WHAT on earth is going on at Burnley FC? If the club is not falling apart, it is doing a passable impersonation of one that is.

Where to start? Collectively, the players resemble a punch-drunk boxer, bruised and bloodied, clinging onto the ropes for support. Only the heroic and lion-hearted Gareth Taylor offers resistance.

Off the pitch the manager seems similarly shell-shocked. "I'm lost for words" was his reaction when a TV crew from Granada thrust a microphone at him.

As for the chairman, he tells us not to panic, as Glen will be coming back. And of course, ITV Digital got a mention. (It's okay Barry. We get the message. You've been telling us all damn season!)

Meanwhile, the dwindling crowds watch car-crash football (dreadful yet compelling) and the mood grows more ugly with every passing game.

It took less than a quarter of an hour for the masses to launch into a sustained chorus of "Super Glen" - a clear sign that the fans are unconvinced that letting Little go was anything but a wretched idea.

For those players still at the club there were less kind words.

No-one was spared the bile and invective which rained down from three sides of Turf Moor.

Marlon Beresford, a goalkeeper whose confidence is as fragile as an eggshell, was greeted with ironic whoops and cheers on the rare occasions he managed to hold onto the ball.

Steve Davis, club captain and Burnley legend was pilloried. "Come in number five!" roared one disenchanted punter, "Your time is up!"

The morale of all concerned has clearly hit rock-bottom. The supporters are weary from taking too many body-blows. Stan Ternent sounds increasingly beleaguered and bewildered after every defeat.

The players, once able to bounce back from setbacks and adversity, are looking more and more like dead men walking.

They seem to believe in neither themselves nor their colleagues.

The manager may have wrung all he can from these players. Maybe they have no more to give. In which case those whose contracts shortly expire and are hoping for a renewal may be in for a shock.

Positives? Few and far between, I'm afraid. But we should be thankful for the dependable Gareth Taylor - brave, resilient and an example to others -- ideal captain material in fact.

The only other plus to emerge from Saturday came with about 15 minutes remaining when young Matty O'Neill was introduced to the action.

To be fair, his contribution was minimal; one shot, one tantalising run and cross, and a prodigious long throw.

But on an afternoon like Saturday he was a breath of fresh air and a beacon of hope. With the players looking down and out this is hardly the ideal time to be going into a local derby against a resurgent Preston side. So why not give O'Neill an extended run? Young, eager and confident, he may just give the place a lift - and God knows we need it.