Burnley have sacked head coach Nicky Hayen after just 14 games in charge, following a miserable start to the season that leaves the Clarets 22nd in the Championship. The Belgian becomes the second second-tier manager to lose his job this season, after Preston’s Paul Heckingbottom.
Hayen’s final match was Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Lincoln City, where the hosts came back from 1-0 down to condemn Burnley to a sixth defeat of the campaign. The club announced the news in a short two-sentence statement within two hours of the final whistle at the ProAmpac Stadium.
Why Burnley Sacked Nicky Hayen After 14 Games
Hayen was only appointed on July 10 to succeed Scott Parker, who left at the end of April days after Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed. Owner Alan Pace brought him in to oversee a promotion bid — the Clarets had gone up in their last two Championship campaigns in 2023 and 2025, and Hayen arrived with a Belgian title win with Club Brugge in 2024 on his CV.
Instead, the season nosedived after a promising opening-weekend draw with West Ham. Burnley are without a home league win since beating Leeds United at Turf Moor in the Premier League over a year ago. They have won just one of their past 24 league games and have conceded 25 goals from their opening 12 Championship matches — the worst defensive record in the division.
There was a brief flicker of hope earlier this month, when Burnley returned from the international break to beat struggling Watford 4-0. But they then drew with Charlton and lost to Wolves — scoring first in both matches — before the Lincoln collapse sealed Hayen’s fate.
Hayen’s Final Words as Burnley Boss
Speaking in his post-match press conference, Hayen had seemed to sense what was coming. “I’m not going to lose my energy because this is something out of my hands,” he said, with reference to his future.
Within two hours, it was out of his hands for good. Burnley now face another rebuild — and another search for a manager who can turn a promotion-chasing squad sitting in the relegation zone back into contenders.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
