Burnley: Scott Parker on lack of goals and summer 'context'

The Clarets sit fourth in the Championship table and Sunday’s defeat at Millwall was only their second of the campaign in the league.

However, Parker’s side have found the net four times in their last seven matches and are without victory in their last three games.

The Burnley boss believes it is important to remember the “context” of their summer, with a significant number of departures in the latter stages of the window.

“I think it is very clear, 17 players left this football club towards the end of the window and 16 came in,” he told a press conference.

“We have probably given 10-plus debuts this season and we are 13 games in. There have been wholesale changes and at times, it was very challenging.

“Only seven weeks ago, we were sitting here in probably an unprecedented position. Fast forward to now, we have brought in the players and they are doing incredibly in that sense, working tirelessly.

“We are managing everything we can, we are here constantly trying to develop every single one of them.

“These boys are giving their absolute all and we are in a position, at this moment in time, which I am extremely happy with.

Zian Flemming is back available for the trip to West Brom (Image: PA)

“Context, not only in football but in life, sometimes goes missing. When you put context on things, and that is certainly how I manage, there are always reasons.

“I am always the first to put my hand up, I want my players to understand certain issues and that is very clear for us.”

Despite Jake Cooper’s header at the Den, the Clarets still have the best defensive record in the division at this stage.

“We have let in six goals as a team and that has been an incredible foundation,” Parker continued. “I always look at things in terms of trying to developing teams and football clubs for the long term.

“I say it constantly, there is no magic wand. When you have such a big transition, you have to strip it right back.

“That is where we were, we were starting with the foundations. We have to put in concrete foundations for the whole football club to know we can get to where we need to get to.

“We can try to skip things or take shortcuts, but I have found in football that they come back to bite you. You face troubles down the road.

“We have tried to bring a group together, build a culture and environment here of solidarity and being on the same page. I think that box has firmly been ticked.”

Burnley are back on the road as they head to the Hawthorns to face a West Brom side who also sit in the top six.

The Baggies have drawn their last five games and have also struggled for goals at times, finding the back of the net twice in their last six matches.

“We have some issues in terms of our attacking side of the game,” Parker admitted. “We are focusing on that more than ever - 70 or 80 per cent of our training programme is around the final third, trying to improve and be the team that we all want to be.

“We want to be a free flowing, dynamic team and every one of the centre-forwards wants to score goals, they want it more than anyone! You can’t skip that, that is just time on the grass.

“Ultimately, what makes it easier is having a group who are willing to do that and every single one of those boys, first and foremost, wants to put on the shirt.

“I couldn’t have sat here and said that seven weeks ago, it was the polar opposite to be quite honest.

“We now have a group who, every time they put on the shirt, they want to give absolutely everything for the club and themselves.

“They want to keep improving, they see their flaws in certain moments and their qualities. With that, you have a chance.

“At any given moment you can win or lose, but that culture and mentality of knowing your flaws and where you need to improve, you end up getting there. That is exactly what we have got here.”