FOR the second time in a few short you report Stan Ternent berating Burnley supporters for booing one of his substitutions -- in this case, pulling off Andy Payton in the cup tie at Scunthorpe.

I sincerely hope that Mr Ternent's comments were made in the heat of the moment, after an emotionally draining match, the result of which did not go the way he or the fans would want.

Look at it from the perspective of those fans on the ground. With a penalty shoot-out looming, the manager withdraws our regular spot-kick taker and in-form goal scorer, with no visible sign of the injury he was later reported to be suffering from.

Many managers, from Sir Alex Ferguson down, have learnt the hard way of the folly of giving post-match interviews when tensions and emotions are running high. It does service to neither the manager nor his team.

Anyone who makes decisions in his other line of work is held accountable to their boss. Mr Ternent, the fans are your boss. If they do not like one of your decisions, they have a right to let you know.

Having said that, there is a significant element of Burnley fans who have short tempers and even shorter memories. Those fans drove out a previously successful manager in Jimmy Mullen, and seem intent on doing the same to Stan Ternent.

Burnley are enjoying their best season for many years, much of that is due to the manager. For that, he has earned the benefit of any doubt over the decisions he makes. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, so let's pull together.

DAVIE THORNLEY