Burnley Season Preview: Relegation haunts Dyche's men but they will battle all the way

Securing survival would prove Burnley boss Sean Dyche's quality

Will the relegation favourites defy the odds like Crystal Palace? Michael Lintorn studies Burnley's chances...

Last season

Following a decent yet unremarkable 11th-place Championship finish in 2012/13 and the sale of top scorer Charlie Austin to QPR, Burnley weren't well fancied last term, but ten victories in their first 13 games set the tone for a promotion campaign.

With Danny Ings and Sam Vokes picking up the striking slack with 21 and 20 league goals apiece and a defence hardly brimming with big names (indeed they rarely come shorter than Ben Mee and Mike Duff) conceding just 37 goals, they spent a mere five weeks outside the top two from matchday eight onwards, finishing second.

Ins and outs

Burnley have adopted a buy-what-you-know policy. Four of their six signings spent 2013/14 in the Championship: their former loanee Michael Kightly, Blackpool goalkeeper Matt Gilks and forwards Lukas Jutkiewicz and Marvin Sordell, who Middlesbrough and Bolton saw fit to loan out last season.

It is a risky strategy in regards to the latter pair in particular, as they lack top-flight experience and the Clarets already have two prolific second-tier scorers, so it is strange to devote so much of the budget to that area, an approach likely to continue judging by interest in Watford's Troy Deeney.

Also new are two veterans in right back Steven Reid and Matt Taylor, who was excellent for West Ham in the second half of 2013/14, while Chris Baird (West Brom), David Edgar (Birmingham), Junior Stanislas (Bournemouth) and Keith Treacy (Barnsley) are the most notable departures.

The manager

With nicknames ranging from Stone Cold Sean Dyche to the Ginger Mourinho, Burnley's boss has built quite the reputation in three years of managerial service, guiding Watford to their best finish in four years (11th) on a budget in his first, only to find that his face didn't fit after their 2012 takeover.

The former Chesterfield defender resurfaced at Burnley that October when Eddie Howe returned to Bournemouth and lifted them to 11th before last season's minor promotion miracle confirmed him as one of England's brightest young coaches. This is the real test now though, the one that will separate a Tony Pulis from an Aidy Boothroyd.

Expectations

It is all about staying up, something that Burnley didn't achieve despite a promising start on their previous Premier League adventure in 2009/10. They are 1.654/6 favourites to go down, the sole side priced at odds-on, yet will be surrounded by many viable role models, including Hull, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Swansea and West Brom, who all ascended this decade and refused to go away.

Best Bet

Burnley to be relegated @ 1.654/6 - This writer lists this reluctantly, and usually relishes supporting a survival outsider. However, it is difficult to construct a case for them due to both the shortage of Premier League pedigree within their squad and the underwhelming transfer window that they have overseen. Three of their past five promotions at any level were immediately followed by the drop.

Value Bet

Lay Burnley to be bottom at Christmas @ 3.39/4 - This bet won't turn you into a millionaire, but offers value as it is a suggestion to lay a favourite. Only once in the past five campaigns was a newcomer bottom at Christmas. The Clarets made early headway the last time that they were in the Premier League and face six of the nine teams closest to them in the relegation betting in their first eight fixtures.