ONE minute you're up, the next minute you're down in the ditch again.
Last weekend's battling victory over a Scott Parker-inspired West Ham side (they could be in trouble without him) showed the Clarets are very much still in the fight to avoid relegation from the Premier League, but any hopes of it providing a platfor
m for a first away victory of the season were soon dashed at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night.
I wasn't at the game so can't comment on the nature of Burnley's performance, although the reports and comments I have read say it wasn't good.
There also appeared to have been two doubtful offside decisions which led to goals, which can't have helped and there's little doubt the team's confidence for away days must be fragile. We have not, as I hoped at the time, built on that single away point gleaned with a good performance at Manchester City in the autumn.
But I am not surprised that Fulham won. At Turf Moor they looked more than useful - strong, quick and solid with some skill, and it looks like all these things were deployed against Brian Laws' team in midweek.
The team do at least have a break now until another far from easy away day at Aston Villa on Sunday, February 21.
What is crucial is that the team do not get demoralised. The last thing Burnley need is for home form to become affected with a raft of make-or-break games that will almost certainly decide the Clarets' fate this season still to come.
- PRINCE Charles was at Turf Moor last Friday, not just to receive the obligatory shirt with "HRH - 1" on the back but also to mark his support of Burnley's bid to develop the first Football University.
Turf Moor would be at the heart of the scheme - a key component of which would be the £5 million restoration of the Todmorden Curve rail link, as it would allow a direct route from Manchester to Burnley, a gateway for students from all over the world, the club hopes.
A multi-million scheme which would have to be paid for by debt funding, private equity and grant funding, its aim would be to give students the qualifications they would need to run a club, including commercial activities, catering and stadium design.
Both Brendan Flood and the chief exec, former striker Paul Fletcher, have experience of these things and the club have partners on board including Burnley Council, the Prince's Charities and Burnley Cricket Club, which would have a new ground of their own developed in the process.
The Premier Plan, as it has been named, would take two or three years to bring to fruition, says Fletcher.
He envisages Turf Moor housing one of the country's first "Stadi-Arena" stands, with the facility to house exhibitions, stage rock concerts and host conferences 365 days of the year.
It is an ambitious undertaking which the club would have to be sure could pay as far as its own involvement goes.
For Burnley as a town, it could revitalise it and, if it works, it is possible there might be spin-offs for towns like Todmorden and Hebden Bridge which aren't too far away.
