SEAN Dyche admitted Burnley ‘have a lot of work to do’ after they were beaten 4-2 at West Ham.

It’s now 13 goals conceded in the last three games and although Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Chris Wood twice hauled the Clarets back into the game, they couldn’t hold on for a point at the London Stadium.

Marko Arnautovic and Felipe Anderson had twice put West Ham in front and then late goals from Anderson and Javier Hernandez sealed victory.

The defeat continues Burnley’s shaky start to the season and Dyche accepts there’s work to do to turn it around.

“I’ve had lots of plaudits about my team, over the last six years, so it’s probably our first real tricky spell, so I’m not going to crying it in,” the Clarets chief said.

“We have a lot of work to do, without a shadow of a doubt, but I couldn’t be more proud of what the players have all done to get to where we are.

“You can’t just have the wheel of the ship in calm waters, you’ve got to take it when it’s choppy, and you learn a lot more from that.”

Burnley have enjoyed plenty of success in Dyche’s six years in the job, but he insists he’s still learning, as are his players.

“I’m still in that learning phase as a manager, and I think the players are, it’s the first time they’ve had a few things go against them,” he said.

“So, there’s work to be done, but the mentality on show today was really positive, about the group, the work they’ve done this week in prepping for the game after taking a couple of hits, and we don’t get our rewards today.

“But if we keep going about our business in that manner, we will get our rewards.”

Dyche’s side finished seventh last season to qualify for Europe but haven’t come close to those standards this term.

But the Turf Moor chief insists the margins remain fine.

“I try and be balanced, and last season, even when we were flying, I said the margins are really tight,W he said.

“We’re not at a level where we can just run all over teams, we have to be right on the money on all the little things that happen.

“Some things go against you that are out of your control, the third goal hits Ben Mee and wrong foots Joe Hart and goes in the opposite corner - you can’t really do much about that.

“It’s all those details, but you’re never far off, and I don’t think we are, they seem far off, but the margins today are a ball falling this way or that way.

“It’s hard to come away and dominant games in this league, so usually you have to play some form of counter, which we didn’t do as well as we can, so there’s a balanced view of it.

“But it’s the first time we’ve had a real sticky spell, in quite a long time, so it’s fuel in a way, if you have the right mentality, and I think we have.”

Mee produced one incredible first half clearance from under his own crossbar and Dyche was pleased with his captain’s display.

“What a bit of defending from him today, that is as good as I’ve seen in a long time, and I thought he was excellent,” he added.

“So it’s finding the balance when you need the team to work, but Ben Mee’s excellent, Charlie Taylor was excellent, how can you find their performance and add it to the performance of the ones who are quiet, who are back on their game?”