tella of Southampton, Jordan Beyer of Borussia Monchengladbach and Halil Dervisoglu of Brentford.
Although Kompany's budget cannot be called small when compared to other Championship clubs, Burnley have invested smartly rather than extravagantly. The most important characteristic of Kompany's side - bar their respective abilities - is their collective age. Burnley had traded in their veterans for the seventh-youngest squad in the Championship.
ALK knew players would listen to and be inspired by Kompany and Bellamy due to what they had achieved in the game. They would be willing to work hard for the cause and follow a Guardiola-style blueprint, which has been adapted by Kompany for the second tier.
Kompany's and ALK's insistence on youth was evident when the Burnley boss appeared as a pundit on the BBC's coverage of the recent World Cup in Qatar. He was jokingly asked whether the Clarets would sign Cristiano Ronaldo following his exit from Man Utd.
"We need players who can run," came Kompany's response. Although the Belgian was not being serious, what he said was true. Burnley want players who will give their all for the team - no matter their reputation.
"Throw out everything you ever thought you knew about Burnley," insists the No Nay Never Podcast host when asked about the club's new blueprint. "Burnley fans had forgotten what it was like to watch that [positive style of] football and how much we enjoy it. You put it in the Championship - results and entertainment - and that is an explosive and very powerful combination."
This philosophy has left Burnley on the verge of promotion. Although there are still 18 Championship fixtures to go, it is hard to see anyone chasing down their big advantage. And if you look at their form guide, it is simply astonishing.
After a slow start to the season - winning just six of their first 15 Championship games - they have won 12 of their last 13 league outings. That includes an eight-game winning run, something of a rarity in English football's unpredictable second tier. That relentlessness - a desire to win every single game - is a hallmark of every Guardiola side. City fans will remember when they won 18 consecutive Premier League games during the 2017/18 season - with captain Kompany at the heart of their defence.
Burnley's only defeat since their 1-1 draw at Birmingham in October was their 5-2 away defeat against Sheffield United in November. That result is nothing to be ashamed of, as the Blades have dropped just two points from their last eight Championship games.
Looking at the Championship table, it is hard to see anyone catching Burnley or Sheff Utd - who are 13 points clear of Watford - at this stage. There is still a long way to go, but the Clarets will surely be making plans for a return to the Premier League.
Ultimately, it will be the top flight which defines whether Kompany will become a top-class manager. Keeping Burnley up will be difficult; he won't have a massive transfer budget, comparatively, and will also need to replace his five loanees.
And his progressive style of football will be put to the test. Under Dyche, Burnley's conservative shtick helped them consistently pick up enough points to survive, as well as finishing seventh on one occasion. Yet their possession-based game - boasting 63 per cent of the ball in the Championship - will be hard to replicate against the elite. Kompany will have to decide whether to stick with his philosophy.
"I'd like to think we'll stay true to our form," says Natalie. "But that decision depends on what the finances dictate at the top and what the business model looks like from the chair."
There is also the possibility that Kompany could be poached by a side with greater resources.
"He hasn't signed up to be Burnley manager for 10 years. We are a stepping stone - we know that - but he is giving everything to this club and is really committing himself to the town and community while he is here. That's all we can ask for."
Yet Burnley fans are not worried about the future, instead they're merely enjoying this "amazing" season. Still only a novice, Kompany has reinvented Dyche's stale side into an all-conquering Championship juggernaut - putting them in touching distance of the Premier League.
Unless there is a major twist, Guardiola will be in good Kompany on the touchline next term.
Follow Natalie ( @Natalie_Bromley ) and the No Nay Never Podcast ( @NoNayNever ) on Twitter
