“When I speak to Alan (Pace), it’s about, ‘Can we move that forward? And if we can, how?’” - Burnley boss Sean Dyche encouraged by mentality of new owner

That they have done, and some, with the club on the brink of securing a sixth-successive term at this level.

On the two occasions the side have passed the 40-point mark early enough in the campaign to kick on, Sean Dyche’s men have earned two top-10 finishes, including a return to European football for the first time in half a century.

However, the prize money on offer in the top flight means staying up is the be all and end all, with the league taking priority over the cups.

With new owners taking over the club at the turn of the year, Dyche feels the club can start to move forward, and maybe set their sights a little higher.

He admits his remit under the old board was to keep the club’s head above water in the Premier League, on a shoestring.

And Dyche said: “The outgoing board were reality-bound by the truth of the club – the finances, wages, and all the rest of it.

“But on the other hand it’s not always the most stimulating thing when all they’re saying is, ‘Just stay in the Premier League’.

“When I speak to Alan (Pace), it’s about, ‘Can we move that forward? And if we can, how?’

“So the mentality is just a bit beyond that.”

New chairman Pace and Dyche appear to be of the same mind as how they see things moving forward, incrementally, rather than in big leaps, and Dyche added: “We’ve spoken about the bigger picture concept on and off the pitch.

“But he’s been reality-bound. He’s said, ‘We appreciate this needs to grow, rather than you just throw loads of money at it and it’s going to work’.

“They do want to enhance it, but at this level of the market, we’re not talking about £20million, that doesn’t shift you radically, that just allows you to try to compete.”

Dyche is often criticised from outside for a lack of investment in the overseas market, knowing he has to make every penny count, so preferring to shop domestically for players who are already well adjusted to football in this country.

And he feels it is not just a case of snapping up talent from abroad, you have to have the infrastructure that then gives those players the best chance to settle and flourish.

Dyche admitted: “The bigger clubs have all sorts of people to support players – player liaisons, linguists, housing specialists.

“We don’t have any of that. The club doesn’t run like that.

“In my opinion – and I’ve expressed this to the board – if we’re going to go down that road, we have to put these support systems in place.

“These players should be able to come in, slot in and get used to it as quickly as they can off the pitch as much as on it.

“People forget about that, but it needs a lot of finance to support them.”