TERNENT SLAMS CLARETS STARS

BURNLEY manager Stan Ternent has blasted his players after the side slumped to their fourth successive defeat with the 1-0 reverse to Barnsley on Boxing Day, and played down speculation that he is on the brink of adding to his strikeforce.

The club had an impressive start to the season, but their challenge for a play-off spot has faltered in recent weeks, with The Clarets slipping to tenth in the First Division after the run, which has included derby defeats to Blackburn and Bolton.

Ternent has now pledged to put his players through intensive training in a bid to halt the slump.

"It is certainly not good enough," said Ternent, of the performance against Barnsley. "I am not happy with my players and I am going to put this right for the Burnley fans. They deserve better than that.

"Those players are having a laugh. They are still on a jolly and I am not standing for it. It is not good enough for me and I will sort something out.

"I am so angry. I will get to the bottom of this and everything is cancelled - there will be no rest. We have to get it right. There will be no time off until I get a better performance from these players.

"It's all down to hard work and desire. That's how we'll get out of this problem. I have never lost four on the trot in my managerial career and I won't rest until I have sorted out the problem.

"A change of personnel would be very nice and I want to add to my squad. The players have done well but not today we are better than that."

Speculation had suggested that Tranmere Rovers transfer listed striker Wayne Allison was a target for Ternent, but the manager has refuted claims that he will now step up his interest in the former Huddersfield man.

"At the moment, we are not interested," he said. "I was interested in Wayne at one time. I felt that he would have taken a bit of weight off our forward players."

A return for Birmingham City's Dele Adebola seems unlikely after Mark Burchill's proposed move to St Andrews collapsed, with the striker set to stay in the Midlands.

"I have to move on and look elsewhere," Ternent told the official club website. "You are looking at around £1 million to get better than what we have got.

"That is still a lot of money and it is very important that we get the right player. He has to be right for this football club and to fit into the way we play.

"In addition, the player has to want to move, he needs to be happy. A happy squad and a good spirit will mean that we will perform better."