'Working tirelessly' - Manager of Leeds United's promotion rivals launches defence of key issue as January transfer plans addressed

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Burnley are keeping pace with Leeds United but there is growing frustration among supporters.

Scott Parker insists he is ‘working tirelessly’ to improve Burnley’s form in front of goal as the Championship promotion hopefuls aim to keep pace with Leeds United, Sunderland and Sheffield United.

Burnley are only two points off Leeds and four away from the automatic promotion places, but recent performances have left a lot to be desired among an increasingly frustrated fanbase. The Clarets needed a 94th-minute penalty to beat Swansea City 1-0 before the international break, without which they would have extended their goalless run to four games.

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After scoring nine goals in their opening two matches, Burnley have only managed to equal that tally throughout the next 13 and have been somewhat fortunate to keep pace with those above them in the table. But while Parker admits there are issues going forward, the 44-year-old launched a stern defence of his side’s early-season form.

“I’m extremely happy to be quite honest,” he told Sky Sports. “We’ve been here for four months and there’s been a huge turnaround. Big challenges. There is obviously the psychological element of coming out of the Premier League, where you don't get a lot of wins and there’s a lot of disappointment every week. Huge turnaround in the summer, with 17 players leaving the football club. 

“What I can say is that at this present moment, we’ve got a group of men who first and foremost want to put the Burnley shirt on and play for this team, which is probably something I couldn’t have said at the start of the season. There’s been challenges of course, this is a process. There is no click of a finger here, we’re putting in the work.

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“We've built a structure where we’re very solid in our defensive phases. We’re obviously very solid, we’ve conceded very few goals and given ourselves a foundation to win games and get points. But in the final third we need to improve. We’re working tirelessly to improve on that.”

Burnley were not helped by a chaotic summer in which more than a dozen first-team players left, with recruitment chiefs having to work right until the final minutes of deadline day. Leeds know all too well how those issues can bleed into the season, having started slowly a year ago before improving from January onwards.

Parker might hope to follow a similar pattern and could look to strengthen in January to aid that bid. But the Clarets boss remained coy when quizzed on possible transfer plans.

“I’m sure the way football moves, there may be some movement in January,” he added. “In saying that, I'm extremely happy with where we are, it comes down to working hard, to keep nudging along. The thing that pleases me the most, four months ago this was a totally different football club. I eat and breathe every single bit of this football club like the players.”

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