How Crap Can the Championship’s Claret Clubs Get?
EFL Blog
Who Forgot to Tell Burnley and West Ham the Season’s Started?
If the EFL Championship wasn’t already a league feared enough, then Burnley and West Ham’s start to the season should send a sizeable shock warning to anyone considering relegation from the Premier League this season.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and therefore the clubs who sport Claret should have no concern that they find themselves in the bottom six without a single win between them. However, Wolves and Middlesbrough’s fast start will leave the automatic promotion spots feeling further afield than ever.
The pair’s opening weekend affair was supposed to be a clash of title-chasing titans, not a potential relegation six-pointer, and since that 2-2 draw at Turf Moor, neither side’s fortunes have ripened since.
"When it REALLY mattered, the Dutchman stepped up" ⚽️
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) August 16, 2026
Zian Flemming strikes again to level for Burnley after being 2-0 down! 💥 pic.twitter.com/aFOwhZeD5T
Hayen’s Horrendous Start
The signs were there from the get-go that the appointment of Nicky Hayen was more of an experiment than a safe bet.
The Clarets failed to win any of their six pre-season friendlies, which included a pummeling from Real Salt Lake and Cincinnati during a tour of the States in early July. Swiftly followed by a near League Cup exit at the hands of Notts County, if it weren’t for a close-fought penalty shoot-out victory.
The 46-year-old mainly draws on coaching experience from his homeland of Belgium, bar a brief stint with Haverfordwest County in the Cymru Premier. His greatest feat to date was leading Club Brugge out of the League phase, past the Knockout play-off, and into the Round of 16 during the 2024/25 Champions League campaign.
2022: Saves @HaverfordwestFC from relegation from the #JDCymruPremier.
— Novira Cymru Leagues 🏴 (@CymruLeagues) November 6, 2024
2024: Beats Aston Villa in the #UCL as Club Brugge manager.
Nicky Hayen 👏 pic.twitter.com/UUGyk6EL2Q
Burnley’s chairman, Alan Pace, claimed that a Hayen-built team would conduct itself with a clear identity. It’s fair to say that a clear strategy is yet to come to fruition, but as a club currently in limbo during the transfer market, with more possible incomings and outgoings, no one can be judged yet.
Errors Galore at Turf Moor
Since their encounter with the Hammers, Burnley have conceded seven goals in games against West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City. Unfortunately, it is unignorable how at least four of those came from self-inflicted mistakes.
From Kyle Walker’s miscontrol from a corner and Anel Ahmedhodžic’s lack of judgement in the second minute against Norwich, to Bashir Humphreys' headed assist (at the wrong end) and penalty-drawing foul against West Brom.
That is absolutely shocking by Kyle Walker. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/4lZmGzgXYv
— EPL Bible (@EPLBible) August 30, 2026
A winless opening three becomes all the more damning when compared to Burnley’s last season at the level (2024/25). On their way to becoming centurions under Scott Parker, the Lancashire-based outfit lost two games, conceding 16 goals over 46 games.
They’ve almost completely matched that record before the end of August.
The Clarets have been promoted out of the Championship in four seasons straight (2013/14, 2015/16, 2022/23 & 2024/25), the type of statistic that you have to look up yourself to confirm its validity. With that comes the burden of high standards and crushing pressure.
Hayen’s already in the hot seat.
📊 Burnley after three Championship games:
— The Burnley Way (@TheBurnleyWay) August 29, 2026
❌ 0 wins
📉 1 point from 9
🥅 9 goals conceded — 3.0 per game
🚫 0 clean sheets
⚠️ 2 errors leading directly to goals
⚠️ 2 errors leading to shots
🎯 6 big chances missed
⚽ 4 goals from 4.2 xG
🧤 Just 2 saves per game
🟥 1 red card… pic.twitter.com/7np1hytdhc
Uninspiring Irons
West Ham have shown marginally stronger glimpses of the team they’re trying to be, highlighted by their two points on the board, instead of one.
Other than leading the league in attendance figures, the Hammers have played the second-most accurate passes per game (478.3) and have the third-highest average possession percentage (64.5%). However, against Watford last Saturday, West Ham had one shot on target.
What’s the point in on-the-ball domination if it equates to nothing in the final third?
The East Londoners should be more settled than their relegated peers; their captain, manager, and fanbase have all stuck around to support them through what was expected to be a swift stop in the second tier.
Nuno Espírito Santo believes West Ham United deserved more from Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Watford, while accepting that he and his team still have plenty to improve. pic.twitter.com/dABIp4nLfI
— Central (@WestHam_Central) August 29, 2026
Yet, the weak mentality which plagued large portions of the campaign prior is still simmering away at the London Stadium. The quality is there on paper, but not on the pitch, and if West Ham are to fulfil the destiny which appeared to be placed in their lap before a ball was kicked, they’ll have to dig a lot deeper.
Spending Smartly is Not Enough
Money is at the forefront of most minds in the upper echelons of the football pyramid, and it becomes easier to mismanage when you’re receiving more than your counterparts.
On top of parachute payments close to £55m in valuation, West Ham have received over £185 million in transfer fees this summer, more than any Championship club has ever accumulated in one window.
The sales of Crycensio Summerville (£55m) and Mateus Fernandes (£85m) both broke the transfer record for outgoing players from the league, previously held by Romeo Lavia (£53m) after he left Southampton in 2024.
Large portions of those figures will help balance the books that are now without the benefit of Premier League wealth, but as Hull and Coventry City proved over the last 12 months, you don’t need to go on a spending spree to enjoy promotion.
West Ham are close to confirming the arrival of 21-year-old winger Edvin Austbø from Viking FK, who recently confirmed their first proper Champions League appearance since 1993. Leeds’ Largie Ramazani is another wide player linked with the club, evidence that further support is needed on either flank.
Viking has accepted West Ham’s offer for Edvin Austbø thought to be in the region of £10M.
— whu_h ⚒️🏴 (@WesthamHenry) August 29, 2026
The winger is highly rated young, explosive and ticks a lot of boxes.
The player will now come in for a medical in advance of hopefully completing his move.@ExWHUEmployee 🥇 pic.twitter.com/aUh0Jlr7Fa
Although Arne Engels’ £22m transfer fee is steeper than any previous amount paid by a Championship side, the rest of West Ham’s business has been far more sustainable.
After all, winding up in financial trouble could reflect a similar fate to Leicester City in recent times.
Back-to-Back Relegations Are Not Off the Cards
Back-to-back relegation from the Prem to League One used to be a rarity; in fact, when it happened to Sunderland in 2018, the phrase ‘doing a Sunderland’ quickly spread.
Now, it’s happened twice on the bounce to Luton and Leicester, respectively, and is growing into more than an anomaly that affects only the unluckiest of clubs.
The phrase “they’ll figure it out at some point” gets thrown about when a relegated club starts the season with a whimper, but in some cases, the cogs never truly begin to turn, and before you know it, you’re losing to Burton Albion and failing to score at the Stadium MK on consecutive Saturdays.
FT. 2-1. For the first time in history, Burton Albion have beaten Leicester City in the league!#TheBrewers pic.twitter.com/wLHAUbNQGq
— Burton Albion FC (@burtonalbionfc) August 22, 2026
Who Will Find a Fix First?
West Ham look the likelier with a manager familiar with the level, the core base of a squad which finished higher than Burnley in the top flight last season, and slightly more money to chuck at the problem.
An encounter with Wolves on the approaching Tuesday evening is an opportunity for a turnaround, but equally a chance to fall eight points behind the current favourites.
Southampton are above Burnley West Ham, and Wrexham after three games, despite starting on -4 points! 🤯#saintsfc pic.twitter.com/ZrRztl33si
— Championship Terrace Talk (@ChampionshpTalk) August 29, 2026
Burnley, on the other hand, appear to need a bit more work with a team of coaches who have failed to cause an instant reaction. More of a slow burner, to say the least.
Like West Ham, they also face a test from early-season favourites when Middlesbrough come to town on Wednesday. The pair of fixtures will truly reveal who to take seriously this season, and who could face a fortune far worse than ever predicted.
Louis Wheeldon 
Harry Pascoe 
