IN the modern age of football one of the most common complaints from fans is that players don't care about anything except picking up a fat pay cheque.

They feel that those on the pitch do not care about the club they live and breathe for and so don't feel the pain of failure as much.

That is undoubtedly true in some cases but, I would argue, not at Turf Moor this season.

I have had the dubious pleasure of writing two supplements in the past fortnight, one to celebrate reaching the play-offs, the other to reflect on the agony of missing out by just one goal.

Needless to say, sadly supplement number one never saw the light of day and the words were immediately consigned to the computer trash can at work.

But in speaking to the Clarets who were involved in the final day drama against Coventry two things came over loud and clear.

The first was that they were left numbed by the experience of seeing 46 games of hard work and effort rendered meaningless by the narrowest margin possible.

In the week that followed, as I caught up with the likes of Ian Moore, Gareth Taylor, Steve Davis and Paul Weller, you could sense the disappointment was not fading.

No one felt it more than manager Stan Ternent who should have been looking forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary of his arrival at Turf Moor as a teenager. Instead it all felt like a wake.

So let no fan have any doubt that the players wanted success as badly as they do.

But the second thing that struck me was the honesty of their assessment as to what went wrong.

I don't think I took one set of notes from anyone at the club without having the shorthand outline for "we have only got ourselves to blame".

They did all make the point that injuries and suspensions did not help their cause but no one was hiding behind those excuses. They all knew the facts about how a table-topping position by Christmas was squandered and it is something that will haunt them throughout the summer.

But if next season is to have a happier ending then it is important the wounds should heal as quickly as possible.

Ternent has begun his summer surgery by releasing six players but now he is in a frustrating position, although at least it is one shared by the majority of managers in the Nationwide League.

His plans for next season have to be put on hold until the ITV Digital farce is resolved one way or the other.

It is a safe bet that the club will be linked with countless names in the next few weeks but until he knows what budget he has to work with, Ternent may be forced to wait before bringing in the men he wants.

One thing is sure, he will only want to bring in players who will care about the club the way the current squad does.