SEAN Dyche has insisted that Burnley’s slide towards relegation is not down to the failure to spend ‘a couple of million here or there’ – but admitted his deep frustration at their fading survival hopes.

The Clarets will be relegated from the Premier League if they fail to win at Hull City on Saturday, after a 1-0 loss at West Ham United left them eight points adrift of safety with only three games remaining.

Burnley have recorded only one victory since failing in their attempts to strengthen their squad during the January transfer window, and also missed out on a number of targets at the start of the season because of the club's limited playing budget.

Dyche is realistic that the Clarets are now in the territory of ‘myths, legends and folklore’ if they are to stay up, admitting his side have a mountain to climb.

But the manager believes Burnley’s Premier League status would not automatically have been guaranteed had just a little bit more money been spent.

Dyche said: "If there was finance available then that would have obviously supported the group, but I did say earlier this season and in the last transfer window that you’ve got to remember and you do know a couple of million here or there in this league doesn’t really affect you.

"Our challenge is to bring in players who are better than the ones we’ve got and ours went up last season with record points for second position.

“We had more points than the leaders this year, so they’re a fair group of players.

"If you want to better them and you go back into that market in the Championship, then trust me the fees were massive. That's when the real hardship of it comes.

“Two and a half years ago the club was coming out of a couple of years earlier having Premier League money and all that it brings.

“It does bring some challenges, they felt that they wanted to learn from that and move it forward in a different way.

“They were obviously aware, I made them aware, that this is a really tough challenge - to spend so little money and have such a low wage bill.

“But I still believe in the players and my staff and what we can achieve, and I always have done.

“I took the challenge on knowing that it was going to be tough and it has proved to be tough.

“But the margins are so fine. We've been in virtually every game and that’s been the real frustration.

“Now of course it's a mountain to climb. That's the reality of it but I've been really pleased with how some of the players have moved forward.

“I've been someone who has wanted to win all my life and I've won many things.

“That's the underlying frustration. No matter what you've got, make it work.”

But Dyche has stressed that, even if Burnley are relegated, he has the energy and desire to push for promotion again with the Clarets next season.

“I’ve got no lack of energy, I'm 43, I’ve got two kids, 10 and 12, trust me that’s enough to keep my energy levels high,” he said.

“At 43 I’ve got more desire than you can imagine.

“There’s a new training ground facility on its way, there are new pitches on their way, the ground has improved for the fans so there's a better overall model in place.

“But I must make it clear, it doesn’t take away the disappointment for us of being where we are.

“Don’t think for one minute that me, the players or anyone was thinking, ‘Oh well’, because we absolutely weren't and we're still not.

“We’re still absolutely thinking, ‘Come on, we want more, we want to be in the Premier League’ and that won’t change until we couldn’t be in the Premier League.”

Asked how many of his squad he believed would be at Burnley next season if the Clarets did go down, Dyche said: “Who knows? They’re the challenges for the future, not for this day.”