As the gloom and gloaming settled around Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon, you could have forgiven Burnley’s new manager for wondering what on earth he’d walked into.

Both the town and its football team seemed to be pulling out all the stops to make Eddie Howe feel unwelcome.

Biblical rain teemed perpetually from a sombre sky. The town itself appeared only in shades of grey.

And on the pitch things were no less dull, in a contest which was high on endeavour but lacked any genuine quality.

It was, in fact, the kind of day when it was hard to mount any defence against the lazy, “grim up north” cliché, which rears its hackneyed head every time a southerner has to travel up from the lesser half of the country.

Had Howe really eschewed the charms of the south coast, the steady and impressive progress he had made with his beloved Bournemouth and his status amongst Cherries’ fans as a deity, to try and revive this grand old club of ours?

Well, yes.

Clarets supporters would gladly have given a penny for the thoughts of the 33-year-old, as he watched his new charges duke it out with the league leaders.

One of the first things he will need to address is a chronic case of nerves at the heart of our defence.

Clarke Carlisle and Michael Duff looked jittery every time they were exposed – although with keeper Lee Grant suffering the heebie-jeebies every time a high ball into the box required fielding, one can perhaps understand their anxiety.

After being over-run in the opening half hour, the midfield battled well enough, but failed to produce sufficient moments of quality. With players of the calibre of Chris Eagles and Wade Elliott, this shouldn’t be the case.

Again, this is something the new man will surely look to rectify.

Up front meanwhile, Burnley lacked any genuine threat. Starved of anything resembling decent service, Chris Iwelumo cuts an increasingly peripheral figure.

With Martin Paterson not fully fit, Jay Rodriguez not fully cooked and Steven Thompson never looking like scoring, it’s little wonder the Clarets are linked with Swindon’s Charlie Austin.

The weeks ahead will be fascinating as the new man settles in. Welcome to Burnley, Eddie.

If you can make it stop raining, that would be a start.