Getting recruitment right is the biggest challenge Burnley will face in their bid to bounce back to the Premier League at the first attempt once again.
The Clarets head back to the Championship next season after another miserable campaign in the top flight, finishing 19th on just 22 points.
While they’ve struggled to make an impact in the Premier League in recent seasons, their form in the Championship has been nothing short of incredible winning consecutive automatic promotions with over 100 points.
‘We know what to expect’
Burnley’s interim boss Mike Jackson knows the club can’t simply take it for granted they’ll bounce back at the first attempt again. But he is confident they will get it right.
A lot, he believes, depends on what transpires this summer in terms of which players depart and which players arrive.
When asked if Burnley have the right structure to bounce straight back, Jackson said: “Yeah, to be honest, I don’t think it’s a structure thing.
“You’re obviously going to have players that are going to be leaving. It’s how you then rebuild the squad again, people that leave, people that stay and I think that’s the trickiest bit.
“But we’ve done this before. We know what to expect in the Championship. We know what it’s like and what the game asks of you in that division. So we’re in a good place in terms of knowing what we need.
“It’s just about going ahead of that now and delivering that and learning from this year.”
The bottom line
Burnley have been here before. Twice. And twice they’ve bounced back with over 100 points.
But Jackson knows past success doesn’t guarantee future results. The trickiest bit isn’t the tactics or the structure, it’s the recruitment.
Which players leave? Which players stay? Which players arrive?
Get it right, and Burnley could be looking at another immediate return. Get it wrong, and the Championship could become a much longer stay.
The blueprint is there. The experience is there. Now it’s about execution.
