Cummings and Goings, with Stephen Cummings
THIS column is not in the habit of disguising itself as an obituary.
But following Saturday's limp surrender to a visibly more spirited Sheffield Wednesday, surely all that is left is to pronounce season 2000/2001 officially dead.
Which is a tremendous shame. Because having disposed of Watford on Tuesday night, the picture looked promising.
The Clarets lay in 10th position seven points adrift of the play-off zone but, crucially, with two games in hand.
Yet by the time three and a half thousand Burnley fans trudged disconsolately away from Hillsborough, that picture had changed dramatically.
Now 10 points behind sixth placed West Brom, the Clarets have too little time and too few games to bridge the gap.
This is not defeatism as such, it is realism.
But back to Saturday. The key element missing from the performance was the element which has been missing from too many games this season -- creativity. Unless Glen Little has his magic boots on, no one possesses the vision to deliver the telling, defence splitting pass.
There is no Lee Clark. There is no Per Frandsen. There is no, dare I say it, Eyal Berkovic.
No doubt, the manager is aware of this.
The difficulty for Ternent though is that these rare players do not grow on trees.
And if you do find one they are likely to be tied to a contract thus relieving you of a hefty wedge of cash.
This is obviously an issue to address over the summer.
But for now, Burnley are safe, which with 10 games to spare is a tremendous achievement which few envisaged in the heady aftermath of last season's promotion. With safety assured, the remaining 10 games present an excellent opportunity to give an extended run in the side to promising youngster Brad Maylett and Anthony Shandran.
Apart from the experience they would gain, it may provide one or two of those who Ternent rebuked on Saturday, with a much needed kick up the backside.
Finally, a fond farewell to Chris Brass who joined York City on a free transfer last week.
The 25-year-old Easington-born defender never gave anything less than 100 per cent when called upon.
At his best when assigned a man-marking role, his finest hour came when he completely nullified the threat of Steve McManaman in an FA Cup tie an Anfield a few years ago.
I am sure I am not alone in wishing him all the best for his future at Bootham Crescent.
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