After less than a year in charge at Turf Moor, Brian Laws today reached the end of the road, having failed to keep the Clarets in the Premier League, and then overseen their Championship season reach the halfway point in ninth, just two points out of a play-off spot.
Monday's 2-0 home defeat to Scunthorpe (22nd-placed Scunthorpe) was clearly the final straw for the chairman Barry Kilby, who today showed Laws the door:
"I have telephoned Brian today and have asked him to step down as manager of Burnley. Everyone is naturally disappointed and frustrated that recent results have not gone as we would have hoped. The board of directors has therefore decided that we need a fresh approach in order to achieve our goal of returning to the Premier League."
Laws's appointment was a surprise one, especially after his sacking by Sheffield Wednesday last December. Even Laws himself said: "I am sure there are a lot of Burnley fans asking: 'Why Brian Laws?'" The question Burnley fans will now be asking is: 'Who's next?'
Chris Hughton, Phil Brown, Gary Megson and Paul Jewell are just some of the early names being mentioned regarding the newly vacant role, but surely the club will also be monitoring the likes of Sean O'Driscoll and Eddie Howe, two of the hottest managerial properties in the Football League, and both proponents of the kind of football that Burnley saw under Owen Coyle. Who do you think should get the job?
