SEAN Dyche smarted after suffering relegation.

Six days on he says he is “over it” and ready to get on with the the next challenge.

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The Burnley boss is not one to pontificate at the best of times. He is mostly matter-of-fact.

But there was more than a degree of consolation too, which comes from knowing his side “gave everything” to try to defy odds and expectation.

The mission statement will not change this weekend, for the visit of Stoke City, or their season and - for now at least - Premier League finale at Aston Villa, even though mathematics they will not face the top teams in the country in the league next season.

“We’ll be going out to win these last two games,” said Dyche, whose side could net the club a further £2.5million for an 18th-placed finish compared to 20th.

It would be an additional boost to a budget that was never blown, some say sensibly, some say suicidally.

Dyche is not dealing in regrets, on any level.

“Money can help but it can’t conquer everything,” he said.

“We will learn from the experience, the whole club will.

“We felt we could be in the Premier League beyond this season and unfortunately we’re not.

“But the disappointment dissipates quickly because we feel we have given everything to try and be in there.

“To put all that work in and not get over the line is a shame for all concerned, including our fans.

“From the outside it was deemed the impossible.

“Our job was to make it possible and I think we were margins away from doing it, and that’s the disappointment.”

He added: “There’s bound to be a debate about finance because most of football now, and particularly top-level football, is based around finance.

“I understand that but there are clubs in this country which are hundreds of millions in debt.

“This club has decided not to go down that road and yet has still been heavily questioned, criticised even - including myself - for not spending enough that could have ruined the club.

“It’s a bizarre state of affairs.

“Everyone is telling football it should clean itself up.

“We have attempted to run this in the right manner and still be competitive enough and progressive enough still to be in the Premier League.

“It hasn’t quite worked and yet we’re still being heavily questioned, ‘Why didn’t you spend all the money?’ “There is a balance to that.

“I think it’s quite ironic and almost hypocritical of some to sit there and say that when there are clubs in all kinds of financial trouble.”

Dyche is not naive enough to suggest he would not have spent the money if more was made available.

“Would we have liked more investment? Any manager would like that. But there has to be a balance for the club to be safe, secure and to be able to build,” said the Burnley boss, stressing that the club’s long-term future took precedence over any potential short-term gain.

“We have built a club,” he added.

“We don’t want to ruin it and throw it under a bus.”