Dates was fired by President Alan Pace with Burnley 18th in the Premier League following a defeat by Norwich last weekend. The Clarets are four points clear, with eight games left in the season, with under-23 coach Jackson set to prepare the players for Sunday’s trip to West Ham. Burnley sacked coach Diet on Friday as the club battled for relegation Dietz’s last game at Turf Moore was 2-0 away defeat by Norwich on Sunday Burnley are four points away from safety with eight games in the Premier League left He said: “I came in in the morning to prepare for the race under 23 and the president called me to his office and I was told about it. I was told this is happening. “It was all a bit of a shock to be honest, but it does not surprise me given the way football is. We were told to get the lads ready for Sunday. “It has shocked the players, that’s human nature. It is an experienced band, they have gathered and now for us it is to gather the whole club, all the fans, and just to get into the bunker and concentrate on what we have to do “. Praising the outgoing coach’s decade at the club, Jackson said: “He has built the club, but he has built a culture, an identity, and that is really hard to do in football sometimes. “The work he has done, you just have to listen to some of the interviews with other managers and his peers, to find out what they think about him. “It’s sad, but we have to remember them for what they have done for this club. “I’m sure the fans will remember it too.” Burnley Under-23 coach Michael Jackson to take on West Ham on Sunday Burnley chairman Alan Pace said it was an “incredibly difficult decision” to fire Dates. SEAN DYCHE RECORD AS Burnley Manager IN ALL MATCHES GWDL GF Competition GA W% Premier League 258 72 68 118 249 364 28% Championship 125 63 41 21 180 23 23 26% 26 103 Cup 21 19 35% UEFA Europa League Qualifiers 3 1 7 6 33% Total 425 149 118 158 482 524 35%
Jackson ruled out any major changes to Burnley’s playing style during his tenure and urged the team to play with its strengths. Survival seemed like a special chance when they beat Brighton and Tottenham in five days in February before drawing at Crystal Palace. Four straight defeats followed, but a dramatic comeback victory over relegation rivals Everton offered real hope that Burnley could stay afloat. However, the sad 2-0 defeat by Norwich at Carrow Road last Sunday proved to be a drop for Dyche, who has been in charge of the Premier League’s longest-serving coach since October 2012. Jackson added: “When I look at it, you only have to look back a few games before, when they had a series of three games – Spurs, Brighton and Palace – when the group made a series. Then there was the return against Everton. “There are a lot of good ones here and they remind the team what we are good at doing, we remind them of Burnley’s identity. “I do not think you can go and play with complete freedom. For us, it is the preparation for Sunday’s game and all the focus will be on it. We are not going to change the style of how we play in one day. “The power lies in the group, an experienced group. They gather and know how to play the game. “We can deal with some details, but there will be no major style change. “We will get half a football at a time.” Dietz won the 2016 Championship title before leading Burnley to their highest position in the Premier League Most games managed for a Club in the Premier League Team Manager GWDL GF GA W% PPG ARSENAL ARSENE WENGER 828 476 199 153 1561 807 57.5 1.96 MANCHESTER UNITEL ALEX FERGUSON 810 528 168 114 1627 703 65.2 2.16 Everton David Moyes 133 133 123 568 503 40.9 Liverpool Jurgen Klopp 251 160 57 34 538 239 63.8 2.14 Liverpool Rafael Benitez 228 126 55 47 371 183 55.3 1.9 Bolton Wanderers Sam Allardyce 813026 Burnley’s run-in includes home games against Southampton, Wolves, Aston Villa and Newcastle as well as trips to West Ham, Watford, Tottenham and Villa. Top candidates for the job include Sam Allardyce, Slaven Bilic, Wayne Rooney, Chris Wilder and former Burnley boss Michael Duff, now in charge of Cheltenham Town. Allardyce emerged as a favorite early on due to his reputation as a survival specialist, but it is understandable that he has reservations about taking over the job at Turf Moor. Dates, 50, who signed a new contract until 2025 in September, will be paid a one-year compensation for his £ 75,000-a-week contract. No. 2 Ian Woan, first team coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Billy Mercer have also left Turf Moor. Dyche’s relationship with employers and players is said to be becoming increasingly tense this season and the owners hope the change of coach will improve the atmosphere around the club. Dietz’s relationship with the Burnley players had become more and more tense this season

Burnley gets involved

Sunday West Ham (A) Thursday Southampton (H) April 24 Wolves (H) April 30 Watford (A) May 7 Aston Villa (H) May 15 Tottenham (A) May 19 Aston Villa (A) May 22 Newcastle (H) Sportsmail understands that the seeds of discontent had been sown before August 2018, when Diets’s decision to rest key players for the Europa League draw against Olympiakos in Athens cost Burnley a chance to advance to the tournament. A source said last night: “He lost the players a while ago. “Some of them will not lose much sleep tonight.” Eyebrows were raised after this month’s dramatic 3-2 win over Everton when Diets said Frank Lampard’s team “does not know how to win” despite the inevitable fact that the candies were still on the table. Of course, Dietz’s role has changed in the last 12 months. Pace did not allow him to have the same level of control and the manager did not attend the ship meetings as before. The owners thought to wait until the summer to fire him but lost patience on Friday. Pace praised Dyche in a statement issued on Friday, but added: “The results this season have been disappointing and, while it was an incredibly difficult decision, with eight crucial campaign races left, we believe a change is needed to give in the team the best. -Possible chance to maintain his status in the Premier League. “Sean’s replacement process has now begun and further announcements will be made to supporters in due course.”