AUGUST is traditionally the month when football supporters are at their sunniest.

Hope and optimism abound, anything is possible: the two-footed, studs-up lunge of reality is yet to hit home.

And yet down Harry Potts Way, there is already growing worry among the claret and blue faithful that season 2011/12 is set to be an ill-starred campaign.

Concern has been building steadily throughout the summer.

And the tipping point was reached last week with news of the sale of Danny Fox to Southampton.

Fox was no Paolo Maldini, but he was a reasonable enough Championship left back.

The point is that his departure left an already small squad further depleted.

That Eddie Howe was unhappy about the sale was concerning.

Fans are, justifiably, asking questions. Following promotion under Owen Coyle, fans were told that the financial rewards reaped would set the club up for the next decade.

The walk does not match the talk.

Of course, there were debts incurred during our promotion season that needed to be paid off.

The wage bill is, quite rightly, kept manageable and like the rest of us, football clubs have bills to pay.

But if one season of Premier League money, two seasons of parachute payments and £10m from the sales of Steven Fletcher, Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears do not give us an added bit of muscle in the transfer market, one has to wonder what will.

As a poster on a fans’ forum couched it recently, “I know we’re not Barcelona, but nor are we Blyth Spartans.

"I know which one I feel closest to at the moment.” Indeed.

There was no complaint about those players moved on or let go over the close season – especially as we were assured that reinforce-ments were just over the hill.

But for whatever reasons, Howe has failed to land his targets thus far.

He was right to reduce the age of a squad but even that is fraught with problems.

And while Danny Ings may turn out to be a shrewd piece of business, it would be a major surprise were he to net 20 goals in his debut Championship season.

The time to judge the club will be on the stroke of midnight on August 31.

But if Burnley have genuine aspirations to taste the big time again, a healthy infusion of proven Championship players is required to supplement the rebuilding process.