Phil Bardsley performed the greatest comeback since Lazarus today.
According to The Athletic, the right-back had said given his goodbyes to team-mates but, today, he put pen to paper on a one year extension at Turf Moor.
Yesterday, VAVEL dissected Burnley chairman Mike Garlick and the whole contractual affair. The conclusion was unanimous: allowing these key stars to leave could have a big impact on the club.
Bardsley is an experienced leader who is ageing like a fine wine; he still plays with a real tenacity and drive despite being in the twilight years of his career. Since then, the club have performed a dramatic and unforeseen u-turn which will have pleased Sean Dyche and his players.
Changing Minds
Garlick's reversal of decision confirms two things. The first being that the club did have the money to sanction the deal. Garlick, the pragmatist that he is, would point to doom-mongering financial forecasts to argue his corner about extending contracts.
He would no doubt claim that the world's economy is crashing down amid these unprecedented times, stressing the need for thorough preparation. Saving a couple of million pounds this summer could mean a hell of a lot more than it did twelve months ago. That is what he might say.
But, the fact of the matter is, if constant doom-mongering will halt the club's progress.
The second thing it confirms is that he was rattled by the reaction of his employees. Dyche wasn't hiding his discontent in public and even Ben Mee voiced his own frustrations.
Unlike certain owners, Garlick does have his heart in the right place and, seeing the negativity that his actions were having, he decided to change his mind.
He will know the importance of togetherness at this club and he will also know that Dyche is virtually irreplaceable. The prospect of his manager walking is a far scarier prospect than shelling-out a few million pounds in wages.
No Hendrick solution
Lightning didn't strike twice, however, and, as reported yesterday, Jeff Hendrick will still be leaving the club at the end of the month.
Hendrick is arguably the more important player as he has always been a regular starter under Dyche. The 28-year-old could play in several positions and his selfless attitude was very important to the balance of the team. This is a big blow.
According to The Athletic, the club did offer him a deal but the Irishman turned it down. Hendrick was an honest player who had the full respect of his manager. It's unlikely that he was making unreasonable demands.
Waiting until the last minute to properly negotiate is not a good look from the club. It may have been enough for Bardsley but Hendrick is much younger and he is in the prime years of his career. The board were taking the player for granted.
Garlick was forced into an eleventh-hour rethink and he managed to partially rectify a bad situation. But losing Hendrick will still leave a sting and the tension between manager and owner will certainly not have gone away.