By Simon Evans
BURNLEY, England (Reuters) – Burnley manager Sean Dyche sees the pressure that is on Frank de Boer, boss of Sunday’s opponents Crystal Palace, as a sign of the acute lack of patience in modern football.
The Dutchman’s future has been questioned by some fans and media after just three games of the season with Palace yet to pick up a point.
Dyche, who was strongly linked with the vacant post at Selhurst Park before De Boer was given the job, said the days when a manager was given time to build a team had gone.
“This game never ceases to amaze me with the managerial outlook. Demand is high and it’s instant. The idea of building is few and far between now. The only way you can build now is to win,” he told reporters on Friday.
“Times have changed, people want everything instantly. The biggest thing for Palace is, from the outside looking in, they were looking for a whole culture change with the way the team operates. It’s hard enough to take over as a new manager anyway, then you add that in and it’s difficult,” he said.
Dyche is the third longest serving manager in the Premier League, behind Arsene Wenger and Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, and in his close to five years at Turf Moor he has been able to shape the culture of the club.
He says, however, that he benefited from lower expectations as Burnley were initially looking to consolidate in the second-tier Championship when he took over. He has since twice won promotion to the top flight.
“As we’ve been successful I’ve been able to play my part in helping the team and the club grow. Not all managers get that chance,” he said.
“When I took over here success was deemed to level it out and get the club to a good base position, then look to build,” he said.
Dyche said the lack of patience shown toward managers was not simply a case of hasty decisions being made by owners.
“I’ve said it many times, we all want everything yesterday, instant success, and we are in that business, particularly in the Premier League,” he said.
“The thirst to build over time is diminishing, owners get stick, but often the fans demand change very quickly as well. The secret is to win enough to allow yourself to build.
“In other walks of life, you’d have a plan of attack that’s unlikely to succeed immediately, in business, there would be a two or three year plan. In football, it’s more or less straightaway.
“But, we all know the rules. You need to win, and quick”.
(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Toby Davis)
