by It should have been the worst day of the year, one every player would be forgiven for trying to avoid, but Burnley’s “gaffer’s day” was central to Sean Dyche’s haul. The manager would give his coaches the day off, ensure football was left at home and ignore modern technology, apart from a stopwatch and a whistle, before putting his squad through poor running performances, all in the name of team bonding and , to a lesser extent, fitness.
Dyche returns to Turf Moor on Saturday night with Everton for the first time since being sacked in April 2022. His ten years at Burnley included a total of two promotions and seven seasons in the Premier League, and even a brief venture into Europe. He enjoyed putting his players through their special day in pre-season, making them run until they couldn’t anymore as part of his legacy.
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“It’s a great day,” says former Burnley winner Sam Vokes. “It’s the hardest physical test I’ve ever done but mentally, when you come out the other side, it brings the squad closer because you remember those tough times together. I remember asking for one because I did my cruciate ligament; it seems stupid but I was watching from the sidelines and I had the courage not to get involved because you see the lads finish and they are all together, and it adds to the character of the team for the season .”
The sudden departure of Eddie Howe in October 2012 brought Dyche north, where he would live in a flat with his assistant Ian Woan. Burnley had spent one of the previous 34 seasons in the top flight and were mid-table in the Championship. It wasn’t the most attractive offer but he couldn’t grumble because he was out of work after being sacked by Watford.
The good news for Dyche was that he inherited a squad. Youngsters Kieran Trippier and Ben Mee have recently arrived from Manchester City, while Charlie Austin has been plenty in the second row. “I remember some of the original meetings and it was very much about – more than tactics or technical things – changing the attitude of the club and the players to align with its culture,” Vokes says. early on. The most important thing was to get a fit and strong squad and it paid off, and the following season we were promoted as underdogs.”
As a connoisseur of Glastonbury, Dyche was keen to get the vibe right. “He would let you know if he didn’t like the music but I got a lot of approval so I was very happy with that,” says Vokes. “Especially in his senior year, he went into his house music. There was a song called Waves by Mr Probz and he loved that tune, so we played it all the time. When you hear a song and it reminds you of a moment, it always makes me think of the promotion. He loves Kasabian so used to follow that as well if we won a game. Win, lose or draw he always wanted the music to go on because he didn’t want people to feel sorry for themselves. It was: move on to the next game.”
Outside of Burnley, Dyche’s style was seen as agricultural which may explain why it took him nine months to find a job before Everton came calling. He proved himself at Goodison Park, helping the club survive last season after replacing Frank Lampard, and he recreated the team spirit of the early years at Turf Moor after Everton’s 10-point lead removal They have won five of their past seven games to keep them out of the relegation zone.
Of his time at Burnley, Vokes says: “It was definitely the closest dressing room to me in my career because it was such a tight group of lads who were on the same wavelength. Dyche did a lot of due diligence to make sure he introduced the same characters. It is difficult when things are not going your way but there was never any bitterness because we were all good friends, as well as our colleagues.
“It’s quite easy to call him old school or a 4-4-2 guy but behind that there was a lot of hard work and team spirit that he built before the tactics stuff. He finds the right characters in the buildings. Who’s to say his way is the wrong way to play? A lot of people rubbish 4-4-2 and long football, but when you have the right characters, personalities and the right types of players, I don’t think it’s the wrong way to play it at all – yes it’s effective.”
Standards were difficult to maintain and tensions simmered after Burnley were eliminated from the 2018-19 Europa League ahead of the group stage. Players were upset that Dyche did not take him seriously and expressed this to the manager. It should have been the pinnacle of the Dyche era after they finished seventh but it caused friction within the stable environment he built.
The mood in the dressing room soured in their final season; the experience bred disdain, with players unhappy about the lack of investment in the squad, the stagnant style and the manager’s treatment of certain players amid a loss of form. All good things must come to an end.
The Everton manager will drive past the Royal Dyche on his way into Turf Moor. Trophies and medals are nice but having the pub named in your honor is no big deal. Dyche will be celebrated as he marches across the pitch from tunnel to dugout but he will be hoping his other number will host a mourning-style bonding session.
