Burnley boss Dyche doubts he'll match Pellegrini's longevity

Clarets boss Sean Dyche celebrated six years in charge at Turf Moor on Tuesday.
Sean Dyche and Manuel PellegriniSean Dyche and Manuel Pellegrini
Sean Dyche and Manuel Pellegrini

But he doesn’t see himself being in football management come 65, the age of Manuel Pellegrini, boss of Saturday’s opponents West Ham.

The Chilean reached that milestone in September, but Dyche, 47, thinks the landscape of the game will shift over the next couple of decades.

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Ahead of the trip to the London Stadium, asked whether he will still be in management at the age of 65, Dyche smiled: “No. You can shoot me!

Sean Dyche and Manuel PellegriniSean Dyche and Manuel Pellegrini
Sean Dyche and Manuel Pellegrini

“What did Steve Redgrave say?

“I don’t think it’ll be that kind of game in the future. It’s all change.

“The instant nature of coaching and management will change the longevity, from the manager’s point of view.

“It’ll be a future of hopping around clubs I think, a one-season mentality possibly.

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“Fewer of people like me and Eddie (Howe) stay at clubs for a long time. Maybe the view changes and softens and you have to build things rather than the instant nature. I don’t think I’d want to be around at 65, popping spring from club to club, but you never know.”

Six years in, Dyche admits it is hard to look even that far again in advance, in a job not known for its longevity: “The next six years? You don’t go into a job thinking you’re going to last six years, not because you don’t believe in yourself, but just because of the demands of the job, the expectation etc.

“To get to year six intact, in good shape, the team’s not where it wants to be, but it’s getting better.

“The club’s definitely considerably in front of what it was. But I demand more, more from myself, the staff and the players, the club - more support, more building, intention to go forward.

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“But here it has to be done in a sensible manner, and that is a challenge. We have made it work, and our job is to continue to make it work.

“You can build on solid foundations, they are laid beyond me, whenever that day comes, because there are so many good things here. Whether it’s the structure, the training ground, financially, whatever, and good things come from that.

“Hopefully those thoughts continue, and good thoughts make good actions.”

With the infrastructure in place now, does that mean more money to invest on the pitch moving forward?: “It has to be, because the market tells you that.

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“The days of bargains have gone, they’re non existent. We’ve done very well here, you look at the growth of Tarky, Popey, Johann.

“The growth of the performance levels for players for very little money, they’re hard to find now, because the figures for those players make your eyes water. That’s the next challenge, how much the club wants to stretch to make sure we can continue bringing in the quality to reinforce the squad.”