The Long Goodbye
Burnley 1 Sunderland 2
Report by Pauline Pratley
Okay, this isn't really a proper match report. Yes, there was a match at Turf Moor today, but in truth it merely supplied the backdrop for Stan's departure. Similarly, the temptation to comment on Stan, rather than on the game, is too great for me to resist.
In any case, the match itself was something of an anticlimax as far as Burnley were concerned. Having secured safety the previous weekend (or, more accurately, had it secured for them by virtue of Walsall's defeat), the Clarets had nothing to play for except pride and Stan Ternent.
The whole day had a strange air about it. It was probably supposed to be a happy occasion, celebrating our survival in Division One for yet another season. Yet Ternent's impending departure cast a long, gloomy shadow over proceedings - even to those of us who (like me) were, in the end, not unhappy to see him go.
In truth, the whole thing reminded me of when Princess Diana died: a kind of mass hysteria, with people consumed by grief at the departure of someone they'd really never known. In the immediate aftermath of the decision not to offer Stan a new contract, I was absolutely stunned by some of the drivel written on the various Burnley messageboards. A worryingly large number of people seemed to be taking his departure far, far too seriously - and far too personally. I stopped reading when the trickle of ungrammatical, all-capital-letters postings became a torrent of ill-feeling towards anyone who ventured an opinion favouring a change of manager. The electronic equivalent of all those flowers for Diana, I suppose.
For some people, it seems that Stan Ternent is Burnley Football Club. Some idiot even posted on one of the aforementioned messageboards to say that he would be cancelling his Clarets Foundation membership in protest at the ‘sacking’! What a superb idea: withdraw your money from the Club you profess to support. What a wanker.
I make no secret of the fact that I've never been a big Ternent fan. For me, the man's ego was simply too large. During his tenure, it was indeed ‘Stan Ternent's Burnley’. I never liked his defensiveness, which, to me at least, often seemed to border on rudeness; and I found his habit of deflecting blame onto others very irritating. Information from inside Turf Moor seems to suggest that people who worked there found him arrogant and difficult to deal with, which is clearly no compliment. The recent issues with supporters' events - where players were ‘unavailable’ to attend - have also not helped his reputation.
In the end, I suppose it all depends on circumstances - or, more precisely, on results. When the team is playing well, no-one gives a second thought to the manager's demeanour or attitude. Hey, if you're towards the top of the table, who cares? But when things start to go pear-shaped, it's a different matter. People become more critical, and start to look for reasons for the decline. In such times, an open, honest and flexible approach will probably pay more dividends. In the end, Stan's own strength of character may have contributed to his downfall. Perhaps he simply stayed too long.
That said, I would heartily agree with anyone who says that he has done a good job for Burnley. He achieved something fantastic with our promotion in 2000, and without him we wouldn't have had some great experiences, such as the pleasure of seeing Ian Wright and Paul Gascoigne in claret and blue. (Okay, the pleasure of seeing Ian Wright, anyway!) It would be churlish not to wish him well, and I can honestly say that I do.
Of course, today's game was also the last one for someone who's had at least as much significance for Burnley: Glen Little. I felt a little sorry for Glen, as it was undoubtedly Ternent's day; yet Little has been a great servant to the Clarets, and I am sad to see him go.
And this seems an appropriate time to mention the game! Little was given the captaincy for the day, and early on it seemed as if it might be his day too, in part at least. McGregor had already headed against the crossbar when a lovely Weller-Chaplow move ended with Little scoring the Clarets' opener. If only it had been the winning goal... if only.
Sunderland, already secure in the play-off zone and with only their final position to worry about, clearly had other ideas. I'd wondered beforehand if they would just sit back, but even if that had been their initial gameplan, it all changed when Burnley scored. Once behind, they seemed to wake up, and created several opportunities to equalise.
You could almost sense it coming, though, and it wasn't long before Stan's boyhood team had equalised, Irish defender Gary Breen heading home unchallenged from a corner.
As the teams came out for the second half it was nicely poised. You never know with Burnley these days, but I was fairly certain of one thing: there would be more goals!
In the end, though, there was only the one; and it probably came against the run of play, as the Clarets had begun the second half very brightly. Still, you have to take your chances, and we didn't take ours. Kevin Kyle, who'd come on at the start of the half, pounced when fellow sub Marcus Stewart's header rebounded off the crossbar, and the Black Cats were 2-1 up.
And that was how it remained, although Burnley gave it a good go, showing a spirit that has perhaps been lacking a little too often this season.
After the final whistle, and once the usual idiots had removed themselves from the pitch, Stan - along with a number of photographers - was able to walk around the pitch and receive the appreciation of the fans. At this point we caught a glimpse of what is possibly the ‘real’ Stan as he blubbed unashamedly into a Burnley scarf. Indeed, he looked quite overwhelmed. At this point it should be mentioned that the Sunderland fans were absolutely fantastic: many of them stayed behind to see Stan's farewell, and they were very generous with their applause. (Would Burnley supporters be likewise with an opposition manager? Hmm.) We were also able to say goodbye to Little, who had duly been named the sponsors' Man of the Match, and give the team in general a good send-off.
So, onwards and (hopefully) upwards. It will be an interesting summer. My own preferred choice for the Turf Moor hotseat is Ronnie Moore, but whoever gets the job will have a tough act to follow. The Board have made a brave decision, but I feel that it's the right one. I only hope that fans can put aside any disappointment over Stan's departure, and get behind the new manager. After all, the Club is the most important thing, don't you think?
Burnley: Jensen, McGregor, May, Branch, Camara (Scott, 79), Weller (Chadwick, 69), Johnrose, Chaplow (O'Neill, 73), Little, Blake, Ian Moore.
Subs not used: West, Abbey.
Scorers: (Burnley) Little 11 / (Sunderland) Breen 37, Kyle 66.
Referee: K Hill (Royston).
Attendance: 18,852.
Pauline's Man of the Match: the one and only Stan Ternent.
As with all articles on the site, the views expressed in the match reports section are those of the individual contributor, and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Burnley FC London Supporters' Club.
