A goalless affair at Turf Moor begged the question, can a 0-0 actually be entertaining?

An entertaining 0-0 is a cliched trope that has been wheeled out on many occasions in football, but can a match really be deemed exciting without the entire purpose of a game?

West Brom and VAR certainly did their utmost to answer that question.

Matheus Pereira was the bright spark of the match, offering space in between the lines and looking to drive with purpose whenever he got the ball. He was not afraid to shoot whenever he got the chance to.

In fact, in two separate incidents, the Brazilian saw his goal-bound efforts miraculously salvaged from crossing the line by Matt Lowton and James Tarkowski.

Notwithstanding those clear-cut chances for the Baggies, throughout proceedings, they looked to remain patient and probed a low Clarets’ block with movement into the opening space in behind Sean Dyche’s full-backs.

It was an impressive showing from Sam Allardyce’s side, giving a different perspective on the style of football he is trying to implement in the West Midlands. There is much more spontaneity and flair in this squad and rather than being regressive, he is allowing that to thrive.

Mike Dean’s welcome return to Premier League action brought with it a red card VAR call just half an hour into the match.

Conor Gallagher’s sloppy back pass saw the ball trail past Semi Ajayi and the centre back could do nothing as the ball grazed his arm as Matej Vydra looked to race clear in behind.

As harsh on Ajayi as it was, the correct call was made in line with the laws of the game, but it threatened to stem West Brom’s progressive start to the game.

Yet, apart from a ten-minute spell of Burnley pressure, Allardyce’s men looked a danger every time they broke and will feel aggrieved not to have won this one.

Now to the question that will have 100 different answers depending on who you ask.

Was that game entertaining?

It provided an intricate tactical snapshot of both the positives and negatives of either side.

For Burnley, it evidenced a lack of creativity and imagination against clubs that are happy to sit back themselves didn’t help the Clarets.

They were stagnant the minute the Baggies moved into a low block in the defensive phases. Shuttling the play harmlessly from centre half to centre half in hope of disrupting the shape.

You cannot disrupt a low defensive block without movement and there was only one player trying to create space for the home side and that was Matej Vydra.

Unfortunately for the Czech striker, when you are a player in isolation when it comes to creative movement, your team quickly become predictable and one-dimensional even to a struggling side like West Brom.

The visitors, on the other hand, showcased a different side to how they are perceived. Looking lively in the attacking midfield areas, with a clear foundation of what could be a relatively successful Championship side next season.

Now that makes a game interesting when you are covering a match and looking for patterns of play, but would that have been of interest to your everyday football fan?

VAR offered entertainment as it offered twists and turns in such a short space of time that entertainment is founded on.

However, when it comes to sport the value technology brings it to those with high stakes in the fixture itself, not even supporters fall into that bracket, they are simply a casualty of the race to sanitise and void football of any form of human error.

Human errors make sport entertaining. It is the most unpredictable element of any sporting event.

People at the highest elite levels of their craft, for one split second, turning into your everyday amateur who plays on the park. It is what fans want to see because it offers humility in a sport that continues to create a wider divide between its grassroots and its future.

As much as football experts will embrace a compact tactical battle, much like a game of chess predicting the flow of the game and the next move of those in charge, most of the market of fans want entertainment in its purest form.

It is easy to lose sight of that and it is important that it is acknowledged.

Hence, it must be concluded that in its purest form Burnley 0-0 West Brom was a boring game.

Yes, a lot can be taken from it in terms of future endeavours but for a division that calculated its own Sky TV deal at £3.6bn, you have to see that as money flowing down an inconsequential river.

Inconsequential to those at the top who will continue to profit regardless of what is on show, but when it comes to the entertainment value of fans, these sorts of games are an increasing flavour of what is on offer, very much a Ready Salted affair.

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