‘THIS is not something that has just started happening. It’s embedded in there. It’s been months and even seasons and we have to put it right or we are going to have to rely on our home performances.’ So said Brian Laws after watching the Clarets surrender their two-goal advantage over Norwich.

The careless art of turning three away points into one has firmly established itself as an unwanted hallmark of the 2010/11 campaign.

Burnley have been in winning positions at Carrow Road, Bramall Lane, the Riverside and the New Den, only to press the self-destruct button on each occasion.

Had Laws’ charges mastered the art of seeing out games from winning positions, they would be eight points better off. Or, put another way, third in the table.

“We should be right up there with the top two,” said the manager. “No question about it.”

Instead, the early season promise is being squandered and the Clarets are becoming solidly embedded in the sticky quagmire of mid-table.

The lack of away points is slowly killing Burnley’s campaign, having taken just six points from a possible 24.

One has to look to Barnsley in 18th place to find a team with a worse points return on the road.

So why does it keep happening?

Laws’ observation that ‘it’s embedded in there’ infers that there’s some kind of psychological problem.

Confidence is key in any sports-man’s mental make-up and it is here that the Clarets are coming undone.

It is manifestly obvious that the players lack the self-belief to hold on to a lead.

Some would argue that coming from behind against Ipswich, Aston Vila and QPR is evidence of mental toughness. Yet chasing a game is easier, you have nothing to lose and the pressure is off.

Holding on to a hard-earned lead is a different matter entirely.

With something to protect, the natural inclination is to sit deeper.

And unless you are psychologically resilient, you always run the risk of being pegged back.

“We have to do something about it, and quickly,” says the manager. “By working harder.”

But he’s missing the point. The problem isn’t in the legs or lungs, it’s in the mind.