"YOU'LL be lucky to get three paragraphs out of that" smiled one punter as he passed me on the way out at Selhurst Park.

Three paragraphs? Clearly, the gentleman in question had over-estimated what little writing skills I possess.

Make no mistake, folks. This was dire. And if, like me, you rose at six, made a 13-hour round trip and parted with 18 of your English pounds towards the footballing equivalent of watching a plank warp, you have my fullest and deepest sympathies.

Maybe it was the pitch, roundly abused by both managers in post-match interviews. Maybe it was the lack of atmosphere, the away fans almost matching the home fans for numbers.

Or maybe it was the Clarets. Unable to get any kind of passing game going, and without the services of their talismanic number seven, Burnley, to be frank, never looked like scoring.

Which is worrying. The evidence suggests that no Little equals big problem. Inevitably, one's mind goes back to the last time the Clarets were without their most gifted player.

From the moment that Glen limped out of the action at Norwich, to his first full game back at Gillingham, Burnley won just once in six attempts.

The obvious conclusion to be drawn is that the Clarets are a one-man team. Yet this is misleading. Tony Grant, Paul Cook and Alan Moore are all capable of producing moments of invention.

It's just that none of them wreak the kind of havoc and devastation with the regularlity of Little at his finest.

Also of concern is the lack of striking options available for Ternent. It would appear that some sort of hex is hanging over those who operate in the final third of the field.

With Taylor in treatment, Payton in stitches and Papadopoulos now side-lined, the manager could be forgiven where he wrap Ian Moore in cotton wool.

The current injury plight has served to highlight what we knew all along. The squad needs strengthening.

No doubt Ternent is making efforts to bring quality signings to the club on a long-term basis. Yet with the queue for the treatment room growing ever-longer, the time is surely ripe to dip into the loan market.

After all, it would be a crying shame if the excellent progress made so far this season were to go to waste. Let's hope for a couple of new faces in time for Saturday's clash with Sheffield Wednesday.