Clarets boss Chris Waddle threatened to walk out on the club in an astonishing attack on the Turf Moor boo-brigade.

Waddle's bitter outburst followed his team's victory over promotion hopefuls Northampton Town.

"The fans were an embarrassment and they want to take a good look at themselves," he said.

"If they don't want Chris Waddle here, just tell them to sing it and I'll get out of the way.

"It's come to a stage where the crowd's trying to make decisions. You might as well not have a manager. They can all take turns voting on who the want to play and who they don't.

"But it won't matter, because they're simply booing our cause."

Waddle singled out the attention received by Lee Howey from the fans.

"Lee could easily have got out of the way, but he kept putting his head in there.

"So, he didn't score, and missed some sitters, but he was brave enough to keep getting in there.

"You couldn't ask for a more committed player."

And the boss admitted he substituted Howey to spare him further abuse.

"How would you feel if you had 8,000 people booing you? He went in for a great header and split his head wide open - the fans shouted to get him off," added the manager. Waddle is also worried that such an atmosphere might affect the club's long-term plans.

"Nobody will be attracted here, whether players or managers, when fans respond like that."

Waddle left the pitch without acknowledging the deafening applause at the final whistle, choosing instead to shake the hand of every Northampton Town player. "I try my best every week and I'm not bothered about them. Why should I respond to the crowd?

"Burnley has a good set up and was a big club, but that was years ago. You haven't a divine right to be in any division - we are working hard.

"We don't mean to lose games, but getting on a player's back won't make him a better player.

"After the match I told the players to get on with their game and prove everybody wrong, but they shouldn't need to do that.

"We've not had the best of starts and we're not in the top four, but it's easy to knock people when they're down.

"I'm finding out who my friends are very quickly - and we haven't got many in the stadium. "We kept Northampton to one effort on goal in 90 minutes, but until we equalised they gave us abuse and I'm not having it."

Waddle did, however, have praise for the travelling Clarets fans, who he felt were fair to his team.

Waddle added that if fans wanted to shout and bawl, they should go and watch their football elsewhere.

"It's getting out of hand - a lynchmob. Now the abuse is a roll-on effect. If anyone gives a bad pass or does something wrong it's 'Get him off' from the crowd. Why come? It's not supporting Burnley Football Club.

"The biggest cheer of the day was for John Gayle - if that's the road they want to go down, they're welcome to it."

"We're not going to go anywhere the way the fans are treating the players right now."

And match-winner Paul Barnes agreed with his boss.

"The crowd can be good and bad and it's a shame when their centre forward gets a bigger shout than any of your own team. And it doesn't help when you get your own centre forward booed off the pitch. Lee Howey gave his all.

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