Clean sheets are not normally associated with such a lowly position, and so many is quite remarkable for a team in the bottom three. Of course there have been blips defensively but in the Chelsea game this was the result of a remarkable 20-minute spell when Chelsea were just unplayable; and when Everton came the defeat was the result of the remarkable performance by Samuel Etoo. Quite how Burnley lost at home to West Ham remains a mystery: they could easily have been 3-0 ahead by halftime. But then both West Ham goals came from full backs escaping their markers, slinging long crosses over, and in went the headers. Nine of the goals that Burnley have conceded have come in just three games, the other team to score three was Arsenal and all of them came in the final 20 minutes. Other than changing left-back Ben Mee to Stephen Ward recently this has been a stable and consistent back-five. At the time of writing Burnley also topped the Premier League fair-play league. A criticism has in fact been that the team is too nice and lacks that ruthless edge that might have reduced the goals-against column. Quite how referee Mark Clattenburg managed to book five Burnley players in the Hull game baffled every spectator.
