Fabio Celestini has been appointed Burnley manager, stepping into what BBC Radio Lancashire's Andy Bayes has described as a club in dire need of momentum. The 50-year-old Swiss-Italian arrives with silverware on his CV, most recently from CSKA Moscow and before that Basel, but nothing in his career has yet demanded quite the turnaround he now faces in the Championship.

A turbulent fortnight at Turf Moor

The sequence of events that brought Celestini to East Lancashire moved quickly even by the standards of a club that has been in near-constant upheaval. Saturday's 4-1 home defeat by Lincoln City proved the final act of Nicky Hayen's brief tenure, which ended after just 14 Championship matches. The board wasted little time: by Monday, Diego Lopez had been confirmed as chief football officer, charged specifically with leading the managerial search.

According to the report, Rob Edwards had been considered the early favourite for the role but was not going to take it. Attention then moved swiftly to Celestini, and the appointment was confirmed shortly afterwards. It is, in the language clubs reach for on these occasions, a fresh start. Whether it is more than that depends almost entirely on results.

The numbers that define the problem

Burnley have won just one league game all season. That is the bluntest summary of where the club stands, though the figures around it fill in the picture. Their home record has become a talking point across the division: they have not won a home league fixture in over a year, a sequence that was already drawing scrutiny well before this campaign began. The 4-1 reverse against Lincoln made it worse and, perhaps more damagingly, more visible.

Celestini inherits a squad assembled with parachute money following Burnley's relegation from the Premier League, a financial cushion that softens the blow of the drop but also carries expectations of a prompt return. One win in the league, a home record in tatters, and a club whose Companies House filings have themselves attracted unwanted attention: these are not the conditions a new manager would choose, but they are the conditions Celestini has accepted.

What Celestini brings

He is a former Switzerland international and has managed at a reasonable level in European club football. His time at Basel produced silverware; his most recent role at CSKA Moscow gave him further experience of operating under pressure in a high-profile environment. What his coaching style will look like in the Championship, a division that rewards pragmatism and physical intensity as much as any tactical sophistication, remains to be seen. Burnley's players will give him some indication in his first week of work.

Portsmouth the first test

Celestini's opening match arrives quickly. Portsmouth visit Turf Moor on Saturday, and the occasion carries obvious significance. A home win would not only deliver three points but would also end the long wait for a positive result in front of Burnley's own supporters. The size of that wait has weighed on the club all season, and ending it would generate something the squad has been short of: belief that things can actually turn around.

Whether Celestini will have had long enough with his players to implement anything coherent is a reasonable question. New managers in the Championship tend to get a bounce, though Burnley's circumstances are unusual enough that even that cannot be assumed. The squad's quality, on paper, is greater than a position near the bottom of the table suggests. Getting the players to reflect that quality on the pitch is precisely the job Celestini has signed up for.

He arrives, as Bayes puts it, with the club in need of momentum. That is press-conference language, but in this case it is also simply true. Burnley's season is not yet beyond rescue. There are enough games remaining for a side of their resources to work their way clear of trouble. The margin for further missteps, however, is shrinking with every passing Saturday.

Frequently asked

Who is Burnley's new manager?
Fabio Celestini, a 50-year-old former Switzerland international who has previously managed Basel and CSKA Moscow, was appointed Burnley manager following the sacking of Nicky Hayen.
Why was Nicky Hayen sacked by Burnley?
Hayen was sacked after Burnley's 4-1 home defeat to Lincoln City, having won just one league game in 14 Championship matches in charge.
When is Celestini's first game as Burnley manager?
Celestini's first match in charge is at home to Portsmouth at Turf Moor on Saturday.