In the early months of this Premier League season, most people would have written Burnley off.
It took 11 games before the Clarets picked up their first victory of the season, yet past the midway point of the season they find themselves in a creditable 17th position and in with a fighting chance of extending their stay in the top flight beyond this campaign.
Key to their progression has been manager Sean Dyche, who exudes calm, keeping a sense of perspective.
Tonight he joined Off The Ball on the show before his team take on Manchester United, and started off by talking about the culture shock of the Premier League for newcomers.
"The thing that really strikes you sometimes is that when you're the armchair viewer looking from afar at home, sometimes you don't get a feel for how good some of the players are and also the physicality of some of the players - whether it be pace or size or quality that they show," said Dyche, who also charted his coaching journey from the Watford youth team to Turf Moor.
He also spoke about the balancing act of being someone who talks a lot, but who also makes of pointing of listening and soaking in other opinions and viewpoints.
"I am willing to listen and I've become even more open-minded as I've got older. When you finish playing and you go into this world of coaching, you realise that it's not about you any more, it's about [the players]."
During a playing career that saw him play for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Chesterfield, Millwall and Watford during the '90s and early 2000s, Dyche said the experience of promotion led him to notice broad themes underpinning successful teams, leading him to apply a degree of "earthiness" at Burnley.
"Our backers are wealthy in my life but they're not wealthy like that so therefore the club has to make sense going forward. Most of our fans get that. They do understand that the club has to be in good shape to move forward," said Dyche, adding that he did not panic after a slow start to the season because performances were superior to results and that there are "clear signs of progress".
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