Why are senior staff continuing to leave Burnley?

mike-rigg
By Andy Jones
Aug 5, 2021

The departure of technical director Mike Rigg this week was the latest of several internal staffing changes that have been made at Burnley since the start of the year. 

It coincides with the takeover of ALK Capital, which has been working hard to move the club in a new direction.

The changes began in March when chief executive Neil Hart and commercial director Anthony Fairclough left the club. Then head of academy Jon Pepper departed a couple of months later, followed by technical director Rigg. 

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The fact ALK is making changes is not surprising. It is understandable for new owners to want their own people and those they trust in key positions. It is common for those from the previous regime to be moved on and it is why it is not necessarily surprising there is behind-the-scenes turnover. It has been expected. 

Yet the surprise is that it has left the club very short on people in senior positions, especially on the football side, with just over a week until the beginning of the new season. Therefore, there is some confusion about who is supposed to be doing what. 

The club is without a chief executive, technical director and head of academy, with only chief operating officer Matt Williams left on the football side above Sean Dyche in the hierarchy. 

It is thought Burnley will be looking to replace those who have departed or create similar positions to fill the gaps. 

However, the question remains as to why this has not been sorted before players and staff returned for pre-season to prevent uncertainty. Transitions do not happen overnight but it has been over eight months since ALK acquired Burnley.

A full-scale commercial review has been undertaken, however, with new shirt and sleeve sponsors found after LoveBet’s three-year deal was terminated a year early. Plenty of planning and work has also gone into starting the renovations around Turf Moor in hospitality and advertising.

It is in line with Alan Pace’s promise of being “hands-on” when arriving at the club and his fellow new board members are included in that. 

It could explain why Hart has yet to be replaced. With his exit, Pace became the club’s executive chairman, taking on the responsibilities previously overseen by Hart and means he is busy monitoring almost everything. Plus, ALK will want to appoint the right person in such a senior role and with Pace keen to play a big part in the remodelling and rebranding of the club, he may want to lay the foundations before handing over the reins. 

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Where ALK’s own advisers — including former CEO Dave Baldwin and Paul Jenkins, who are not employed by the club — fit in moving forwards remains to be seen. Baldwin is thought to be heavily involved behind the scenes, with Jenkins more focused on the academy.

Contractual situations dragging on may have made things difficult, with the likes of Pepper and Rigg yet to have their departures officially confirmed. 

Since arriving in November 2018, Rigg had been at the forefront of Burnley’s recruitment, which he was tasked with improving. Backed by investment from the old board, the scouting department expanded and it allowed the club to build an extensive database of players in 45 different countries.

The approach aimed to be more data-driven but it brought limited success and strategies never appeared fully aligned. Burnley did not recruit a single first-team player from outside the UK during Rigg’s tenure. 

That is not solely his fault, however, with Burnley’s financial constraints meaning recruitment from abroad was deemed too risky and finding players that fitted the requirements was tough.

It is understood Rigg was part of meetings that included ALK and Dyche as recruitment plans for the summer window began during the second half of last season. 

Pace was happy with the scouting and recruitment department when he arrived, wanting to introduce a data analytics approach as the club evolved. Clearly, it was decided Rigg was not part of the plan.

Despite Rigg’s absence, recruitment has continued with head of recruitment and chief scout Martin Hodge taking on a significant role. He has a very good relationship with Dyche and the pair are believed to be on the same page when it comes to finding and recruiting suitable players. 

Similarly, with the academy, it is understood head of coaching Ian Jones has taken on a more prominent role following Pepper’s absence and the search for players has continued with head of recruitment Nicky Law as Burnley look to add to their development squads.

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There have been more changes too. Since arriving, ALK has been looking to revamp and expand the club’s media department to build the brand of the club and make it more visible online. 

It makes the timing of the departure of well-respected media manager Darren Bentley odd. There was an outpouring of sadness and surprise from media and fans when the end of his 15-year spell to pursue fresh opportunities was reported. 

ALK is not looking to change everything. Several staff members have remained or moved into different or newly created roles at the club. On the commercial side, following Fairclough’s exit, one lead position has been filled by Carl Sanderson, who moved into the head of business partnerships role in May after being the commercial operations manager for more than 10 years. 

However, Ella Cummins, who was previously the commercial sales manager for Lancashire Cricket Club, arrived in January as head of global partnerships before moving to the role of head of commercial partnerships in May.

Amid all of the restructuring, one situation that is yet to be resolved is Dyche’s contract. A new lucrative deal is yet to be signed, although there remains confidence around the club that he will put pen to paper. 

Dyche is one staff member who ALK is determined to retain. He was a huge reason ALK was attracted to the club initially and it would give Dyche a lifetime deal if it could. The new owners see him as integral. 

Although there is no indication this is the case, it would not be unreasonable to suggest the uncertainty above him could be causing a slight hold-up in his decision. He may also be waiting to see if he is further backed in the transfer market, with only Nathan Collins and Wayne Hennessey added to Burnley’s squad this summer so far and more additions needed. 

The transition under ALK continues and the vision of the new direction it wants to take the club continues to take shape. There have been promising signs and plenty of upheaval, but it remains to be seen how long the re-staffing process will take.

(Photo: Mike Egerton/EMPICS/PA Images via Getty Images)

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Andy Jones

Andrew Jones is a Staff Writer for The Athletic covering Burnley FC and Liverpool FC. Having graduated from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours Degree in Sports Journalism, Andrew has had written work published for the Liverpool Echo, Chelsea FC and Preston North End. Follow Andy on Twitter @adjones_journo