I WAS this week reminded of that old adage about there being only two certainties in life -- death and taxes. To that short list, a third guarantee can be added -- Burnley never beat Wolves.

The Clarets record against Wanderers is abysmal.

It is now over a decade since Burnley came away from Molineux with anything but the sour taste of defeat.

Yet the Clarets' history did not deter 2,000 Burnley supporters from making the trip -- a trip made all the more unpleasant by the twin problems of baking heat and the ridiculous actions of the West Midlands police.

Their tactic of holding up coachloads of Clarets provoked justified anger among many of the travellers who only just made it to the ground for kick off.

Seven minutes later, we wondered if the constabulary could not have kept us back a little longer.

A combination of Michopoulos' inability to hold on to the ball, and Paul Cook's inability to hold on to his tongue meant we were up against it, before many of us had settled into our seats.

Michopoulos' error was just that, and while annoying, is ultimately forgivable.

Cook's indiscipline, however, is another matter. Not content with clattering Alex Rae, he then saw fit to follow it up with a tirade of verbal abuse.

With Roy Keane's revelation about that tackle still fresh in everyone's mind (including presumably, that of referee Jeff Winter), Cook's timing was almost hilariously bad.

The Manchester United man would have been proud. One must hope Ternent is discouraging any thoughts Cook might be having about putting pen to paper.

Despite the sending off, Burnley still attempted to pass the ball, but their frequently neat approach play tended to flounder about 18 yards from goal.

And despite Michopoulos' excellent penalty save, the second and third goals arrived with depressing predictability.

Leaving Molineux and travelling home, the most uttered phrase was "long, hard season". And while it is too early for hand wringing, two things are clear.

Michopoulos, while still potentially a very good keeper, is all but bankrupt in confidence.

One hopes that rumours about Everton's Paul Gerrard joining on loan bear fruit.

Secondly, the Clarets need to get back to the days when they were difficult to break down.

Ternent knows that shipping three goals a game, even with ten men, is not a recipe for any kind of success, although he is handicapped by Gnohere's impending suspension.

Let's hope things improve for Saturday, when Stan's best mate, Neil Warnock, brings Sheffield United to Turf Moor.