Burnley go into Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest 12 points adrift of safety with six games remaining, and Scott Parker said that gap reflects a season in which his side never found the level they needed. He made the remarks in an afternoon press conference after Burnley Express asked why Burnley have struggled so much compared with Leeds and Sunderland.
Parker pointed to last season’s standards as the benchmark Burnley could not match. Burnley finished 24 points ahead of Sunderland and on the same total as Leeds United a year ago, but this time Sunderland were 10th on 46 points and 26 points ahead of Burnley, while Leeds moved six points clear of the drop zone on Monday after a 2-1 win. The contrast has sharpened the pressure on Burnley as the table has moved away from them and toward the sides they were matching only a year earlier.
The Burnley manager said the shape of the squad changed before the campaign even began. Three crucial players left, including top scorer Josh Brownhill, CJ Egan-Riley and James Trafford, and Burnley used part of their budget to retain Marcus Edwards, Zian Flemming, Jaidon Anthony and Bashir Humphreys. Parker said that meant the club had to over-achieve every single game to keep pace with the division, something he believes they have not managed to do.
He also said the problem was not only personnel but timing. Burnley have not been able to build momentum, even after winning two games on the bounce, and Parker said the side then went to West Ham away and came up short in the crucial moments and fine margins that can swing results. That left Burnley where they are now: still searching for a run that never came, and facing Nottingham Forest with the season slipping toward its final stretch.