Burnley's academy manager has resigned after accidentally sending a message criticising the club's players to the wrong WhatsApp group.
Burnley have made a decent start to life back in the Championship following their one season in the Premier League, taking six points from their opening three games.
However, the club has been rocked by the resignation of academy manager Dave Longwell after he sent a message taking aim at the club's players and former manager Vincent Kompany.
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Longwell joined the club last season with Burnley in the Premier League, but he has now reportedly resigned after he accidentally sent a scathing report to the WhatsApp group of the club's Under-21s, rather than directly to an agent.
A club source told The Sun: "He wrote this report which was pretty scathing about quite a few of the first team.
"It looks like it was written for an agent because there was a lot of detail about how much he thought each player was worth.
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"He sent it on WhatsApp but sent it to the Under 21s players so the first team and the manager found out.
"It is a pretty indiscreet document so I believe he was hauled in and the only available outcome was that he would leave the club."
Longwell reportedly slammed the current first team squad and questioned some of Kompany's signings while he was manager.
The former Manchester City captain has since left the club to manage Bayern Munich, with Scott Parker replacing him.
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Longwell wrote: "This is not easy to number as so many subjective parts re - what they cost, current injury, age, etc.
"There are so many players as well as Vinny [Kompany] signed a lot in the Champ then more when promoted to the Prem and then as struggling more again in January and then more again in the summer.
"Big issue they can’t get players out for the finance they spent and it’s been left a mess with that many players and Vinny who signed them left."
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Longwell described one player as "lazy/not good attitude," insisted another was a "big waste of money," and said that one star was "miles off it in the Premier League and too weak for England."
Three other players were criticised for their "strange athletic shape," being a "disaster - mad guy," and being "rubbish."
Burnley's director of football development, Paul Jenkins, wrote to the parents of academy players on Monday to inform them of Longwell's resignation.
SPORTbible has approached Burnley for comment.
Topics: Burnley, Premier League, Vincent Kompany, Football, Scott Parker, EFL Championship
Alex Brotherton