Trolling through your website as I am wont to
do when I have so much work I don't know where to start, enjoying the reminiscences of
games / seasons / players of a bygone era, I noticed that in a recent poll, Brian O'Neil
was voted the Burnley hard man. Far be it from to dispute this decision. Brian O'Neil is
in my best Burnley team of all time.
However, I was surprised at the lack of a nomination for a certain Colin
Blant. There were several other nominations, and I must confess that they were just names
to me, as I left the shores of Merry England during the 86/87 season, after a particularly
appalling display at Rochdale on a Tuesday night when the rain was torrential and the
football abysmal. We lost 1-0 and I couldn't believe we had become that bad.
May I tentatively put forward Colin Blant's name should you ever run this
poll again. To me, Colin was the master of the mistimed tackle. The sound of boot on shin
bone was a reassuring sound at Turf Moor when Colin was playing.
I do recall that even some Burnley fans used to wince when Colin was in
action, and I cannot believe that the likes of Robbie Savage would be leaping up in the
air celebrating a penalty when Colin was around. There was no "Wot me ref?" when
Colin was cautioned; he accepted the ref's decision with the same expression he wore at
all times on the football pitch - some would say vacant, but not me.
I cannot remember Colin ever being sent off in a game and this, I believe,
was his genius. He made it all look so accidental .The big clearance which connected with
somebody's ankle - sheer poetry.
You will by now have gathered that I am somewhat of a Colin Blant fan. As
a youngster he was a role model for how the game should be played. No rolling about in
pretend agony and dives that would be best suited to Acapulco. When opponents had been
tackled by Colin they stayed down - and sometimes twitched.
I also have great admiration for John Angus and Brain Miller. They had the
added attribute that they could play football as well, and I well remember John Angus
following Terry Paine of Southampton all over the football field in one particular game.
Now John Angus rarely ventured beyond the half way line and the Burnley fans were soon
asking "What's he up to?" The answer, of course, came a few minutes later, with
Terry Paine in lots of it near the Southampton corner flag and John Angus trotting back 30
yards away with a totally innocent look on his face.
I'd better get back to work now, but the reports of seasons / games /
players of the past is great and brings back many happy memories.
I left Burnley in October 1980 and have lived in the US ever since. From 1964 to 1980, if I missed three games a season, that was about it.
In regards to the plea for Colin Blant he was a hard man, but was never a good player. I met him personally a number of times and he was a great guy, though. He was from Rossendale, I think.
Brian O’Neil is probably the hardest Burnley have ever had in my time, but my second choice, whom you seem to have missed, was Gordon Harris. With Harris and O’Neil in the line up it was always fun to watch.
