Burnley FC supporters cannot forget this Vincent Kompany factor amid Scott Parker criticism | OneFootball

Scott Parker has come in for intense criticism from some Burnley fans, but Vincent Kompany also endured similar early season struggles at this level

Amid a run of slip ups in the Championship, Burnley boss Scott Parker has come under intense scrutiny from a section of fans who believe they have underperformed so far.

On one hand, recent draws against Oxford, Preston, Hull and QPR are disappointing, but the Clarets remain second in the league and well-placed to mount a serious challenge to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Parker has been dealt a tough hand to his start to life as Burnley boss, having to deal with a deluge of outgoings over the summer, and comparisons from Burnley fans to the end of Vincent Kompany's title season of 2022/23 certainly haven't helped matters.

As incredible as that campaign was for Burnley fans, you also sense that it's set the precedent so high that many fans believe it's a regular occurrence, when in fact, it isn't.

Burnley's 101 point season marks the Clarets out as the only side to break the century barrier in the second tier since Leicester did so in 2013/14, so that shows just how rare a season like the one they put together is.

Parker has out-performed Kompany in his first 12 games

For all the comparisons to the end of the 2022/23 season when Burnley were well-formed as a team and had serious momentum behind them, the first 12 games of Kompany's reign were actually worse than Parker's, according to the respective league tables.

The Clarets only mustered up 21 points in Kompany's first 12 games in charge, while Parker has amassed 23.

Although Kompany's side had scored a mere two goals more than the current Burnley side, his team had also conceded six more, so, despite the fact Burnley aren't quite as free-scoring at one end, they're much more solid at the other.

Kompany was given time by the Burnley fans to find that winning formula on a more regular basis, and their faith was justified later in the season when promotion was secured, picking up 10 wins in a row along the way.

promotions on his CV.

Scoring goals is Burnley's kryptonite under Parker

The fact midfielder Josh Brownhill is Burnley's top scorer this season tells you all you need to know about their current struggles.

With Lyle Foster sidelined with an injury, the only strikers Burnley have to choose from are Andreas Hountondji or Jay Rodriguez, and the fact neither are picked while Zian Flemming plays out of position is telling about what Parker thinks of them.

Since rattling in nine goals in their opening two league games, Burnley have only scored eight since.

But it's worth pointing out that Burnley scored eight goals in two games against Wigan and Blackpool in Kompany's first 12 games, which meant they only scored 11 in the other 10, so Burnley fans have seen living proof that the issue can be fixed.

Whether or not Parker can fix it will probably hinge on adding a striker in January, but in the meantime he needs to find a solution to an attacking problem which has seen only Plymouth Argyle (11) create fewer big chances than Burnley this season (16).