Another Premier League managerial casualty. I wonder how it took this long to make the change. Scott Parker’s stint at Burnley finally coming to an end. It’s a shame Tuesday night’s Champions League spectacular in Paris had to end. That and another Premier League weekend. Issue 94. Go.

With Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League now confirmed, Scott Parker’s future at Turf Moor has been decided for him. His departure labelled as ‘mutual consent’ - let’s be honest, there would not have been a great deal mutual about it,

A very good Championship manager (not the old PC game), but someone who cannot seem to string it together when it comes to Premier League matters. That is how you sum up Parker’s coaching talents, those talents are now back on the job market.

Which makes you wonder why now? After staying in the post for all of Burnley’s unsuccessful relegation battle, many believed that he would be given the task of trying to get the Clarets back in the top flight at the first time of asking.

After all, this is a club that has lost 22 of the 34 league outings that they have played at the time of writing, was the 22nd too much for chairman Alan Pace to deal with. Why not cash out at 21?

Tenious Blackjack reference aside it points to another lack of joined up thinking at Burnley. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and all that but had a switch been made at any point in the autumn, the Clarets could have made a better fist of it.

Instead, they have offered no punch at all. A slow malaise before finally running out of road, it feels as if Burnley have been in some form of holding pattern for the best part of six months.

A pattern that now finally broken, has to start again with a new man at the helm. The interim until the end of the season is Michael Jackson (no, not that one). The permanent successor to Parker is far from guaranteed.

Craig Bellamy has been reported as Burnley’s main target but with the prospect of Euro 2028 not that far off, the former asssistant to Vincent Kompany is unlikely to walk away from football’s international theatre just yet.

Which could open the door to Steven Gerrard. The former Rangers and Aston Villa boss has been more of a familiar face on the punditry circuit these past few months, his exile in Saudi Arabia now fully completed.

No issues regarding a hefty tax bill, the stars could be aligning for the former Liverpool midfielder to take charge and although his managerial stock is not paying out any dividends right now, he may well take inspiration from a former Three Lion.

That man is Frank Lampard and although his installation as Coventry City boss was seen as something of a backward step at the time, it can certainly be considered as a well calculated move right now.

Champions of the second tier, plying his trade in the Premier League next season - it could even see him go back to Chelsea now that they have their own void to fill this summer.

Regardless of whether Lampard is in the West Midlands or West London at the start of the 2026/27 season, it is career trajectory that someone such as Steven Gerrard would be keen to replicate 12 months from now.

Whoever takes the reins from Scott Parker will be tasked with bouncing back straight away. The problem with the East Lancashire outfit is that its not getting to the Premier League which is the issue. It’s staying there.

If there were are any concerns that Tuesday’s clash between PSG and Bayern Munich was not going to live up to the hype. Those concerns were put to bed by the end of 45 relentless first half minutes.

3-2 to PSG at the break, 5-4 to the Ligue 1 outfit at the final whistle after Bayern Munich’s late flourish keeps the semi-final tie very much alive. A phenomenal game of football. Easily the best we have seen all season,. Possibly one of the best of all time.

Admittedly recency bias will give it a higher rating against its contemporaries but this was not just a nine-goal thriller that was underpinned by two teams being abysmal in defence. It was a nine-goal thriller underpinned by two attacking teams in full pomp.

Like two boxers who are even on the scorecards going into the 12th round, the French and German giants had no hesitancy in trading blows with each other. Each able to knock the other down to the canvas on multiple occasions.

A game that deep down you never wanted to end or at least you wanted to end with Bayern managing to restore parity in the dying seconds. 5-5 would have been a fairer reflection on how this game panned out across the course of 90 minutes.

Of course, there is no away-goals rule in European football any more. Imagine Vincent Kompany’s men going into the second leg knowing that a 2-1 home win would book their place in the final. Now, that would only be good enough for extra-time.

Some are saying that the rule added an extra element to two-legged ties of this nature but was that in place, I personally don’t think we would have seen the near basketball-like tempo to the game.

It felt like watching the Harlem Globetrotters at times - do people still use that as a point of reference? You get the idea that I am trying to portray. It was football how deep down it’s not really meant to be played, but because of that, you love it even more.

Somebody in the vast space of social media said that this would be the perfect game that you would show to a non-believer and although I agree to a certain point, it also comes with a warning.

The warning is that a lot of games are nowhere near that entertaining and if you watch countless games across a season (especially in this edition of the Premier League), you are going to be left disappointed.

Then again, nobody can be disappointed after how that clash in the French capital panned out. I just hope that the second leg in Munich is just as good. There is no reason to suggest it won’t be.

The Newcastle owners have announced their commitment to the club after pulling their funding for LIV Golf. Good news for their supporters but something that will only place further pressure on the shoulders of manager Eddie Howe. The Magpies have lost each of their last four league outings, they are technically not safe from the drop.

Without painting such a disastrous image, they have to focus on returning to winning ways. One more win will remove any doubt of the drop, they welcome Brighton to St James’ on Saturday and with the Seagulls having picked up 13 of their last 15 points on offer, they will fancy their chances of making it five league wins out of six this weekend.

Wolves’ Premier League torture is soon coming to an end but they still have four more outings to deal with between now and the end of the season. Can they finish 19th in the table? To be brutally honest, does anyone really care? It means nothing in the grand scheme of things, you can say the same about the visit of Sunderland.

The Black Cats have been leaking goals of late. They have shipped nine in 180 minutes of league football. An average of a goal conceded every 20 minutes. They did of course concede four in 45 this time last week. European football is still a possibility but not if Regis Le Bris’ men keep defending as bad as they have been of late.

Brentford certainly felt like the little engine that could just a few weeks ago, now they seem to be running out of steam. Keith Andrews’ men with no wins in their last six. The tantalising prospect of earning European football for the first time in the club’s history, now starting to appear out of reach.

Which may be ideal for opponents West Ham on Saturday and if the Bees have lost their sting. it could prove to be the ideal opportunity for the Hammers to get another three points on the board and with Tottenham playing a day later, any addition to their current tally of 36 will only place more pressure on the shoulders of Roberto De Zerbi’s men.

Arsenal had to make do with a draw at Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, their Champions League tie still very much in the balance. How much will their European exploits have a bearing on domestic matters? The visit of crosstown rivals Fulham on Saturday will provide us all with a rather substantial answer. Can the home support hold their nerve after being shredded last weekend?

Last weekend saw Fulham get the better of Aston Villa at Craven Cottage and that win has seemingly reignited their hopes of earning a European position at the end of the season. Anywhere between sixth and 12th is up for grabs this weekend for Marco Silva’s men. I have no idea where they will end the weekend,. truth be told nobody knows what variety of the Cottagers will arrive in North London.

Although Bournemouth collected a win at Newcastle in the first game after Andoni Iraola announced his departure, the Cherries reverted to type in their last outing. Another stalemate in the history books, their 16th from 34 league matches. They will hope to return to winning ways at the expense of Crystal Palace.

A Crystal Palace side that has one foot in the Conference League final after their 3-1 first leg win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday. With the Premier League duties all signed off this season, do not expect the Eagles to give it full pelt on Sunday. All their eggs are now firmly placed in a European basket.

Arguably the clash of the Premier League weekend takes us to Old Trafford on Sunday as Manchester United play host to Liverpool. Michael Carrick’s side got the better of Brentford at the start of the week, a win at the end of the week would guarantee them a return to the Champions League next season.

However, Liverpool can delay the celebration by at least another week if they come out on top at the weekend and with Mo Salah expected to be fit, he will be afforded one last hurrah at the Theatre of Dreams. Not only that, but if Arne Slot’s men get at least a point that United fan cannot get his haircut until September at the earliest.

After losing their Europa League semi-final first leg, Aston Villa may want to play a second string in their league clash with Tottenham. They may want to, but manager Unai Emery will have to decide what is truly the most important route to take. If Brighton win at Newcastle, then the pressure to finish in the top five will increase. Decisions, decisions…

As for stricken Spurs, Roberto De Zerbi’s impassioned plea in the Friday pressers would have certainly got any watching fired up. Especially if you are of a lilywhite persuasion. Now, that energy has to be transferred from manager to players in a bid to beat the drop. When looking at Tottenham’s remaining fixtures and the dilemma that Villa have, this must be their big opportunity to earn a win.

Five defeats in a row for Chelsea but that was then under Liam Rosenior. Monday is the now. The Blues fresh off their FA Cup semi-final win last weekend will look to use that victory over Leeds as a springboard for late season momentum and they will look to take full advantage of their opponents European exploits in midweek.

Nottingham Forest have that double-edged of sword of not being safe from the drop but also now with a 1-0 lead to protect in their Europa League semi-final tie with Aston Villa. Not only that but they need to go to Villa Park in order to get over the line. How strong do they go this Bank Holiday Monday. Can they afford to roll over at Stamford Bridge.

The second Liverpool versus Manchester clash of this extended Premier League weekend takes us to Hill Dickenson and with Everton being foiled by a late goal for the second successive league outing last Saturday, David Moyes will be hoping for better game management from his players - especially when you consider the opposition involved.

That opposition is Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and regardless of what happens between Arsenal and Fulham two days prior, there is no doubt that it is win or bust for the Etihad outfit. Either to keep pace or to make inroads on the lead the Gunners currently have. This will not be easy in the blue half of Merseyside, can the blue half of Manchester come out on top?

Right, that’s the end of issue 94 as word continues to spread around the football world.

This isn’t a newsletter that follows the crowd. It sets the lens through which you see the game and more than 210 subscribers are now viewing it through that lens.

If you’re serious about understanding football, staying ahead of the stories, and cutting through the noise, keep this in your inbox - send it to your friend’s inbox as well.

Issue 95 drops Tuesday, I’ll be back with another round of insight, analysis and trends that matter. Any feedback or comments on this issue, contact me below:

[email protected]

Follow me on Twitter (x) - https://x.com/dantracey1983

Follow me on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dantracey/