Sweet and sour for Clarets

Because the kind of performance Burnley put on at Millmoor might have left a legion of uncommitted Clarets fans contemplating spending their hard-earned money elsewhere.

Maybe gambling hundreds of pounds away would be an ideal alternative, given that supporters spin the roulette wheel every time they turn up to watch their team in action.

And Clarets boss Stan Ternent must sometimes feel like the man who puts everything on red, only for black to stare him in the face time and time again.

"Woeful" was his, no doubt censored, post-match opinion of another pitiful away day display.

But it's happened far too often, especially for a team more than capable of turning in gutsy performances when the chips are down.

And despite the extenuating circumstances that surrounded this Millmoor mauling, that is still no excuse for short-changing several thousand Clarets fans who travelled in high spirits to deepest Yorkshire to see a little bit of end-of-season grit.

The Clarets seemingly took to the field expecting Walsall to capitulate at Crystal Palace and therefore secure First Division safety after a long, gruelling season.

But the glaring lack of effort in a dismal first half was truly alarming - especially given the precarious nature of a 0-0 scoreline at Selhurst Park.

The second half did thankfully improve - it would have been nigh on impossible to repeat the lacklustre showing before the break.

Yet only when it became clear Walsall would not raid the Eagles nest did fans finally began to breathe a little easier.

Now, at long last, Ternent can finally sit down at his desk and begin to draw up a battleplan for improvement next season.

Without financial clout, however, that task looks about as simple as taking a Las Vegas casino to the cleaners.

The imminent departure of Glen Little will leave a gaping hole that needs filling, while bolstering a defence breached far too easily will be another major concern for the cash-strapped Clarets chief.

Worryingly, persuading born-leaders like David May to hang around is also made harder every time such players look around to see colleagues' heads dropping like stones.

It's a conundrum all right, and one that might well equal Ternent's assessment that keeping the club in the First Division ranks as one of his greatest managerial achievements.

But make no mistake, the hard work starts today - because it certainly didn't at Millmoor!

From back to front, in every department, the Clarets were second best to their scrapping, snarling, committed hosts.

Goalkeeper Brian Jensen remains an enigma. One game the hero, commanding his area and flinging his frame across goal to make stunning saves; the next the villain, nervously pussy-footing around his six-yard box spreading the disease of uncertainty throughout his defence.

I'm not sure it would be easy to calculate how many cumulative points gained and lost can be attributed to the big man in his first season at Turf Moor.

But deep down, I feel sure Jensen himself would admit the final figure would be a red one.

Both of Rotherham's opening goals left serious question marks over his decision-making and - worryingly for such a towering presence - bravery.

Granted, the back four was all at sea and left treading water as Michael Proctor lumped the ball over everyone's head for striker partner Martin Butler to race onto in the 15th minute.

But even with May unable to keep pace, the Millers leading goalscorer still had to beat Jensen in a one-on-one situation from 25 yards out.

Or at least he would have, had the keeper not rushed from goal without a prayer of ever winning the race.

Butler predictably got there first and simply rolled the ball past the onrushing stopper and into an empty net.

Burnley's back line never got to grips with the Proctor/Butler partnership before the latter finally departed on the half hour, having suffered injury through Jensen's momentum in the crucial opening goal.

And Proctor soon took full advantage of more hesitancy to provide the ammunition for Robbie Stockdale to double the lead.

The former Sunderland striker was given far too much room and time on the right by Clarets full back Mo Camara, who was having a nightmare game.

But the ball threaded into the area for Stockdale still should have been dealt with by Jensen, whose hesitancy was duly punished by a deft Stockdale finish from a tight angle.

Jensen and Lenny Johnrose, who was tracking Stockdale's run, exchanged shoves and harsh words in a pitiful inquest to an embarrassingly easy goal that quashed all hopes of a fightback.

Ternent predictably made changes at the break, following a first half that saw his side's chances limited to a Lee Roche long-range effort that flew wide and a Robbie Blake effort deflected for a corner.

Out-of-sorts Camara and the unfortunate Lee Roche were replaced by attack-minded duo Luke Chadwick and Dele Adebola, but in truth it made little difference.

Adebola showed glimpses of being a menace, with a neat touch to boot.

But the Clarets rarely engineered a position to utilise his strength and aerial ability where it matters most.

And after Proctor rattled Jensen's bar with a shot on the turn, the striker soon put the Clarets out of their misery from the penalty spot five minutes from time.

Graham Branch, who started out in attack and was shuffled to left back at half time, was harshly judged to have handled as Paul Weller rifled a clearance at him from a few yards.

And Proctor sparked a pitch invasion with a cheeky, Paolo Di Canio-style spot kick.

Rotherham showboating against Burnley! Yes, that's how bad it was!

ROTHERHAM 3

Butler 15, Stockdale 39, Proctor pen 85

BURNLEY 0

Millmoor. Att: 9,157