Burnley boss Michael Jackson has admitted that Sean Deitch’s dismissal on Friday was a “shock” as the Claretes resigned from their longtime manager amid intense relegation.
Deitch was fired by President Alan Pace with Burnley 18th in the Premier League after losing to Norwich last weekend.
The Clarets are four points away from safety, with eight games left this season, with the under-23 coach Jackson tasked with preparing players for Sunday’s trip to West Ham.
Burnley fire manager Deitch on Friday as the club struggles with relegation from the Premier League
Deitch’s last match in Turf Moore was a 2-0 defeat away to Norwich on Sunday.
Burnley are four points behind in safety, with eight Premier League games left
He said: “I came in the morning to prepare for the match under 23 and the chairman called me to his office and then they told me about it. I was told this was happening.
“Everything was a bit of a shock, to be honest, but I’m not surprised, considering the way football is. We were told to prepare the boys for Sunday.
“It’s a shock to the players, it’s human nature. They are an experienced group, they have come together and now for us it is about the whole club coming together, all the fans, and just getting together and concentrating on what we have to do. ‘
Praising the decade of the outgoing manager of the club, Jackson said: “He built the club, but built a culture, an identity, and it’s really hard to do in football sometimes.
“All you have to do is listen to some of the interviews with other managers and his colleagues to find out what they think of him.
“It’s sad, but they need to be remembered for what they did for this club. I’m sure fans will remember that too.
Michael Jackson, the coach of Burnley under 23, will take over Sunday’s visit to West Ham
Burnley chairman Alan Pace said it was an “incredibly difficult decision” to fire Deitch
SHAN DEACH’S RECORD AS BURNLEY MANAGER IN ALL COMPETITIONS Competition GWDL GF GA W% Premier League 258 72 68 118 249 364 28% Championship 125 63 41 21 180 103 103 Cup 36 FA2 36 Cup Qualifiers 2 3 1 7 6 33% Total 425 149 118 158 482 524 35%
Jackson rejected any major changes in Burnley’s style of play during his tenure and called on the team to play to their strengths.
Survival seemed a clear possibility when they beat Brighton and Tottenham in five days in February before equalizing at Crystal Palace.
This was followed by four consecutive defeats, but a dramatic comeback over relegation Everton gave real hope that Burnley will hold on.
However, the dismal 2-0 loss to Norwich’s final Carrow Road last Sunday proved to be the last straw for Deitch, who has been in charge since October 2012, the longest-serving manager in the Premier League.
Jackson added: “When you look at it, you only have to look a few games ago, when they had a three-game series – Spurs, Brighton and Palace – when the band came together. Then there was a comeback against Everton.
“There is a lot of good here and it reminds the group of what we are good at, to remind Burnley’s identity then.
“I don’t think you can play with complete freedom. We are talking about preparing for the match on Sunday and the whole focus will be on that. We will not change the style of play for one day.
“The strength is in the group, the experienced group. They stick together and know how to play the game.
“We can fix some details, but there will be no change in wholesale style. We will play half a football at a time.
Deitch won the championship in 2016 before leading Burnley to their top Premier League final
Most games are run for one club in the Premier League team GWDL GF GA W% PPG ARSENAL ARSENE WERGER 828 476 199 153 1561 807 57.5 1.96 Manchester United Alex Ferguson 810 528 168 114 1627 703 65.2 2.16 Everton David Moyes 427 173 123 131 568 503 40.5 1.5 Wimbledon Joe Kinnear 278 92 82 104 338 398 33.1 1.29 West Ham United Harry Redknapp 269 94 71 104 324 359 34.9 1.31 Charlton Alanic Alan Curbishley 266 85 72 109 308 382 32 1.23 Burnley Sean Dyche 258 72 68 118 249 364 27.9 1.1 \ t Liverpool Jürgen Klopp 251 160 57 34 538 239 63.8 2.14 Liverpool Rafael Benitez 228 126 55 47 371 183 55.3 1.9 Bolton Wanderers Sam Allardyce 0 1665 0 1665
Burnley’s arrival includes home games against Southampton, Wolves, Aston Villa and Newcastle, as well as trips to West Ham, Watford, Tottenham and Villa.
The first contenders for the post include Sam Allardyce, Slaven Bilic, Wayne Rooney, Chris Wilder and former Burnley captain Michael Duff, who is now in charge at Cheltenham Town.
Allardyce is emerging as an early favorite due to his reputation as a survival specialist, but it is understood that he has reservations about taking a job at Turf Moor.
The 50-year-old Deitch, who signed a new deal in 2025 in September, will receive annual compensation under his contract for £ 75,000 a week.
His number 2 Ian Woan, first team coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer also left Turf Moor.
Deitch’s relationship with his employers and players is said to have become increasingly strained this season, and the owners hope the change of manager will improve the atmosphere around the club.
Deitch’s relationship with the Burnley players has been increasingly strained this season
Burnley attack
West Ham Week (A)
Thursday Southampton (H)
April 24 wolves (H)
April 30 Watford (A)
May 7 Aston Villa (H)
May 15 Tottenham (A)
May 19 Aston Villa (A)
May 22 Newcastle (H)
Sportsmail understands that the seeds of discontent were sown in August 2018, when Deitch’s decision to give a break to key players in the Europa League match against Olympiacos in Athens cost Burnley a chance to advance in the competition.
A source said last night: “He lost the players a while ago. Some of them will not lose much sleep tonight.
Eyebrows rose after a dramatic 3-2 victory over Everton this month when Deitch announced that Frank Lampard’s team “does not know how to win”, despite the inevitable fact that the Toffees were still above them in the table.
Understandably, Dyche’s role has changed in the last 12 months. Pace did not give him the same level of control and the manager did not attend board meetings as before.
The owners considered waiting until the summer to fire him, but lost patience on Friday.
Pace praised Deitch in a statement issued Friday, but added: “The results this season have been disappointing and while this has been an incredibly difficult decision, with the remaining eight crucial games of the campaign, we believe change is needed to do our best. team – a possible chance to maintain its status in the Premier League.
“The process of replacing Sean has already begun and further announcements will be made to supporters in a timely manner.”
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