The Andy Lochhead column

SUBTLETY is maybe not Steve Cotterill's best attribute.

And it was hard not to chuckle at the final whistle last Tuesday when Aston Villa trudged off the pitch defeated and the beaming Burnley manager looked up at his chairman applauding in the stand.

A raised arm and a rub of the thumb and first finger expressed perfectly the financial rewards of such a tremendous result.

And already we are seeing the benefits as James O'Connor arrives on loan from West Brom.

However, I'll lay odds the chairman gets his ear bent a few more times over the coming weeks following the news the Tottenham game is being shown live on Sky TV.

At last, money is pouring into the coffers - and not a moment too soon. The league position has not quite gone from promising to perilous, but a few wins is becoming more and more important as we look to keep a healthy gap between us and the bottom three.

Of course, nobody wants to be keeping a close eye on that end of the table. We'd all much rather be keeping tabs on how many points we are behind the play-off pack. But pragmatism is the key word and the time has come for Burnley to get back to basics.

The best defence in the division has suddenly started leaking a few goals and, including the magnificent midweek win over Villa, it's now four games since we registered a clean sheet.

That will worry Steve enough to work his players even harder on the training ground in a bid to end that sequence.

It won't be easy at QPR. They have surprised a few people since winning promotion and their run of seven successive wins - four in a row at Loftus Road - makes them dangerous opposition.

But Burnley should have no fears about going down there to get a result. The formation, with just Robbie Blake up front, works best on the road when Burnley don't have to force the game.

The midfield can sit a little deeper to protect the entire defence.

Terrific draws at Leicester, Reading, Wigan and Ipswich have proved how well they cope with pressure and it's just a matter of time before Steve and the boys get the balance right between defence and attack and turn a team over good and proper.

Make no mistake, this is a big week for Burnley with Leeds at Elland Road quickly following the trip to QPR.

So as I said, let's get back to basics and get some points on the board.