Football League World
·8 November 2024
Football League World
·8 November 2024
Scott Parker is rapidly losing the faith of Burnley fans and needs to turn things around quickly
After winning his first two games in charge of Burnley by a 9-1 aggregate scoreline, it's hard to imagine how Scott Parker has come to find himself in the position he does.
A 4-1 opening weekend win against Luton Town had Burnley fans encapsulated by 'Parker-ball' and a 5-0 victory against Cardiff City the weekend after had everyone believing they were the real deal at this level.
But having been warned by Fulham and Bournemouth fans after his appointment that the football would soon become boring, worst fears have now been realised, as the Clarets are struggling for form and have lost serious ground in the automatic promotion race.
Anything other than promotion will be deemed as a failure for a man who has two on his managerial CV already, and although he continues to insist Burnley are a work in progress after a summer of turmoil, that excuse won't wash for much longer.
An expectant Turf Moor faithful want to see their club playing in the Premier League, and if Parker isn't the man to make that happen, they'll make their feelings known.
There's been a huge shift in opinion over the last few weeks among Burnley fans, who are now seriously doubting whether Parker is the man who can take them back to the promised land.
While a lot still sit on the fence given the circus he inherited in the summer, there are a growing number of fans calling for him to be sacked, particularly now Mark Robins, who was a contender for the job before Parker, has been sacked by Coventry City.
Some may say that calls for his head are slightly premature, but to put into context just how poor Burnley have been of late, they scored more goals in their opening two games of the campaign than they did in the 12 prior.
For all the wishy-washy sideways football played across the last three games, the Clarets have failed to score a single goal, which is a grave concern for a side considered to be promotion challengers.
Parker can feel a little hard done that's the case after he felt they had a perfectly good goal chalked off in Thursday night's 0-0 draw away to West Brom, although the facts remain that only three Championship sides have failed to score more often than Burnley this season.
One of those are Swansea City, who are Burnley's next opponent in a game that could prove crucial to Parker's Turf Moor reign.
The equation for Parker on Sunday is fairly simple, he has to mastermind a win against Swansea or else he'll face the wrath of Turf Moor at full-time, which could in itself send a message to the club's American owners.
His side were booed off after their last Turf Moor outing - a 0-0 draw against struggling QPR - and you feel like the outcome will be the same here if the Clarets secure anything less than a win.
Although some fans would kill to be embedded in the play-offs at this stage of the season, Burnley fans are an expectant bunch, and to have fallen off just as much as they have will be of grave concern to them.
A quick glance at the stats this season would explain Clarets fans' concerns, as they're among the worst in most attacking metrics.
Fortunately, a solid defence has meant that they haven't suffered too much this season, but as they demonstrated at Millwall last weekend, when they concede, it usually spells trouble for the Clarets.
Turf Moor could be a very toxic place if they fall to such a feat on Sunday, and with an international break on the horizon, which is widely regarded as the 'best' time to sack a manager, the visit of Swansea could prove to be make or break for Parker amid growing scrutiny.