Dyche continues to buck the trend as his side move away from trouble

But, as the fourth-longest serving manager in English football, he remains a survivor in the cut and thrust world of football.

Dyche’s longevity is only topped by Jim Bentley at Morecambe (May 13, 2011), Gareth Ainsworth at Wycombe Wanderers (September 24, 2012) and his Turf Moor predecessor Eddie Howe at Bournemouth (October 12, 2012).

Dyche arrived at Burnley 18 days after Howe returned to the Cherries, and is Burnley’s longest-serving boss since the legendary Harry Potts, whose spell in charge between 1958 and 1970 saw the club win the Football League Championship in 1960 and reach the FA Cup Final and finish as league runners-up two years later.

Questions were asked of Dyche before the turn of the year, as a disappointing first half of the season ended with a 5-1 defeat at home to Everton.

That left the Clarets 18th in the Premier League, with 12 points, having only won three of their 19 games.

Dyche said: “Don’t for one minute think I think I’m set in stone here. I’m not, eventually people want change.

“I’ve said it for years here, eventually they will want change, for good or bad reasons. Either I go somewhere else for the reason we’ve been very successful, or we haven’t, and my position changes.”

Four games later, the situation is far more rosy.

Burnley certainly can’t take their foot off the pedal as they look to earn a fourth-successive season in the top flight for the first time since relegation in 1971 ended 24 consecutive seasons at that level.

Dyche spoke about bucking the trend, where the average Premier League manager lasts less than two and a half years: “Surviving is probably the best way of putting football management, it’s very difficult.

“Everything is deemed against you from the outside, and you can deliver what you want and there are still question marks. I’ve had it when we were promoted the first time here (in 2014).

“I still marvel at it – we were promoted out of the blue, we were at the player of the year do, and a fan came and said ‘it’s been an amazing season but...’

“And I thought ‘here we go!’

“He then questioned what we did at corners. Okay, we’ll try and put that right in the future! But whatever you do, it’s never enough.

“I’m used to it, I’ve been in it all my life.”