IF there's one word that has dominated conversation among Clarets supporters since the departure of Ade Akinbiyi and Leicester City's attempted approach for Steve Cotterill, then that word has been "ambition" - more precisely, the ambition of the manager and the ambition of the club's board.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ambition as, a strong desire to do or achieve something.' The good news for Burnley fans is that Barry Kilby has somehow managed to convince Cotterill that he can achieve his goals at Turf Moor, which when you examine the facts is no mean feat.

Since his arrival at the club, Cotterill has had to contend with low crowds, a low wage budget and the sale of three key players in Robbie Blake, Richard Chaplow and Ade Akinbiyi. Heaven knows what the silver-tongued chairman said or promised during discussions in that Brighton hotel last Tuesday, but his powers of persuasion must have been pushed to the very limit in selling Cotterill what, on the face of it, is not a particularly attractive job.

But if the manager has been persuaded that the board are ambitious enough to match his dreams, then the supporters still have reservations. Having had what is most kindly described as a quiet time of it in terms of bringing in players during the transfer window, it has been suggested that money will be spent in the summer.

The evidence would suggest otherwise. Last season, despite two lucrative cup runs plus the £2.75m generated by the sales of Chaplow and Blake, the club's biggest summer capture was John Harley for £250,000.

It will not be too long before the club don their salesman's hat in their annual attempt to persuade punters to part with their hard-earned cash for a season ticket. Fans will need a little convincing that the club is progressing before handing their money over.

Finally, welcome to Turf Moor to Saturday's match-winner, Michael Ricketts. The striker has not enjoyed the best of times since the high point of being picked for England all those years ago. Since leaving Bolton, he has struggled to establish himself and the goals have not flowed.

But there is hope yet. Should Ricketts need convincing that he has made the right move, he might wish to speak to another striker who arrived here a year ago, low on confidence and needing to get back on track.