This was the season when the IRA announced a historic cease-fire. It was the year when OJ Simpson went on trial and Ronald Reagan disclosed he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Boris Yeltsin invaded Chechnya, Barings Bank collapsed, a deadly nerve gas killed ten people in a Tokyo subway and a car bomb killed twenty-six in Oklahoma City. An earthquake devastated Kobe and a car ferry perished in the Baltic. England’s hooligan tendency forced the abandonment of the Dublin international and at Selhurst Park Eric Cantona became an unlikely Bruce Lee. Britpop was at its zenith led by the likes of Oasis, Blur, Radiohead and Pulp while female-led bands such as Sleeper, Echobelly and Elastica helped close rock’s gender gap. But for Burnley supporters what really sticks in the mind (or throat) was this was the year in which Burnley paid their all too brief visit to the second grade. Stephen Cummings wrote a book about the doleful experience. ‘Burnley Were Back!!’ was its fitting title.
The truth was that Burnley were not good enough. Even the misty-eyed Wembley euphoria could not disguise the fact that we needed a massive investment in new playing staff. We had enjoyed a huge slice of luck in being promoted with a squad that boasted nearly as many weaknesses as strengths. A new left back was essential. Thompson’s enthusiasm had been inspirational but his limitations were obvious even in the Second Division. Pender had been a terrific lower division player but he was ageing and getting out of his depth. A more mobile central defender was urgently required to play alongside Davis. The midfield needed strengthening, too. Randall was talented but fitful. He was no battler, either. Deary was not short on determination, but we wondered whether he had the necessary skill to make an impact at this higher level. Similar doubts were held about Warren Joyce. Apart from Eyres, the midfield lacked pace.
It looked as if radical surgery was needed up front, as well, for our strike force was unconvincing. Heath had been declining steadily since 1992/93, as had his scoring rate. By this time he seemed more suited to a midfield role. The 1993/94 triumph had owed much to Eyres’ purple patch, in which game after game he would arrive late and decisively at the far post. Burnley would need more attacking strategies than this to survive in the First Division. As for the others, Francis was still recovering from his Wembley injury, Philliskirk, Lancashire and Peel were not good enough, and Mullin was untried.
Added to the squad deficiencies, there were doubts about whether Jimmy could manage at this level. We wondered whether he could attract the required talent. We also wondered whether he would be given the resources to make the necessary purchases.
In fairness, Jimmy did well to recruit Vinnicombe (£250,000) and Winstanley (£150,000). Vinny was an accomplished footballer, although he appeared more comfortable going forward than in defence. Winstanley was a quick and robust centre back. His main shortcoming was his distribution, which was incontinently poor.
As for Jimmy’s other signings, these were less successful. Poor Liam Robinson (£250,000) was a dogged pursuer of lost causes, which was ironic given that there were few causes as lost as his. It was rumoured that Jimmy had attempted to sign Wayne Allinson but Bristol City palmed him off with Robinson. A strike force pairing of Heath, Robinson had to be a joke.
As for Alan Harper (free), Jimmy was entitled to believe that the ex-Evertonian should have delivered more, especially after his successful spell at Luton. Harper proved to be a disaster, though. He was ponderous, error-prone and, quite frankly, past it. It was entirely appropriate that he should have been given a holding role because no one held Burnley back as systematically as ‘Mooncat’.
Midfielder Gerry Harrison was a better free transfer, but his best Burnley performances were still two years away in the heart of the defence. At this time, he was no more than a useful stopgap. John Gayle was also signed as a stopgap, and was probably discarded too quickly. For all his obvious shortcomings, he certainly put the wind up some formidable opponents, like ex-Claret Vince Overson then playing for Stoke.
Jimmy was able to recruit additional signings over the season, but none of them made the necessary impact. Hoyland (£150,000) started well, knocking the ball around with calm assurance and helping Burnley to play from the back, but he was too slow for a midfield berth. His favoured role was at centre half. However, Davis played magnificently in this position and Winstanley was virtually unchallengeable as his partner.
Nogan (£300,000) was signed from Second Division Brighton without a League goal in twenty-six games, and it showed. Paul Shaw looked a better bet when he arrived on loan, but by then it was almost too late.
Thompson (£200,000) was acquired from Premiership side Leicester. He was a deadball specialist and a good passer, but again he lacked pace. In fact, the team’s overall lack of pace proved a huge weakness and probably contributed to their appalling disciplinary record.
Jimmy Mullen was criticised heavily for most of his signings, and particularly for the loan signing of an unfit, uncaring Paul Stewart. But as other Burnley managers have found, it was difficult to attract the right kind of talent to Turf Moor, particularly when the team is struggling. It was rumoured that Guy Whittingham was on his shopping list. Whittingham might have made a difference, but clearly Jimmy had neither the cash nor the kudos to effect the deal.
So, we were inadequately prepared. As one fellow London Claret put it, "every League game was like a cup-tie." When you know that the team aren’t up to it, every result is crucial. I remember leaving the first home game against Stoke (1-1) hugely depressed. A 94th minute defensive clanger had gifted Stoke an undeserved point. Even at this very early stage, I knew that we could ill afford to lose two points. The lesson wasn’t learned, either, since they repeated this trick in their very next home game against Bristol City (1-1), although there was little doubt that City merited at least a draw.
There were highlights, of course. The early away victories at Luton (1-0), Millwall (3-2) and Charlton (2-1) all suggested that we could not only survive at this level, we could actually play a bit. Although hammered continuously for his tactical naivety, Jimmy certainly out-thought Charlton’s shrewd boss, Alan Curbishley, when he unveiled his new ‘diamond’ formation at the Valley. Randall and Hoyland revelled in the new tactical approach. Davis was outstanding in a brilliant defensive performance and David Eyres seemed rejuvenated after a sluggish return from injury. Despite his best efforts, even the referee couldn’t spoil things (he disallowed three first half goals!). It felt as if the years were being rolled back as Burnley played elegant, sweeping football from the back. How fitting that this superb display should have been marked by a double rainbow.
The display at Millwall was nearly as good. Ted McMinn caused untold damage on the Lion’s right flank, helping Burnley to three-second half goals, two of which came, quite improbably, from the head of Mark Winstanley. The excitement of that night was almost enhanced by the police escort at the end of the game. I knew then what it was really like to be on a wagon train trundling through Indian territory.
The Burnley crowd again reserved its best for the big occasion. Their performance at Anfield in the Coca-Cola Cup (0-2) was yet another huge display of collective passion. The Liverpool crowd were simply crushed by their force.
Burnley even managed a ten match unbeaten run before Christmas, which included a terrific home win over Sheffield United (4-2). The Granada TV cameras were there to capture the brilliance of it all. Now we had something to brag about that was difficult to put down. But this unbeaten run featured just three League victories. Even at their best, Burnley were often only achieving parity. In our heart of hearts we suspected that the revival was fragile, and so it proved. Although Southend were thumped at New Year (5-1) and Cambridge clobbered in the FA Cup (4-2), results deteriorated alarmingly in 1995.
The dismal defeat at icy Portsmouth (0-2) was bad enough. However, it was followed almost two weeks later by an even more desperate performance at bottom-placed Notts County (0-3). These losses signalled the start of an appalling run in which eight League games were lost on the trot. Although Burnley gave Liverpool a tough time during their brief FA Cup respite, Jimmy seemed powerless to arrest their slide to the bottom of Division Two. It is true that Jimmy’s half time rhetoric helped lift some inept home performances, but it made no difference to what counted, the results. His magic had disappeared and he looked out of his depth. Still, that was no excuse for the torrent of hate that then poured down upon him.
Eventually, Robinson’s late, late equaliser against West Brom ended the blank run. (1-1). Gritty victories were then achieved against Oldham (2-1) and Luton (2-1), but Burnley were unable to rid themselves of their relegation shackles. Further victories over Port Vale (4-3), Charlton (2-0) and Derby (3-1) kept a wispy hope alive, but with away form having collapsed completely, Burnley were unable to make up the gap. On Saturday 22nd April, they were finally shown the door.
Saturday was grey, wet and cold with a gusting Easterly wind. It had just been announced that 2,000 Hutus had been massacred in Rwanda. Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic were subpoenaed to face The Hague International Tribunal on war crimes charges and Tony Blair was about to ditch Labour’s commitment to nationalisation. Back For Good teased Take That, while East 17 resigned themselves to Let It Rain. Andrew Firmin recalls that grim day:
Boys Don't Cry
So within a year, we had slumped from jubilation to bitter recrimination. It was as if we had been cruelly cheated. Having waited so long for a real upturn in fortunes, we could not tolerate the sun being snatched away so quickly. It had to be someone’s fault. Someone had to pay for this hurt.
But why is it that we expect so much of our team and those who run them? Why is it that we believe our lives to be so dependent on the team’s success or survival that failure threatens us so much? Is that too strong? If it is, why do we gravitate towards vicious blaming and shaming rituals when things go wrong? It seems to smack of panic, much like the fall out from a public disaster. Whatever the reasons, Jimmy and the Board were left to face the unforgiving anger of thousands of Clarets.
Our sadness was compounded by the departure of two of our favourite players. Steve Davis moved on to Luton in the summer break. His departure had been expected and understood. For much of the 1994/95 season he had performed heroically. It was clear that he thrived at this level. Indeed, there were times when he looked a Premiership player, although he probably had insufficient pace to have made the grade there. Nevertheless, we were surprised that he should have been enticed by Luton.
The other significant departure was that of John Deary. Brent Whittam reflected on his career:
John Deary: ‘A Man For All Seasons’
