It should have been the worst day of the year, one every player would be forgiven for wanting to avoid, but “gaffer’s day” at Burnley was integral to what Sean Dyche built. The manager would give his coaches the day off, make sure footballs were left at home and disregard modern technology, except a stopwatch and whistle, before putting his squad through nigh-on depraved acts of running, all in the name of team bonding and, to a lesser extent, fitness.
Dyche returns to Turf Moor on Saturday night with Everton for the first time since being sacked in April 2022. His decade at Burnley was an overall triumph of two promotions and seven seasons in the Premier League, and even a brief venture into Europe. He took great enjoyment in making his players suffer on his special day in pre-season, getting them to run until they could no more as part of his legacy.
