Burnley

Natalie Bromley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

I have actually run out of things to say about this Burnley side and Scott Parker.

I have also stopped trying to work out what is going on at the club and why this apathetic season has been allowed to continue in the manner it has.

This latest international break coincides with season ticket sales launching. It feels like the perfect opportunity for the club to reset from top to bottom, relieving Parker of his duties, setting out what our goals are and the direction we want to go in.

The alternative? The club leaves Parker in charge and goes into a profoundly important Championship season with staleness of ideas, a fractured relationship with its fans, and a set of players who are either heading out of the door or lacking any self-confidence.

We looked OK for large parts of the first half against Fulham and the opening goal was the result of some really excellent build-up play, but then Parker did what Parker does best. We were too cautious, too defensive and too scared to go for a more comprehensive win.

So we conceded. Then conceded again. And finally gave away a lazy penalty.

I am beyond frustrated by Parker's never-changing approach to games. It doesn't work. It hasn't worked all season. Why on earth does he think it will work now?!

With Tottenham, West Ham and Nottingham Forest all in trouble, the relegation battle is starting to get really exciting. It would have been fantastic if we had shown even the smallest molecule of fight in us to have been a part of that.

Instead, we are just patiently counting down until this is all over and we can forget this whole season ever happened.

Find more from Natalie Bromley at No Nay Never podcast, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Fulham and Burnley.

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

James: It was a great game. Amazing performance from the team and a well-deserved three points. Super happy that Josh King got his goal as it is a major confidence boost for him and the rest of our season as we push for Europe.

Brian: Job done, but not without another show of misplaced passes and static defending. Burnley gave us a game and (almost) deserved their goal. So proud that King finally got his goal - cracking lad and fully committed. We're all hanging on Marco Silva's decision now and hoping he'll stay...

Miles: We lacked tempo for 60 minutes until Burnley scored. More late subs from an ever-belligerent Silva in that regard. Anyway, we hit third gear thereafter, driven by man of the match Harry Wilson (who will be moving on to bigger things in the summer, no doubt). Reservations remain about Silva's in-game decision-making, but we are up to eighth. COYW!

Steve: Nice result for us. But it leaves us flirting with the European places, which I believe would be our undoing - how many other 'small' clubs with limited playing resources have crashed and burned with the extra workload? Ninth will be just fine, thank you, until we can increase the size/depth of our squad.

Burnley fans

Tom: Burnley are finished now and it's far too late to do anything about it. They have a squad of, at best, average players who are totally demoralised and confused by the strategic and tactical incompetence of their 'coach'. Since that is the man who put this 'squad' together, it is clear who is responsible for the club's decline. It is hard to see how this Burnley can even survive in the Championship since the few players who know how to play football will leave as soon as they can.

Joe: I don't know why I keep watching. It's pathetic and I, among others, just want this season to end. Scott Parker doesn't know what he's doing and it's clear to see - the players have given up, the fans have given up and the owners might not even know this is happening as they're probably sunning themselves with their other club. The future looks grim.

Graham: Another "almost" afternoon. Almost an early lead. Almost the better football. Almost a penalty save. Almost a Premier League team.

John: Sitting back after taking the lead had disaster written all over it. If Burnley had continued playing as they had up to the goal, they would have probably got at least a point.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 3-0 Chelsea

• Fulham 3-1 Burnley

Steven Sutcliffe
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Before scoring Zian Flemming had twice been unable to capitalise on opportunities to put the Clarets ahead.

The Dutch forward was unfortunate with a shot that struck Fulham defender Calvin Bassey on the arm but arguably should have done better with a close-range header that was straight at home goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

When he did register his eighth goal of the campaign, it came during a period in which the visitors looked comfortable in the game.

However, Burnley's defensive fragilities came back to bite them.

The Clarets have now kept just one clean sheet in their past 42 top-flight matches on their travels and on this evidence, it is easy to understand why.

Josh King's goal arrived directly from a Martin Dubravka error, while Harry Wilson - a player known for his shooting ability on his left-foot - was allowed to drift inside and unload an effort without a challenge being made by three retreating Burnley defenders.

And to compound matters, Josh Laurent's dismissal for a desperate shove on Jimenez as he faced up Dubravka, was a result of the former Wolves striker being allowed to run through a huge void in the middle of the Burnley back four.

Burnley manager Scott Parker speaking to BBC MOTD after their 3-1 defeat by Fulham: "For 60 minutes we were very good. We created opportunities, we were brave and had chances that we didn't finish. They had some as well and we had to weather things. Their first goal was a bit of a hammer-blow. We're chasing the game towards the back end and it becomes a bit open. Disappointed with the result but pleased with certain points of our performance."

Three preventative goals? "They were - that's fair. The first and second - [Harry] Wilson coming in on his left foot - these are fine details and the ruthlessness, if you get those a bit wrong you get punished. We've experienced that a lot this year."

On Raul Jimenez penalty: "Initially I was questioning the actual penalty decision. But then someone said you can't step back on a penalty so I was questioning that - that you can't step back on the run up. The fourth official told me that's not the case and that you can do that."

On overall morale in dressing room: "I see a lot of positive things. This group every time they step over the line they are full of commitment. We showed come courage, bravery and certainly the predicament we're in. This is a young squad experiencing different things - technically, tactically and psychologically. I was pleased with certain parts.

"That's the constant drive - you don't have a choice and sometimes in life you don't have a choice. We can be critical when we've fallen short but seven games left and I can guarantee you this team will be fully committed."

Did you know?

• Kyle Walker has lost 17 of his 29 Premier League games with Burnley this season, as many defeats as he suffered in his final five campaigns with Manchester City combined (17 in 118 games).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Fulham's display?

Have your say on Burnley's performance

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Fulham make two changes to the side that started their 0-0 Premier League draw at Nottingham Forest last Sunday.

Timothy Castagne and Rodrigo Muniz come in as Raul Jimenez drops to the bench and Kenny Tete misses out.

Fulham XI: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Iwobi, Berge, Wilson, King, Bobb, Muniz.

Subs: Lecomte, Reed, Jimenez, Cairney, Chukwueze, Lukic, Sessegnon, Diop, Smith Rowe.

Burnley are unchanged from their 0-0 draw against Bournemouth in the English top flight, a week ago.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker, Humphreys, Esteve, Hartman, Mejbri, Laurent, Ward-Prowse, Foster, Anthony, Flemming.

Subs: Weiss, Worrall, Ugochukwu, Edwards, Florentino, Tchaouna, Ekdal, Broja, Barnes.

There are four games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brighton v Liverpool (12:30)

• Fulham v Burnley (15:00) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Everton v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Leeds v Brentford (20:00)

Kick-off times GMT

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Fulham v Burnley" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Everton v Chelsea".

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Fulham continue their push for the European places against a Burnley side running out of time to avoid relegation.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of Saturday's meeting at Craven Cottage (15:00 GMT).

Nine points from safety with eight games remaining following one win in 21 matches is the kind of equation which usually leads to only one outcome.

Burnley travel to Fulham in 19th place in the Premier League as they continue to fight for survival, although it is an outcome that becomes unlikelier with each passing week.

The overriding problem for Burnley as they bid to become established alongside the footballing elite is that their best efforts have not been quite good enough.

Scott Parker's side have the lowest expected goals tally of any top-flight team this season and while they have outperformed it better than any team other than Arsenal or Spurs, they remain a side desperately short on quality in the final third.

A win at Crystal Palace and then draw away to Chelsea in February were encouraging but four points in two games were followed by a controversial home defeat against Brentford and one-sided loss at Everton and then a frustrating goalless draw at home to Bournemouth - reinforcing the narrative that the Clarets simply can't string together enough match-winning performances in the time remaining.

Of all the grounds to spark an ailing survival bid, Craven Cottage could be the one that suits the relegation-threatened visitors. Burnley have won on three of their past four visits to Fulham, including 2-0 wins on their two most recent trips.

Fulham are still in the hunt for European football, although Marco Silva's side are also suffering from inconsistencies.

They have followed wins at Sunderland and at home to Tottenham by failing to score against Burnley's relegation rivals West Ham United and Nottingham Forest. They did not record a single shot in the latter - the second time that has happened this season.

Fulham last went three Premier League fixtures without a goal in December 2023, a run that included a 2-0 home defeat to the Clarets.

The Cottagers have fielded the oldest average starting XI in the competition in this campaign, but leading the way for the 28-year-olds – and most likely Fulham's hopes of breaking down an obdurate team on Saturday – is forward Harry Wilson.

The Wales international has been involved in 15 Premier League goals this season, scoring nine and assisting six. Wilson could become just the second British player to reach double figures for goals for the Cottagers in a single campaign after Andrew Cole in 2004-05 (12).

Fair play to Clarets boss Scott Parker. His side are going to go down, but they have remained competitive over the past few weeks and shown they are capable of getting something in matches whether they are home or away.

I don't see them getting anything here, however. Fulham's form is patchy but I've seen enough of them this season to know they are a good team on their day, when they click.

Marco Silva's side are a team I always seem to get wrong when I make my predictions but if they play the way they can, they will win.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Fulham at Craven Cottage (15:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Parker confirmed he has not lost anyone to injury this week: "Ready to go again. Had a good training week, a little bit longer preparing for the game. We have had no new injuries, fully prepared and had a good week."

• On a draw against Bournemouth last time out: "A point we can build on. The clean sheet and performance generally was good. We dominated in the first half and had we scored it could have been different. There were some positives. Obviously at this stage we needed to win, but we did enough in aspects to do that."

• Parker was asked about the importance of staying mentally strong: "That's the biggest challenge now. The atmosphere is very positive in and around here really and that won't drop. Morale and the general feeling at moments can be tough because of the dynamics that we face, but that has never really been a problem here. When you come into training you see a group that is very bright and constantly trying to improve and get results."

• More on staying positive: "Over the course of a long season it's something you need to be aware of as a coach, whether that's a little bit more rest at certain times to freshen the mind. For a lot of teams it's about the mental side of things and how fresh you go into games, because it has been a long season."

• Is Fulham a must-win?: "It's the same as the last few months. We need a result, of course we do and we need to control the controllables. We need to focus solely on what we need to bring to the game. We need to make the game competitive and give us the best platform."

• On facing his former club: "A few familiar faces, a lot of fond memories there. A brilliant club and I'm looking forward to going back there but as always fully focused on us. They are a very good side, brilliant coach, a team that has been together a long time and is established. They have individual talent that can hurt you and have recruited well."

Listen to live commentary of Fulham v Burnley on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Burnley? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Image source, Getty Images

We are getting to the stage of the season where every Premier League team is managing injuries in their squad as the sheer volume and intensity of games begins to take its toll.

But who has been most affected by injuries across the campaign so far?

Ben Dinnery, from Premier Injuries Limited, has provided the data below, showing the number of domestic injuries each top-flight team has suffered, defined by a player missing at least one Premier League game.

The data has been taken from the opening weekend up to and including 18 March.

Despite this table listing domestic injuries, it is unsurprising that the top three of Arsenal, Chelsea and Aston Villa have all competed in European competition, with the Gunners still fighting on four fronts and the Blues also coming off the back of a much-shortened pre-season following their Club World Cup victory.

Perhaps more surprisingly, however, is the fact Arsenal's 31 domestic injuries so far comfortably leads the way, illustrating the strength and depth available to Mikel Arteta to still have his side nine points clear at the top of the table.

The graphic below shows Tottenham lead the way for days missed by injured players, illustrating the issues faced by Thomas Frank, who had to cope with long-term absentees including Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison.

Both West Ham and Brentford are in the bottom three for domestic injuries and days missed through those injuries, while Arsenal and Villa are in the top three for both.

Chelsea drop down the table when looking at days missed, showing they have predominately suffered from short absences spread throughout the squad.

It is worth pointing out that Newcastle's two longest absences this season - Emil Krafth (120 days) and Yoane Wissa (88 days), who had not yet even trained with his new side, resulted from injuries picked up on international duty and are not factored into the figures.

Image source, Getty Images

Burnley right-back Kyle Walker says he intends to retire from football on his own terms - but not for a while yet.

The 35-year-old announced his retirement from international football in March, having earned 96 senior England caps.

With 438 Premier League appearances, Walker is considering how he will bow out from playing altogether.

"I don't know if I'll continue playing for a few more years," he said on The Overlap podcast.

"I feel once that time in my head comes where I'm done, I'd have to be true to myself. Leave the game before the game leaves you.

"I'm 36 in May, but I'm feeling good. It takes longer to recover, I can tell you that. One million per cent.

"And now I'm probably doing a lot more defending than I've ever done in my career, but I feel good. It's more for me upstairs and you fight your little battles in your head if you can keep doing it.

"I don't want to tarnish what I've done but I also have a level of respect for myself that I'll do it on my terms.

"I've not done anything else in my whole entire life except football, so it's a big part of me and to let it go, it's hard. But sometimes you have to let it go when you're not good enough anymore."

Walker won six Premier League titles and a Champions League at Manchester City before joining Burnley in 2025.

As he plots out the rest of his career, he dreams of returning to his hometown club.

"I'd like to keep playing for another few years," Walker said.

"It's always been a dream to play for Sheffield United again. To start there at six years old and then leaving at 19 - I spent so many incredible years there.

"I hope to play for them again. I don't know when that will be. I don't know if they will want me."

Natalie Bromley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Another game that sums up this campaign for Burnley: lacking in pace, lacking in excitement, lacking in any goals, lacking in anything that demonstrates that either Scott Parker or his team have anything close to what it takes to survive in the Premier League.

Three points were there for the taking. They were not taken. A pathetically weak whimper down to the Championship.

We have shown such a painful lack of any drive or desire this season. Every now and again - the Brentford performance being the most recent example - the players show some fight in a "battling performance" and we are presented with the PR spin claiming that these players do have desire and that you can't say that this team isn't leaving everything on the pitch.

I'm sorry, but one swallow does not make a summer, and Parker simply doesn't have what it takes to manage in this league - as painful as that feels to face, because we all wanted him to succeed and have a long and successful career in East Lancashire.

Put simply, I can't wait for this miserable season to be over.

In better news, an update for those who read last week's piece: Burnley Women did indeed beat Wolves at Turf Moor. They take a critical lead at the top of the table, with promotion to WSL2 looking very likely. Three games to go…

Find more from Natalie Bromley at No Nay Never podcast, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Burnley v Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Burnley fans

Steve: Some Steller performances, dug in and showed attacking form. Dominated quite a big chunk of the game with Bournemouth having to throw bodies in the way. Just couldn't get the final touch in.

Alan: Could somebody please tell me where Scott Parker gets his rose tinted spectacles. I appreciate it is his role to talk up his team and motivate them in any way possible, but Burnley are worse now than at the start of the season. Performances are generally abject with the occasional decent passages of play, but these are few and far between.

James: Watching Burnley is only slightly less painful than toothache. It hurts, but you keep thinking it can't get worse, whilst knowing deep down it will. Relegation will bring some relief in that the team might play football again for a while, but always with the nagging doubt that the toothache will return. Please for the fans, make changes now and prove there is a long term solution to this pain. Saturday, yet another poor game where two poor sides huffed and puffed, to the detriment of money paying supporters. We are relegated, please in the remaining games entertain us and give us hope.

Graham: A match of two halves... Sadly, both the same! Neither team dominated and, though Burnley played better than recently, it wasn't enough to beat an average Bournemouth team. Burnley can survive but, strangely, need to actually score some goals!

Bournemouth fans

Martin: We were poor today. I think we're missing Semenyo's goals. Kroupi is playing out of position and good chances were spurned by Unal and Brooks. Hill was excellent once again, and it's 10 games unbeaten and another clean sheet.

Dave: Another draw! We have to start putting away the chances we create. Evanilson and Unal are just not goalscorers. Must make some changes in the summer.

Guy: I was born in Winton in 1942. In those days our team at Dean Court used to have a coach. Why not get one now who knows how to motivate the team to score goals?

Terry: Fed up now. I love my team but plus 20 shots, 2 on target, according to stats. Just think if we'd won five of our14 draws -10 more points, further up table. Bring on the Red Devils - spend a week shooting on target! Up the Cherries.

Pundits Joe Hart and Ashley Williams join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Sunderland 0-1 Brighton

• Burnley 0-0 Bournemouth

• Chelsea 0-1 Newcastle

• Arsenal 2-0 Everton

Burnley boss Scott Parker, speaking to BBC MOTD after their goalless draw with Bournemouth: "We played well today. First half, especially. We started a bit slow but grew into the game and had some big chances.

"You need one of them to go in to give yourself a start. That wasn't the case and it became a bit of a basketball match as the game went on. Neither team was clinical in their moments.

"I thought Jaidon [Anthony] was superb today. There was a spark about him. It was a well-worked corner. If it goes in, my set play coach is a genius. We've been hugely competitive at home. The work ethic and spirit are consistent and I get that might not be enough.

"It was difficult at the start of the season. We knew the challenge and we've just fallen short due to many reasons. We need to maintain it for sure.

Will he carry on next season? "We'll see. My main focus is here and seeing out the rest of the season and maintaining the special things we have here. Everyone understands a team coming up into the Premier League."

Did you know?

• This was only the second time across their last 87 Premier League matches that Burnley have drawn a game 0-0 – the other was against Everton in December 2025.

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

A third Premier League relegation in five seasons is looking imminent for Burnley after a goalless draw against Bournemouth on Saturday.

With eight games remaining, the Lancashire club could find themselves 11 points adrift of safety if either West Ham or Nottingham Forest above them win this weekend.

Manager Scott Parker knows time is running out for the Clarets but his players did well to keep their faint survival hopes alive with a hard-fought draw against the Cherries at Turf Moor.

Unsurprisingly, it was their joint-top scorers Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming who were their bright sparks as they drew decent saves out of Djordje Petrovic early on.

Bournemouth then left Anthony unmarked during a James Ward-Prowse corner and would have paid a heavy price had the Burnley attacker not struck the crossbar against his former side in the closing stages of the first half.

Though the visitors finished strongly and the Clarets held on, the result means Parker's side have won only once in 21 league games since the start of November and picked up fewer points (10) than any other team during that period.

They might have held Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea and Bournemouth since the turn of the year, but must be dealing in wins rather than draws if they are to pull off a miraculous escape.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Burnley's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Burnley manager Scott Parker makes four changes from the 2-0 defeat by Everton.

Zian Flemming shakes off an injury to start while James Ward-Prowse, Josh Laurent and Quilindschy Hartman also start for the hosts.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker, Hartman, Esteve, Foster, Anthony, Humphreys, Flemming, Ward-Prowse, Mejbri, Laurent.

Subs: Weiss, Worrall, Ugochukwu, Edwards, Florentino, Tchaouna, Pires, Broja, Barnes.

There are two changes from Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola after a goalless draw against Brentford.

Adam Smith and Eli Junior Kroupi come in as Alex Jimenez and Tyler Adams miss out.

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Truffert, Senesi, Scott, Evanilson, Christie, Smith, Tavernier, Kroupi, Hill, Rayan.

Subs: Mandas, Brooks, Gannon-Doak, Diakite, Jimenez, Adli, Unal, Toth, Milosavljevic.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Burnley v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Sunderland v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Arsenal v Everton (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Chelsea v Newcastle (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• West Ham v Man City (20:00)

Kick-offs 15:00 unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Sunderland v Brighton" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Everton", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Burnley continue their improbable fight for Premier League survival at Turf Moor on Saturday with the visit of a Bournemouth side on the league's longest unbeaten run.

Just one league win since October - away to Crystal Palace last month - has left Scott Parker's side 19th in the table and nine points from safety. They have the worst home record and worst defensive record in the league, damning indictments of any team.

They couldn't, could they?

Directly above them, West Ham United are showing signs of life, but the faltering form of teams such as Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur will have given the east Lancashire outfit a glimmer of hope.

The Clarets enter the game looking to stave off an unwanted record in front of their own fans. They're without a victory in their past 10 at Turf Moor and have never gone 11 successive home matches without winning in a season.

Last week's 2-0 defeat at Everton means Burnley have shipped two or more goals in 20 league games this term. They have conceded a league-high 58 goals, but in truth there are problems at both ends of the pitch.

Burnley have opened the scoring in just five league games this season, fewer than any other side. The lowest number of opening goals a team has scored across a full campaign in the division is seven, by Aston Villa in 2015-16 and Norwich City in 2021-22, both of whom finished bottom.

Iraola on a roll

Three successive draws have extended Bournemouth's unbeaten run to nine league games (won four, drawn five), which is the best ongoing sequence in the Premier League.

Just one league defeat in 2026 has Andoni Iraola's side sitting in a comfortable ninth position and with outside hopes of a European place.

Ninth is where they ended up last season – the joint-best finish in their history, alongside the 2016-17 campaign – and they are in with a chance of bettering their club record top-flight points tally of 56.

The teams shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw at Vitality Stadium in December, a somewhat low-key affair for two sides whose fixtures have generally been action-packed this term. Only Manchester United's games have featured more goals than Bournemouth's or Burnley's this season.

A superb cross for Evanilson's equaliser against Sunderland earlier this month moved Marcus Tavernier to nine goal involvements for the season (five goals and four assists), meaning the midfielder is enjoying his joint-most-productive campaign for the Cherries – he also registered nine in 2022-23.

With the knowledge that Burnley have conceded more goals from crosses than any other side in the division this season (13), Tavernier will be hoping to put his wand of a left foot to good use again.