After all the action that's taken place off the field over the last couple weeks it was a relief to finally watch a game of football. A trip to Old Trafford was undoubtedly one of the highlights in terms of must see away clashes this season but nobody could've expected to go there in the circumstances in which we did.

Our first game in the post Coyle era couldn't have been harder. It was certainly a baptism of fire for our new manager Brian Laws but to be honest I think it made it all the more special. The match ended three nil, however the result was never important. This was a day to show that Burnley Football Club was together and can never be ground down.

So there was a late twist in the tale after all. Perhaps we should’ve known that if the press were reporting O’Driscoll had got the job, then it would actually be Brian Laws who would be crowned the winner of “Barry Kilby’s Beauty Parade”. I know the announcement originally under whelmed a lot of fans and I hope like me, the majority have now all come round to the idea.

The mantra from a lot of people seems to be “he wasn’t my first choice” which I think is natural given the list of names that were touted as Owen Coyle’s successor. The fact Law’s was only sacked by Sheffield Wednesday a month ago hasn’t helped many either but if you look beyond these two factors then it looks like the board have made a very sound appointment.

Well our Chairman Barry Kilby’s self proclaimed “beauty parade” looks like drawing to a close in the next day or so (what a great idea for a new TV show by the way- ‘Barry Kilby’s Beauty Parade’). In a radio interview last night our leader said he hoped the new man would be in place before the weekend’s trip to Manchester United.

It’s been a turbulent week for the club as after losing Owen Coyle and his backroom staff, we’ve been left looking for a new manager in the middle of a transfer window with a run of games coming up against Manchester United, Bolton and Chelsea. By the time caretaker manager Steve Davis and goalkeeping coach Phil Hughes left on Sunday it was anyone’s guess who’d be taking charge of training for the next week. In the end it was decided Martin Dobson and Terry Pashley would step in, only just pipping Chris Eagles hairdresser and Clarke Carlise’s former AA councillor to take over first team duties.

Well that's it, he's off. Some have likened it to their wife running off with another man and I'm pretty sure plenty would've probably preferred to see their wife go instead, but Owen Coyle is no longer the manager of Burnley Football Club.

Now making snowmen on gardening leave, once compensation is agreed the Scot will exit Turf Moor for his former club Bolton with the promise of bigger and better budgets, stadia and infrastructure to compete in the top flight. I've been left like many feeling a strange mixture of disappointment, frustration, anger and total bemusement at his decision, but also of huge appreciation for all he's done during his time at the club.

I'd not even had time to break any of my new year's resolutions before the speculation Owen Coyle was leaving for Bolton went into overdrive on Saturday. Many hung-over Clarets will have sat glued to the addictive repetition of Sky Sports News only to be told of the impending doom they were about to be faced with by some pretty, if slightly too orange blonde.

The yellow bar was out in force with the scrolling "SKY SOURCES: BOLTON WANT OWEN COYLE TO BE THEIR NEW MANAGER" being rammed down our throats. "So bloody what" I screamed at the telly whilst reaching for the comfort of a box of chocolates and a beer to instantly smash both of my well thought out and intentioned resolutions.

If the constant din of the telly wasn't enough the bookies were at it too, suspending betting on Coyle taking the job as if they'd got wind that the demigod had already deserted us for the promise of an endless supply of Reebok Classics. My instant defiance was suddenly being met with a bout of worry, what if he does actually go this time?