1/4
It’s Easter, a time for atonement and reconciliation, a perfect occasion for the
Queen Mum to pack it in, prompting a tiresome torrent of sycophantic nonsense and cosmetic grief. But in the Middle East
conflict the protagonists show a proper regard for the religious festival by trashing what remains of their ancient
spiritual heritage. God knows, Israel is now much more a land of holes than a Holy Land. And having conceded six goals
in the last two games Burnley’s defence seems full of holes, too. Davis’ return is essential. But, buoyed by Saturday’s
spirited second half revival, Burnley travelled to Portsmouth with hope and expectation more or less balanced.
On a cool, dry afternoon of fitful sunshine they came away with a 1-1 draw, having led for almost an hour. Stan dropped
Gascoigne and Taylor, brought back Little and played Moore and Johnson up front. Up until the interval Burnley held the
upper hand. We were quicker on the break with Johnson and Moore causing Pompey’s defenders much difficulty. Johnson might
have had a first half hat trick. As it was we had to be content with his superb 20th minute opener. Latching
onto Thomas’s quickly taken free kick, Johnson caught the home defence cold and curled a rising 12 yard drive past Beasant.
Prosinecki apart, Pompey posed few threats up until half time. We looked good for three points. But the second half display
was a grave let down. We defended too deeply and were fortunate to keep our lead intact until the 75th minute,
when Bulgarian international Todorov raced onto Nigel Quashie's flick-on. He rounded Michopoulos before nudging the ball
home from the edge of the six-yard box for his first goal since his £750,000 move from West Ham. I thought Nick should
have done better. So did Stan. Johnson had a late chance to snatch the points but squandered Gascoigne’s excellent cross.
However, a draw was undoubtedly a fair but disappointing conclusion.
Most Clarets felt that it was two points lost rather than one gained, but Stan, as ever, was pragmatically satisfied
with the day’s work: "That is a good point for us, there are another nine for us to play for and it is in our own hands.
We are another point closer towards our target and Portsmouth is not an easy place to come to. We had the best of the first
half, they were better in the second half and perhaps we should have taken the bull by the horns. Niko should have done
better and I told him so, but we had enough chances really. Tony Grant tired and a few players looked a bit leggy.
We have played two matches in 48 hours and it is a long way to come from where we are. The number of games we have had
takes its toll but we have Gillingham on Saturday and we just have to try and win it. We expect nerves now but I am long
enough in the tooth to cope."
West Brom defeated Coventry to move level on points with second-placed Wolves, and Norwich’s late win at Bradford
moved them well into play off contention. Millwall easily defeated Stockport, Birmingham managed a draw at Crystal Palace,
and Preston lost at Barnsley. Net result: we stayed fourth, but now only three points now separate us from ninth placed
Preston. Wimbledon’s defeat of Crewe means that a victory from their game in hand pushes them into the play-off frame,
too. It is sad to say that Gascoigne is making more impact at the turnstiles than on the pitch. In dead ball situations
he has as much guile as ever but he appears bemused by the pace of the game. Is this simply a temporary fitness problem?
If so, time is running out rapidly for him and us. Burnley: NTG, West, Gnohere, Thomas, Briscoe, Weller
(Gascoigne 68), Ball, Grant (Armstrong 51), A Moore, Johnson, I Moore (Little 57). Subs not used: Cook and Taylor.
Attendance: 18,020.
Our match report.
The ITV Digital story gains further momentum. Prior to a meeting between the Football League and the chairmen of all
24 First Division clubs, Radio 4’s Today programme runs an interview with Bradford City chairman Geoffrey Richmond,
who has, shall we say, a keen sense of self-promotion. Seemingly taking it upon himself to speak for all Football League
clubs, Richmond suggested that ITV Digital can get out of its contract with the Football League by means of a one-off
payment. He tells Radio 4, "I very much hope a deal will be done. I think legal proceedings are probably the last resort
and not the first resort and the feeling among the clubs is that a settlement north of £100 million, a golden goodbye if
you like, would be the type of deal we would be interested in. A £120 million settlement would be acceptable to the vast
majority of Football League clubs."
Almost immediately, the chairman of the Football League, David Burns, pops up on the Today programme to deny
Richmond’s comments. Burns says ITV Digital's parent companies, Carlton Communications and Granada, have made no approach
to clubs and are not preparing to do a deal along Richmond’s lines. Burns suggests the claims of a possible deal are
"intended to put leverage upon the clubs," and he maintains that the legal advantage rests with the Football League:
"Carlton and Granada are seeking to avoid their contractual commitments by stating they never signed a long form contract.
They are seeking to wriggle out of the contract and they are using the niceties of the English language and the legal
process to put pressure upon the Football League and its clubs to accept less than they are contractually entitled to
simply because football clubs have cash flow issues."
Despite denying that a deal was in the offing, Burns adds, "No one is going to be foolish enough not to look to
compromise if there is a deal to be made, and we are open to any offers that are made as long as they are sensible and
reflective of the contractual agreements with Carlton and Granada."
It’s no surprise to see that the lawyers are offering different interpretations on the legal positions of the Football
League and Granada / Carlton. They know a juicy earner when they see one, and the prospect of a huge media conglomerate
locking horns with the hierarchy of the national sport must have them slavering uncontrollably at the mere thought of the
potential legal fees involved. Wasn’t the TV revolution sold to us as progress?
After the meeting has concluded, Barry Kilby sounds bullish: "We are going to come out fighting on all fronts, the
moral arguments and the legal ones. I have seen the legal argument and we have got a very strong one. It is not perfect,
but it is strong. We are going to go after both Carlton and Granada because they can't just divorce themselves from
responsibility for this. The moral arguments are unanswerable and there is no way we will allow them to wheedle out of
their obligations. The important thing is that we are absolutely united and determined to get what we are entitled to."
Sure enough, the Football League announces that they are to sue Granada / Carlton for £500 million if they renege on
their original contract with the League. It’s a bold move but clearly one fraught with potentially disastrous
consequences. Rumours abound that as many as 900 players would have to be released if the TV money owed is not
forthcoming, and it is an anxious time for players who are out of contract in the summer, as well as youngsters who are
hoping to be rewarded with a full time contract.
Barry Kilby tries to sound optimistic: "I don't want to press any panic buttons because I am confident that there
will be good news sooner rather than later. We have eight players out of contract in the summer but I am reasonably
confident that we will get a decent slice of the money, if not quite all. The [TV] company has lost £1 billion and
made a catalogue of mistakes that they are trying to dump on football. They are just trying to cover up their poor
business management. I can remember them coming to a meeting we had at Notts County back in November when they were
telling us they were right behind us and not to worry. But at that time they must have been planning this situation."
3/4 Stan hits a steady return serve to suggestions that the Clarets are about to be ousted from the play-off
pack, and claims to be relishing the tension: "It is nice to be worried about results at this end of the table rather
than the other. If we win two more games we will be on 75 points and that will be enough. It might not take that many,
but that is the first target. Our destiny is still very much in our own hands and we can't ask for much more than that.
Other clubs have to rely on teams like us slipping up. I have said all along that we will be there or thereabouts and we
now need the crowd to get right behind us, as I am sure they will."
Wimbledon won their game in hand, 2-0 at home to Crewe. Their sudden vein of form has pushed them into the play-off
reckoning at the last moment. Could they be the dark horses?
The reserves continued their good form with a 2-0 victory at home to Huddersfield. Largely an uneventful affair,
the Clarets finally resolved the stalemate in their favour with two second half goals. Youth team player
Matthew O’Neill was the architect both times – could we have a real talent here? He created both goalscoring
opportunities for the lively Brad Maylett and the dominant Earl Davis. Team: Cennamo, McGregor, Davis,
Williamson, Branch (Hindle 74), Maylett (Rasmussen 78), Waine, Johnrose, O’Neill, Ellis, Payton (Eaves 60).
Subs not used: Leeson and Salisbury.
5/4 On the eve of the crucial Gillingham game, Stan rattles his sabre: "A lot of the pundits are saying
that Burnley won't make it to the play-offs, so we will just have to go out and prove them wrong. This is our biggest
match of the season so far, and probably the biggest match we have had since I have been at the club. While things are
still in our own hands at the moment, if we win this one it will put us back in the driving seat. But we face a must
win situation - we can't afford to slip. Gillingham are a good side, they have had a strong season and they will be very
difficult opponents. So if we can beat them then that will be a huge step forward towards the play-offs. If we win then
we will have matched the points total that we had last season when we finished just outside the play-offs. Then we will
have two games to play, so tomorrow is a massive match for us. Obviously what happens everywhere else will have a bearing
on things and we will have to see where we stand, but we have nine points left to play for and we will try and make
sure that nine points is what we get. It could go as far as the last game against Coventry. It is all still so tight
at the top and there are still so many clubs involved that I can see it going all the way to the wire. But if that is
how it turns out then that is fine. Knowing us it probably will go right to the end - we never seem to do things the
easy way - but I am enjoying the situation we are in and the tension of it all. But whichever way things fall then all
we can do is give it our best shot. I think that we can play a lot better than we have been doing of late, but you have
to take into account what is at stake, so I can understand some of the performances. But sooner or later we will click
back into gear and as soon as we win a match then I am sure we will be fine. We have had our iffy run and now it is time
to crack on!"
Millwall defeated Wolves 1-0 at the New Den. This pushes Burnley down to fifth, and only a win against Gillingham will
allow us to reclaim fourth position. KKMC are promoted as a result of Wolves’ defeat.
6/4 Phew! Burnley managed to defeat Gillingham 2-0 in front of 16,236 very relieved fans. Other results go for
us, too: Coventry, our opponents on the last day of the season, are thrashed 4-0 at Preston and will now struggle to
reach the play-offs. Norwich can only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Grimsby, whilst Wimbledon go down 0-2 at home to
Bradford. We go fourth with 72 points. This wasn’t plain sailing. Whilst Burnley had most of the possession, Gillingham
threatened on the break, and arguably ex-Claret loanee Paul Shaw should have done better when he dragged a shot wide of
the post in the early stages of the game. It took the Clarets a good half an hour to get going, and virtually an hour to
finally break through the visitors’ defence. After some good work down the right from Little, a frantic goalmouth melee
resulted in either Kevin Ball or Ian Moore poking the ball home from close range. Just seven minutes later –
in the 62nd minute – came the game’s one exceptional piece of quality from David Johnson. He latched onto a
through ball, shrugged off a challenge and drove the ball home. Burnley: NTG, West, Thomas, Davis, Gnohere,
Little, Ball, Grant (Weller 88), Briscoe, Moore, Johnson (Taylor 78). Subs not used: Gascoigne, Taylor, Armstrong.
Our match report.
The youth team came away from Shrewsbury with a 2-0 victory. Once more, the young Clarets had to absorb first-half
pressure before sealing the game with second-half strikes. The scorers were Paul Barrett and Matthew O'Neill. Coach
Terry Pashley said, "There wasn't much in the first half and, to be honest, I think they perhaps shaded it. We looked a
bit tired but at least we reached half-time goalless. But in the second period we came out and passed the ball well and
then we started to create chances."
7/4 Our play-off competitors Birmingham can only manage a 1-1 home draw against Portsmouth, capping a good
weekend. The marginalisation of Paul Gascoigne prompts predictable tabloid speculation that he has decided to leave
Burnley with immediate effect.
8/4 Stan sets out to quash rumours that Gascoigne has decided to leave Burnley: "Of course we knew when we
took Paul on that we would be taking on everything that came with it. With players like that an awful lot of media
speculation is involved, but the tales that he is leaving are absolute nonsense. Paul is still very much involved
with the club." More significantly, Stan reveals that David Johnson’s loan deal has been extended to the end of the
season, and Stan is in no doubt that Johnson could be the goalscorer he has been searching for: "We hope that David
will stay with us and we are just hoping we can sort it all out." Johnson himself seems keen to stay, the main issue
being the fee that Forest will almost certainly demand.
13/4 Burnley failed to secure a place in the play-offs today, after losing 3-1 to relegation-threatened
Grimsby Town at Blundell Park. This dismal result
rounded off an unsuccessful week. The reserves have probably blown their chances of the Championship with a 1-6
thrashing at Huddersfield, although they were under strength due to Stan’s wish to protect all players with any first
team credentials. More importantly, both Birmingham and Millwall won to move ahead of the Clarets before this dire
display at Cleethorpes got underway.
The game was over by the break, with Grimsby’s three-goal lead inspired by the former tennis professional Michael
Boulding. Boulding opened the scoring after only five minutes when he collected the ball 35 yards from goal before
cutting inside a statuesque Steve Davis and firing a low shot past Nik Michopoulos. Almost immediately, Boulding broke
through again but squandered the chance. Grimsby were controlling everything in midfield and increased their lead in
the 12th minute, when Boulding broke away down the right flank following a pass from Terry Cooke. He made
it to the touchline before pulling a cross back to Danny Butterfield. Butterfield’s shot on the slide was saved well by
Michopoulos, but the ball ran loose to Bradley Allen, who had the simple task of tapping home at the far post from a
matter of inches. The Burnley defence were spectators, having wrongly anticipated the referee’s whistle for an
infringement. Stan then brought off Dean West and started playing three at the back as it was evident that Davis
couldn’t cope with Boulding’s pace. Weller came on as right wing back with Briscoe fulfilling a similar role on the
left and Little licensed to roam. This move seemed to have tightened things up, but we were still not threatening
Grimsby. Having said that, Ian Moore should have reduced the deficit on the half hour after Thomas’s lofted ball had
surprised the home defence, but Moore’s first touch was clumsy and he failed to trouble Coyne in the home goal.
Grimsby finished it off with only two minutes remaining in the first half. Cooke was again the architect as he played
a slide rule pass down the right channel. Davis and Michopoulos failed to get to the ball and Boulding beat them both
to it, rounding Michopoulos and sliding the ball home from a tight angle to send the sell out crowd wild.
After the break, Paul Gascoigne and Gareth Taylor came on for Glen Little and Kevin Ball and the performance
improved considerably, with the Clarets enjoying the majority of the chances. However, it seemed the goal would never
come, especially when Davis shot over at the far post following Johnson’s tricky run and cross from the right.
The goal finally arrived in injury time, when Moore latched onto a loose ball down the left and crossed into the box.
Briscoe was there in support to finish well from seven yards for what might still be a crucial goal for the Clarets.
It was enough to deny Norwich a final play off-spot, albeit only on goals scored. Norwich’s final game is at home to
Stockport. Our advantage could not be more slender.
A hugely disappointed Stan said, "We gave ourselves a mountain to climb in the first half and we didn't perform
at all by our standards. In the second half we did much better, but it was too late by then. Whether they were
sitting back or we played better, in the second half we had enough chances, but it was a very poor show in the first
half and the game was lost then really. I wanted to try and score some goals and get back in the game because goal
difference is important, and we won the second half 1-0. We’ll have to win next Saturday and keep our fingers crossed,
but we never do it the easy way. It will go to the wire, as I've said all along." Stan paid tribute to the 2,200
travelling supporters, who never stopped singing throughout the game. "The fans were absolutely fantastic today and
they always are, but I don't take it for granted." Burnley: NTG, West (Weller 21), Davis, Gnohere, Thomas,
Little (Taylor 46), Grant, Ball (Gascoigne 46), Briscoe, Johnson, I Moore. Subs not used: Armstrong and Payton.
Attendance: 9,275.
Our match report.
15/4 The reserves are not out of it. Their sparkling 4-3 victory over Barnsley at Turf Moor tonight means that if we manage to beat Preston on Thursday, we can still secure the championship. Damien Hindle secured the victory with a terrific late strike.
18/4 Preston snatched the reserve championship away from us tonight. Even a side heavily fortified with first team players were not strong enough to deny North End who won easily (0-2).
21/4 Our first team were denied their prize, too. Two outstanding saves from Coventry’s keeper, Magnus Hedman
in stoppage time denied Burnley a place in the play-offs, even though the Clarets won 1-0. It could have been Gascoigne’s
parting gift, but the Swedish keeper clawed away both free kicks. Taylor scored with his first touch, a far post header,
after coming on as a substitute in the 68th minute. Briefly, this put us ahead of Norwich who were struggling
to overcome ten-man Stockport. Alas, their skipper, Mackay, headed Norwich into a two goal lead, and despite Gascoigne’s
late, expertly placed free-kicks, we couldn’t make up the slender deficit.
Stan concluded, "Obviously we're disappointed that we missed out on the play-offs, but we have made progress again. I'm
disappointed for the fans because they have been fantastic again, and I'm disappointed for the players because they have
been fantastic all season. I feel very flat at the moment because, towards the end of the game, we knew that if we scored
again we would have been in the play-offs and we came very close. It looked like it was written for Paul Gascoigne to get
us into the play-offs, but their keeper made two great saves. I would like to get hold of whoever changed it back to goal
difference rather than goals scored - I could quite happily throttle him. But we have made progress and will look to take
it that one step further next season."
Coventry caretaker boss Steve Ogrizovic commented, "We just wanted a good performance to finish the season
positively and I think we got that. We wanted to blood some of our youngsters and give them a taste and I think
they did really well. Burnley scored the only way we thought they would do. They are a big side and we were missing
a bit of height. We're just glad that Gareth Taylor was not on from the start because that could have caused us a few
more problems." Burnley: Michopoulos, West (Payton 79), Davis, Gnohere, Thomas (Taylor 66), Little, Ball, Weller,
Briscoe, I Moore (Gascoigne 82), Johnson. Subs not used: Armstrong and Cook. Attendance: 18.751.
Our match report.
Almost immediately, Stan announced that he would not be renewing the contracts of Kevin Ball, Mitchell Thomas, Lenny Johnrose, Tony Ellis, John Williamson and Luigi Cennamo. This is hardly surprising given the Club’s financial situation, with the collapse of ITV Digital. We wish all six of them well and thank them for their efforts, notably Mitchell Thomas for his huge contribution to our promotion and Kevin Ball for his committed displays over the last two seasons.
Despite our ailing finances, the transfer rumour mill continues to grind. We are linked with Luton’s midfielder, Matthew Spring (as a possible replacement for Ball) and Darlington full-back Paul Heckingbottom who is available on a free transfer. This is highly speculative stuff. More pertinently, will we now have the resources to secure David Johnson’s permanent transfer? It is rumoured that Forest will release him on a ‘free’ if we are willing to pay off his £120,000 signing on fee, which Johnson is still owed after moving to the City Ground from Ipswich last year. As for Beresford, it is not clear whether Middlesbrough will attempt to retain him after his contract expires in the summer. Stan was quick to scotch all of these rumours, stating that he is not in any position to consider transfers until he knows what budget he will have to work with. Expect some belt-tightening measures.
Phil Whalley and Tim Quelch
April 2002
April news and comment archive
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views expressed in this section are those of the individual contributor, and do not
necessarily reflect the view of the Burnley FC London Supporters Club.
The following sources of information are kindly acknowledged:
Lancashire Evening Telegraph,
Burnleyfootballclub.com,
Team Talk, Clubcall, Sky Sports, BBC Sports, Radio Lancashire, the Independent, the Observer.
