CLARETS: Outclassed, outfought - and out of the cup

HANG your head in shame any Burnley player involved in this shambles.

It is one thing to go out of the FA Cup to a side from a lower division.

But it is another to be totally outclassed, out-fought and out-thought.

This was not a cup clash as it takes two sides to clash - and only one side showed up at Turf Moor.

And, to make matters worse, Burnley chose a televised game to turn in their worse performance under Chris Waddle.

The 3-0 scoreline flattered the Clarets and Rotherham more than deserved their second round home tie against Kings Lynn.

That is another thing, a glamour third round tie was within grasp in the competition that makes run-of-the-mill players into household names.

On this display Burnley should be thankful they have at least saved even further loss of face against the non-league side.

For this was no one-off freak result, more a symptom of major deep-seated problems.

Waddle must manufacture a complete reversal of attitude, form and confidence if the threat of relegation is to be averted.

Admittedly, this was the first time I had seen Burnley in action this season.

But there were more than enough tell-tale signs to realise that this abject performance was an alarming dip in already poor League form. It would be unfair to single out any one player for particular criticism - they were all as bad as each other.

Those remaining from last season, though, appeared to be shadows of their former selves.

Paul Barnes used to terrorise defences with clever runs and shrewd opportunism. Against Rotherham he was flat and without ideas.

Andy Cooke was a rampaging bull of a centre forward. Against Rotherham he was a pussycat.

Chris Brass oozed grit, class and composure. Against Rotherham he was timid and tentative.

Paul Weller was buzzing and bright. Against Rotherham he appeared out of position and out of sorts.

Waddle was also forced to shuffle his pack when Paul Smith injured an ankle during training.

Lee Howey returned to a five-man central defence, Waddle taking up a roaming role across the midfield trio and was mercilessly tracked by young bloodhound Paul Hurst.

From the off, it was clear Burnley were failing to create space for themselves and to close down Rotherham's own space.

These tasks do not require skill or confidence - just commitment.

The wing backs did not overlap, the forwards were forced down blind alleys and the midfield were suffocated through a glaring lack of options.

Waddle's own roving role appeared to cause confusion and too often a clutch of Burnley players were found attacking the same space.

In an eerie atmosphere, the attendance clearly affected by the television cameras, any home advantage was soon conceded.

Rotherham skipper Lee Glover released Trevor Berry down the right flank to whip in a cross towards three unmarked Rotherham forwards.

The giant Jason White met the cross with a measured looping header which caught Burnley keeper Marlon Beresford inching off his line to dip under the crossbar.

Burnley's retaliation came in the shape of set-pieces, Waddle's in-swinging corners exposing familiar flaws in the handling of Rotherham keeper Bobby Mimms. First, a Steve Blatherwick scrambled shot found Lee Howey in an offside position in a goalmouth scramble.

Then Mimms dropped the ball onto the feet of Andy Roscoe, thankful to see the ball squirt just wide of the upright.

White was posing a constent threat and his forceful running at the Burnley defence produced a stray ball, Glover bringing the best out of Beresford with a crisp drive.

The giant White was inches away from making it 2-0 when Roscoe whipped a dangerous ball across the face of the Burnley goal.

Shortly before the interval, hope of a Burnley revival was briefly sparked when Paul Barnes turned inside the box to blast over from a tight angle.

Medial Wiliness was sacrificed in the second half, Mark Ford adding a fleeting injection of energy.

Howey was thrown forward to create a three-man strike force and the early signs were again good when Barnes, fed through by Waddle, drew the keeper but dragged his shot across the goal.

Rotherham boss Ronnie Moore was not content to sit back and absorb any Burnley pressure.

Berry blasted over after a slick counter-attack served notice that the Yorkshiremen remained a menace.

Then White burst through only to be brought down, just outside the area, by Neil Moore who was lucky to escape red card.

And the striker again went close when his header from a Berry cross was blocked by Blatherwick and looped onto the Burnley bar.

Darren Garner met the resulting corner with a clean strike, brilliantly saved at full stretch by Beresford.

A second goal was almost inevitable but still incredible in its execution.

Brass was punished for hesitation on Burnley's right flank, Berry nipping in to bear down on Beresford.

Spotting the keeper off his line, and without attacking support from his team-mates, Berry floated a lob wih geometric precision high into the far corner of the empty goal.

And Rotherham were not yet finished. Glover danced into a clear shooting position but blasted just wide.

Then substitute Andy Glover, a player whose dreadful early touches were a measure of just how great a gap there should have been between the two sides, was released down the right.

A first time ball found Garner with the nearest Burnley defender already tucked up in bed.

He kept his nerve to control the pass and slide home, prompting the victory celebrations.

Waddle has been in many a tight corner in his glittering playing career.

More often than not, a deceptive turn of speed or dazzling footwork, played him out of trouble.

But the Burnley boss has to open a whole new bag of tricks to conjure up an immediate revival.

And he also needs some willing volunteers - in the shape of Burnley players - to take part in the next part of the act.

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