The Premier League has lost its longest-serving manager, following the news that Sean Dyche has been sacked by Burnley after 10 years in the North West.
Currently, the Turf Moor club sit 18th in the Premier League with eight games remaining, meaning they are four points adrift of Everton and in the relegation zone.
A four-man combination of Burnley Under-23s coach Mike Jackson, academy director Paul Jenkins, goalkeeping coach Connor King and club captain Ben Mee will take charge of their next Premier League fixture, which is away to West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.
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Why has Dyche been sacked?
There have been no reports of any behind-the-scenes issues at Burnley, with Dyche having always been a well-respected figure by players, fellow staff and supporters.
The Clarets have not hit their previous heights this campaign, though, winning only four times in the Premier League, the poorest total in the entire division.
They have also won just once in their last seven games, with a 2-0 defeat away to relegation rivals Norwich City being a missed opportunity to make up ground on Everton, who recorded a surprise 1-0 victory against Manchester United last weekend.
Premier League survival is estimated to be worth over £100 million for Burnley, as well as being a platform to attract talented new players to the club and in turn, improve their profile. Due to this being an immediate threat, it looks like the Turf Moor club have chosen to act now to desperately try and beat the drop.
Burnley Football Club can confirm the Club has parted company with manager Sean Dyche, assistant manager Ian Woan, first-team coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer.
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) April 15, 2022
Betting odds and favourites: who will be next Burnley manager?
The immediate thought of fans turns to a "firefighter" appointment, such as Sam Allardyce - a specialist in beating the drop on a short-term basis.
In terms of a permanent manager (to take charge of 10+ games), SkyBet have the below as the top five contenders, with Derby County boss Wayne Rooney emerging among the front-runners:
| Manager | Odds |
| Chris Wilder | 6/4 |
| Wayne Rooney | 6/4 |
| Michael Duff | 4/1 |
| Sam Allardyce | 6/1 |
| David Unsworth | 20/1 |
What have Burnley said?
Burnley chairman Alan Pace has released a statement on the official club website, detailing the following: "Firstly, we would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Sean and his staff for their achievements at the Club over the last decade.
"During his time at Turf Moor, Sean has been a credit both on and off the pitch, respected by players, staff, supporters, and the wider football community.
"However, results this season have been disappointing and, while this was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial games of the campaign remaining, we feel a change is needed to give the squad the best possible chance of retaining its Premier League status."
Who are Burnley's new owners?
Burnley are owned by Velocity Sports Partnerships, which is the sports investment wing of US-based management firm ALK Capital.
They completed the takeover in December 2020, acquiring an 84% controlling stake in the club as they aim to build on their modern-day success.
Once managing director of Lehman Brothers, Alan Pace heads up chairman duties at the club. Pace was previously involved with Real Salt Lake, serving as president of the Major League Soccer club.
What is Burnley's remaining fixture schedule?
Burnley have a mixed run-in from now to the end of the season, with opportunities to pick up points and edge closer to escaping the bottom three.
Home games against Southampton, Aston Villa and Wolves are still to come, as well as a relegation six-pointer away to Watford, which may be their best chance to claim some vital points.
However, the Clarets still have tough fixtures to come, especially on the road, with West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur looking to be the toughest opponents in their quest for Premier League survival.
| Opponent | Venue | Date |
| West Ham | Away | Sunday, April 17 |
| Southampton | Home | Thursday, April 21 |
| Wolves | Home | Sunday, April 24 |
| Watford | Away | Saturday, April 30 |
| Aston Villa | Home | Saturday, May 7 |
| Tottenham | Away | Sunday, May 15 |
| Aston Villa | Away | Thursday, May 19 |
| Newcastle | Home | Sunday, May 22 |
What did Dyche achieve with Burnley?
Sean Dyche will undoubtedly go down as one of the best managers in Burnley history, after a 10-year spell saw him elevate the stature of the club in a manner that would've been deemed unfathomable.
The 50-year-old won promotion to the Premier League twice with the Lancashire club, finishing 2nd in the Championship in 2013/14 and winning the trophy in 2015/16.
Incredibly, he guided Burnley to a 7th-placed finish in 2017/18, resulting in the Clarets entering the second qualifying round of the Europa League.
He achieved another top-half finish in 2019/20, placing 10th in the Premier League. Excluding 2021/22, Dyche has managed to safeguard Burnley's Premier League status for five straight seasons, all whilst being on a shoestring budget compared to many other clubs in the division.
The Kettering-born man also won two Premier League manager of the month awards, alongside four Championship manager of the month awards.
Who is the Premier League's longest-serving manager now?
Jurgen Klopp is now the longest serving manager in the Premier League, having taken over the reins at Anfield back in October 2015.
| Manager | Nationality | Club | Appointed | Time in charge (as of April 15) |
| Jurgen Klopp | Germany | Liverpool | October 8, 2015 | 6 years, 189 days |
| Pep Guardiola | Spain | Man City | July 1, 2016 | 5 years, 288 days |
| Thomas Frank | Denmark | Brentford | October 16, 2018 | 3 years, 181 days |
| Ralph Hasenhüttl | Austrian | Southampton | December 5, 2018 | 3 years, 130 days |
| Brendan Rodgers | N. Ireland | Leicester | February 26, 2019 | 3 years, 47 days |