1/8 Rochdale 0 Burnley 1, with a Mark Monington own goal, no less,
from a Paul Smith cross. Team (back to 4-4-2): Parks (Mawson 46), C Smith, Morgan, Ford,
Blatherwick, Howey, Little, Williams, Cooke, Jepson (Carr-Lawton 65), P Smith. SNU: Moore,
Heywood, Henderson, Winstanley. Other ex-Clarets in opposition are Lancashire, Painter,
and Andy Farrell. Att: 2,216.
3/8 Winsford 1 Burnley XI 2, with
goals from Phil Eastwood and Paul Graham. Team: Mawson, Scott, Winstanley, Moore, West,
Heywood, Carr-Lawton, Graham, Henderson, Eastwood (Maylett), Devenney. Ingleby now claims
to want nothing more to do with the club, saying that the club's directors have messed him
about. He denies that this is a publicity stunt, and maintains that his take-over bid is
finished. Shackleton insists his take-over bid is still on. Weller has talks and a medical
at West Ham, and then plays 70 minutes for them at right "wing back" in a
friendly defeat at Bournemouth. He is due to play again in their next friendly against
Leyton Orient. Burnley value him at £600,000. I report with a straight face the news from
the Teamtalk website that Lee Howey completing 90 minutes against Rochdale is a
"massive boost" for the club.
4/8 Ternent admits his side are not ready for
the start of the season and he has particular problems with his defence. He denies that
Peter Swan and Andy Marriott could be joining the club, but confesses to an interest in
John Mullin (who according to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph enjoyed a
"successful" spell on loan last season) and, as a greater priority, an
unspecified free-transfer goalie to arrive before the start of the season. Speaking on
Radio Lancashire, he stresses he has not yet asked the board for any money, and assumes
when he needs some he will be given it like managers before him. Teasdale says they have
always backed managers with cash in the past. Ternent says Burnley is his last job and the
future lies in getting the youth set-up working. Teasdale admits the board have finally
imposed a deadline for Shackleton to get his take-over bid sorted out, but will not deign
to tell us what the deadline actually is. He criticises Shackleton for taking so long, but
says the final deal will be worth the wait. For who? Meanwhile, Ingleby now says the only
way he will be brought back into the take-over battle will be if the fans call for it and
bring pressure on the board, perhaps sufficient to force an EGM. Is anyone a bit tired of
all this? The football league’s centenary list of 100 legends includes Jimmy McIlroy
and Tommy Lawton.
5/8 Weller goes to train at West Ham, yet
insists he does not wish to leave us. How odd. He says the money offered is not enough,
but Ternent feels players will only deserve to earn more by playing well in a successful
side, rather than narrowly avoiding relegation. Weller goes on to play for West Ham in
their 4-2 win at Orient. Bernard Rothwell thinks Ingleby has a "strong argument"
for having a seat on the board, but this will be up to the new board after an assumed
Shackleton take-over.
6/8 Lancaster 2 Burnley XI 2. Team:
Mawson (McCoy), Scott, Winstanley, Graham, Heywood, West (Williamson), Devenney, Young,
Henderson (Collins), Eastwood, Keven (Woods). Scorers: Henderson and Devenney. Just two
days before the start of the season, only 300 of the expected thousands of new shirts have
arrived in the club shop. Adidas promises them by Friday, two months after they were first
due to arrive. Of English clubs supplied by this shoddy company, only Newcastle
haven’t had problems, oddly enough. Director Bernard Rothwell criticises Adidas, and
is pressing for an urgent meeting. Clarets hero and sportswear shop owner Peter Noble
points out that the club’s decision to sell the few hundred shirts available has only
added to the confusion. Meanwhile, although a Mullin return hasn’t been ruled out,
Ternent considers the acquisition of a goalkeeper and a defender as greater priorities,
and Mullin has (unlike Harrison) been much involved in Sunderland’s pre-season,
performing well in a new role in central midfield. Mark Prudhoe of Bradford is said to be
Ternent’s targeted keeper.
7/8 Steve Morgan finally signs on a one year
contract, but Vince Overson is not offered new terms after training with us over the
summer. He now goes on a month’s trial with Halifax. The club are in dispute with the
local police force over the cost of police held in reserve for matches. The club
doesn’t want to start paying the cost of reserves stationed outside the ground, but
this could simply lead to more police being moved inside. Ingleby threatens to sue
Rothwell over accusations he made that Ingleby had offered payments to individual
directors to break ranks. Shackleton fails to get his take-over sorted out before the
start of the season, although he once promised it would be, and, of about as much
importance, the hated waddle’s Jump has been axed and the team will run out to
Chumbawamba’s Tubthumping. Well, everyone else does. On the eve of the season,
Ternent says, "We are as well prepared as we can be with what we have got."
8/8 THE BIG KICK-OFF. Burnley 2 Bristol
Rovers 1. Scorers: Payton (70 seconds) (31) / Cureton (always scores against us, 8).
Payton gets the first goal in the whole league. Both goals are set up by Glen Little.
Shock news is that Paul Crichton plays in goal. The 29 year-old was signed on a
month’s loan from West Brom on Saturday morning, as Ternent exploits a little known
rule change that keepers can be registered up to three hours before kick-off rather than
noon the day before. He could cost around £200,000. Jepson and Morgan both also take
league bows, the former as a late extra defender, and Ford is taken off with a broken bone
in his ankle. Brass is captain. Full team: Crichton, Brass, Morgan, Ford (C Smith 25),
Blatherwick, Howey (Moore 88), Little, Williams, Cooke, Payton (Jepson 75), P Smith. Att:
11,781. Clarets lie 7th in the table!
10/8 Mark Ford is likely to be out for at
least a couple of months. Speculation is that we will sign Mark Patterson, out of the team
at Bury, and coincidentally a player Heath tried to sign, but he failed a medical then.
11/8 Bury 1 Burnley 1, League Cup 1st
Round 1st Leg. Scorers: Cooke (29) / Matthews (17). Team: Parks, Brass, Morgan,
C Smith, Blatherwick, Howey, Little, Williams (Moore 46), Cooke (Carr-Lawton 84), Jepson
(Henderson 84), P Smith. SNU: Mawson, Robertson. Att: 3,927. Andy Payton fails a late
fitness test on his hamstring. Meanwhile, although Peter Swan is met with chants of
"sign him up" when he comes on the pitch at half time, Ternent says we will not
be signing him, and a Burnley supporter wins £1.3m on the lottery. Paul Crichton was
recalled by West Brom immediately before this game, to stop him getting cup-tied, but this
now means that if he plays for us again he could count as two of the eight available loan
signings.
12/8 Paul Weller returns to Burnley. Harry
Redknapp days he will keep an eye on his progress. Bury announce that both Patterson and
Swan are available on frees.
13/8 Mark Ford is now expected to be out
until November at least. Carl Smith will continue to cover.
14/8 Gavin Ward is the latest goalkeeper to
join us on loan, from Bolton. Ward will not be available for the league cup match, and as
Bolton’s second choice goalie Branagan is injured, he could be recalled at a
day’s notice. Weller resumes training at Burnley, but will not be considered for the
first team until he signs a new deal. Waddle has not signed for Chesterfield, sadly.
15/8 Chesterfield 1 Burnley 0. Reeves
(89) pen. See match report for details. Now 14th in
the table.
16/8 chris waddle is set to sign up for QPR,
according to one of the Sunday papers. A groin strain was responsible for Andy
Cooke’s departure at Chesterfield.
17/8 Andy Marriott joins Sunderland on a
month’s loan. Rumours abound that Ingleby could yet take over the club. It’s
also rumoured that waddle could be on his way to Doncaster in a signing that will
"shock the whole of British football." Ten years ago, maybe. As it happens, it
isn’t him.
18/8 Burnley 1 Bury 4 (2-5 on
aggregate). Team: Parks, Brass, Morgan (Henderson 54), Moore, Blatherwick, Howey
(Carr-Lawton 37), Little, Weller, Jepson (Robertson 34), Payton, P Smith. SNU: Mawson,
Williams. Clarets get injuries and end up out of shape and trying to chase the game, with
predictable results. After all the nonsense, Weller signs a new contract. We are linked to
ex-Leeds fullback Ray Wallace, third choice at Stoke.
19/8 Ternent says he needs "help"
to get things going. This appears to be a euphemism for money. With Cooke, Ford, Jepson,
Howey, Morgan, Little, Payton and Henderson all nursing injuries of varying severity, we
could be seeing some very scratch sides representing our club. Ternent points out that
Bury are recent champions of our division and this shows how far off the pace we are. Tranmere
reserves 0 Burnley reserves 1.
20/8 24 year old Norwegian goalkeeper Frank
Peter Kval is revealed to be training at the club. The Brann Bergen keeper, currently on
loan at Fana, will be available on a free transfer in two months’ time. Meanwhile,
Ray Ingleby’s "right hand man," David Parry, calls on the whole board to
resign. It’s a nice idea, but.
21/8 Kval goes back to Norway. We were unable
to get international clearance for him to play in the reserves. He may return.
22/8 Burnley 0 York 1. Team: Ward,
Brass, Winstanley, Moore, Blatherwick (Heywood 45), Howey (Scott 45), Williams (Eastwood
59), C Smith, Carr-Lawton, Payton, P Smith. Att: 9.715. Afterwards on Radio Lancashire,
Ternent says Blatherwick, Howey, Williams and Winstanley will not play for the club again
while he is manager, and are available for free. He says "they are not right for
Burnley and they are not coming from where I am coming from. They are on the transfer
list. They can go on a free transfer. I want them out of the place. They are no good to
me." With Williams, he says it is more the case that the supporters will never accept
him. He will help them all find another club. When asked about signings, he suggests they
ask the board. If he can’t buy players he will get them on loan. It’s later
rumoured that Ternent has threatened to resign unless he’s given money to buy
replacements. Chris Scott is Derek’s son, by the way, and therefore Brian
Miller’s grandson and David Miller’s nephew. Both he and Matthew Heywood are
youth team products, 18 years old and were due to play in the A team that morning. Now 19th
in the table.
24/8 Stockport reserve keeper Eric Nixon is
said to have turned down a loan move to the club before we signed Ward. It’s rumoured
that we are about to sign Rangers reserve central defender Ryan Reed on loan. Waddle is
set to sign for QPR as soon as his knee injury clears up.
25/8 Ingleby, at the match on Saturday, is
said to be lining up another bid. Mark Robertson resumes training.
26/8 Ternent says he will not change his mind
about the surplus four. Mark Ford will now be out until after Christmas. Has his injury
saved him from a similar fate to other waddle signings?
27/8 Peter Swan and Gordon Armstrong, both of
Bury, are said to be training at the club. Gavin Ward says he wants to say, Steve Morgan
needs cartilage surgery but Andy Cooke is on the mend and Shackleton insists his take-over
bid is still on.
28/8 Swan and Armstrong sign on frees.
Ternent describes them as "no-risk signings" and says more will follow. Both say
they signed to work with Ternent and Swan is delighted to be back. Scarborough, home of
Liam Robinson, Jamie Hoyland and Andy Saville, are rumoured to be interested in
Winstanley. Preston say that, contrary to some reports, they do not wish to add him to
their Clarets rejects collection. Rumours abound that a mystery third bidder is about to
enter the take-over fray. Sigh.
29/8 Walsall 3 Burnley 1. Armstrong
(69) / Brissett (34), Wrack (88, 90 pen). See match report for
details. 20th in table.
31/8 Kval cuts short his season in Norway and
returns to train with Burnley. He is expected to figure in the next reserve game. He could
be available for as little as £20,000. Ternent says things are improving.
