The world is in chaos. Burnley have threatened to fall into that pit of disaster, themselves, but have steadied the ship to safety.
Ridiculous plane stunts, off-the-field politics and the coronavirus crisis could have left the club rolling around in a bit of despair. It is a credit to all those on the field that this has not been the case.
This has been a positive season with some disappointing moments. Not all of those disappointments were off-the-pitch, though; there have been some underwhelming moments on the field of play as well.
Almost every non top-six club goes through difficult spells during a season. At times, a club can look unbeatable but that situation can quickly unravel amid the tough challenges of the Premier League. It hasn't always been easy for Sean Dyche's men despite their brilliant recent form.
It was another tough Christmas period with back-to-back wins against Newcastle United and Bournemouth largely forgotten amid a series of poor performances. Burnley capitulated against Manchester City and Tottenham Hostpur while an embarrassing New Year's Day defeat to Aston Villa was not well received.
December has been quite tough for the Clarets of late. Last season, a 5-1 Boxing Day humbling at the hands of Everton ranked as one of the worst moments under Dyche's reign. The season before, a 3-0 loss to Tottenham began an eleven game winless run with the Clarets on the cusp of a Champions League spot.
These slumps in form have little to do with a lack of festive spirit. They are more the realities of life in the top tier.
Inevitability
A team survives based on taking advantage of momentum and their ability to react to moments of adversity.
Some of the defeats around that December period were disappointing because there was a lethargic attitude about them.
Tottenham were 2-0 up after nine minutes and the players simply looked beaten from the off. Dyche needs his players to be at maximum intensity for the entire 90 minutes and that application is taxing on those individuals. There is a sense that, sometimes, the players pick and choose when to drop those levels of effort. The Villa defeat on New Year's Day is another good example.
Some may argue that Spurs are simply a far superior outfit but the relegation threatened Midlands club most certainly are certainly not. Dean Smith's men hadn't won an away match all season but their dominance in this encounter would have suggested otherwise. The visitors were quicker to every ball and looked far more up for the game. However, when push comes to shove, Dyche's players are more than up for the fight.
Tough times
The season restarted with big question marks looming over Dyche's future. The manager, like Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola, is the centre of this football club. Mike Garlick threatened to compromise that by allowing several first-team players to leave the club at the end of July, forcing Dyche to end the season with a wafer thin squad.
Since then, Burnley have embarked on a seven game unbeaten streak. A hard-fought point against Liverpool was a particular highlight; that result prevented the Champions from winning all 19 of their league matches at Anfield this season. A spanner in the works!
It says a lot about the mentality of this group of players. They are fighters and they will not stop in the crucial moments. Dyche's methods are challenging and, at times, they do seem to leave players exhausted and fatigued. A stubborn refusal to rotate personnel is another contributing factor to slumps in form.
But Dyche gambles and his gambles simply pay off. He trusts that his players can dig the team out of holes. They may tire and they may throw in some pretty rancid performances. But, when all is said and done, they will stand up and be counted when the going gets tough.
The Clarets cannot win every game and Dyche knows this. It's a little bit like playing Fantasy Football. You have a player that returns an amazing score every three game-weeks or so. It doesn't make sense to take him out of the team because you would risk missing out on those big hauls. That is Dyche's sentiment with his trusted players.
Future
Taking it to the next level is a challenge. Dyche, quite rightly, wants to work with less financial restrictions but it's a challenge. New recruits have to be equipped with a high level of mental toughness and the desire to run through brick walls. It's not an easy fit.
At the same time, Garlick has to wonder if new recruits that do come in are going to be given a fair opportunity.
Matej Vydra came in from the cold as a result of luck. The Czech has scored against Bournemouth and Southampton since breaking into the team but that break required injuries to Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes.
Ben Gibson had already cut his ties with the management before Ben Mee suffered an injury. A combined £26-million in transfer fees and the £15-million shelled out on Gibson will almost certainly be written off.
The prospective loss on Gibson's club-record transfer fee will have the chairman hunched over his toilet vomiting! Nonetheless, he may have to accept Dyche's mixed record on transfers if he wants to keep his manager. It will be an interesting few months for the Clarets.
Positive perspective
Still, Burnley can be proud of what they have achieved over this pandemic-hit campaign. They will hope to get a positive result on Sunday against Brighton and Hove Albion in a bid to secure a top-half finish.
Also, goalkeeper Nick Pope could secure the Golden Glove if the Clarets can prevent Brighton from scoring. Pope is currently on 14 clean sheets and another one on Sunday would grant him the individual award. He may share that award with Manchester City's Ederson Moraes who is also currently on 14 shutouts. A fine achievement.
Any seasonal analysis needs to always draw out to the wider picture. Dyche took charge of the Clarets in 2012, at which point they were a mid-table Championship team.
He gained automatic promotion to the Premier League in his first full season at the club, spending only £450,000 on transfers. A difficult campaign in the top-flight saw Burnley relegated at the first time of asking but that didn't put out the flame.
Dyche steered his squad to to the Championship title and, with it, an instant return to the Premier League. Since then, the club have been a mainstay in England's top division and they featured briefly in the UEFA Europa League. That was quite a shock for a town that voted predominantly to leave Europe!
Jokes aside, the progress of this club in the past ten years has been astronomical. Every year of survival is another year of progress and Burnley's financial future has never been more secure than it is now. You cannot give enough praise to Sean Dyche.