Wednesday 15th November 1995 was a momentous day
in the history of football, yet the events of that day probably passed most of our readers
by. To refresh your memory Crimewatch style, it was the day England were playing
Switzerland in a friendly at Wembley. Indeed most of you, in one way or another, were
probably following the progress of dodgy Terry and his assorted team of Spurs players and
Scribes West regulars, but in East Lancashire a more significant story was unfolding. Some
of our perhaps uniquely ridiculous board of directors were finally flushed out into
daylight and exposed to the wrath of the rabble, like so many helpless animals caught in
car headlights, on a Radio Lancashire phone-in special. Sadly, they couldn't all make it;
our illustrious leader, Mr Teasdale-Out apparently had a `business meeting' to attend
instead.
Perhaps they didn't realise the impression they
were about to make on the faithful, for on the following Saturday at Shrewsbury their
answers were on the lips of all home-based supporters we encountered. Many of them could
quote choice bits of the proceedings verbatim, parrot sketch style. Already the absence of
the chairman had passed into legend, along with the insistence on blaming us, for whom
football is described as a `hobby,' for the professionals' poor performances, and the
cultural gulf in understanding over the concept of supporter representation, about which
they appeared genuinely shocked.
I guess I've made my own views clear. It's
unlikely that many of the exiles have heard this broadcast, or are even aware of its
existence. With that in mind, and as part of Nothing to Write Home About's
continuing drive to bring you more information, we give you edited highlights. Thanks to
my brother who had the good sense to tape the thing, and after several long nights spent
poised over the pause button, there follows a precis of the whole of the discussion. We
make no apology for the length of this. To be honest, the tape is so good we could have
filled many more pages. We dwell in particular on the really important issues. There is no
need to send it up; one cannot improve on our director's magnificent efforts. It needs no
commentary. It is simply sufficient to sit back and watch them shoot at all the feet they
can find. You just couldn't make it up if you tried. We hope you enjoy what looks set to
become our very own `Do I Not Like That?'
Three directors introduce themselves. First
comes smooth-talking Clive Holt, ground director. We'll be hearing a lot of his
southern drawl tonight - he's from Kent around twenty years ago. Next is the hesitant Bob
Blakeborough, another southerner, just over thirty years in the area, in the amusement
machine business, custodian of the commercial side of the club. Then there is the
steadfast northern bluster of Basil Dearing, solicitor, who came to Burnley at the
age of ten. We shouldn't forget Jimmy Mullen, who needs no introduction. Our host
is Gary Hickson.
Caller 1 - How much will the new seats
cost, and what is the break-even attendance? CH "We've managed to get in a few
extra seats" - just over 22,000 capacity. Prices will be similar to existing stands
"I can't see us - the board - changing the policy on pricing...we're a little way off
having to make a decision." Facilities will be much better and hopefully raise more
cash. Caller - that money comes from us. CH "Unfortunately, football is
expensive...players are expensive...prices are going up and we have to keep up with, erm,
with the Joneses as you might say in terms of paying players' contracts...we do try very
hard to make concessions wherever we can." The `East' Stand will be a family stand. G
- Stands are built these days at a fixed cost per seat - how much is ours? CH - The
assumption is of a 10,000 average gate, as it has been for the last three seasons. This
season's is 9,421. G - What cost per seat? CH - Total contract price is
£5.28m, total seats approx 14,700 - "very quick maths, around £400." G
"Who pays for that?" CH - Football Trust will pay in excess of £2.5m,
the club will probably put in £1m, and the rest is being borrowed and paid off over ten
years. Projections have been done adopting a worst case scenario. G - Caller wanted
to know how much it would cost to sit, but no-one knows yet.
Caller 2 - Clive said that the cost of
redevelopment won't stop the manager competing in the transfer market. This is at odds
with a Lancashire Evening Telegraph story which says Mullen must sell before he can
buy. CH "I don't know where the Telegraph got that one from."
Money is there "for the manager if and when he needs it." Newspapers make up
stories. CH hasn't seen the article. BD interjects - "I think it's very
important to make it absolutely clear that lots of things appear in the newspaper for
which there is no, credence. Newspapers in our view make a lot of things up when they're
short of a story, and a lot of these, stories that are made up are particularly damaging,
particularly to the manager...that's one of the reasons why we're here - to try and
correct a lot of rumour." Caller remains sceptical. G - Will
redevelopment affect anything? CH - Ground redevelopment is self-financing but
"there is no such thing as never never, we don't know what is around the corner"
and success would mean more cash for players. Stand money is extra money, not cash
diverted from elsewhere. G to JM - Why only one major signing? JM -
Let's see how the current squad does. Caller - What of the £500k left-over Davis
cash? BB - The manager has a very large squad of players and might want to prune
it. It could be difficult to keep a "happy ship" with so many players. Logic
points to wheeling and dealing. Davis cash has not all yet been received. It's in
instalments over the season. Caller - This is the gist of the paper's story. A Reg
Holdsworth like BD says he doesn't have to sell, but might want to. G to JM
- If he wanted Paul McDonald, would he have the money to sign him? JM "Well
obviously from the conversation we've just heard here now, maybe there's a case that will
be possible."
Caller 3 - How does Mullen pick tactics?
They're confusing - differences between home and away. JM "It's based on two
things...first of all the players that I have available for selection, and who the
opposition" - eg, watched Shrewsbury and saw a few things. Caller - How come
Hoyland gets the captaincy back after being out when he's admitted he's low on form? JM
- Jamie is team captain, "I haven't seen any reason why we should change that." Caller
- What about Tin Man being in and out of the team home and away? JM - Have
discussed it thoroughly with Ted - he doesn't feel he can play midweek games in the case
of two games a week because of his knees. Caller - What happens if Beresford is
injured? JM - David Eyres - "we do spend a lot of time actually in training
working David Eyres as a goalkeeper." G - What is Middlemass' role in team
selection? JM - Look at things together but the final decision is mine.
Caller 4 - Why is Adrian Heath training
with the reserves? JM - He's not as such, simply he isn't in the first team at the
moment, therefore plays and trains with reserves. G to Caller - How did you
get that idea? Caller - Adrian said so on your programme. G confirms this. JM
- He's very much part of the first team squad. G - Why isn't he in the first team? JM
- Heath came to me over the summer and told me he wanted to get into coaching. Will help
him find something, eg recommended him to Stan Ternent at Bury. A fit Heath is in my
plans. G "You've just said it, he's still a good player, he's still got a lot
to give, but you're not selecting him." JM - Sticking by players who put
together a good run. Caller - Is Heath's experience being used on the coaching side
here? JM - Will help him to move. It's also sometimes hard for a player to step up
to coaching the same players he used to mix with as a player, although that isn't
necessarily the case here. G "Can you categorically tell us now that there's
nothing personal between you and Adrian Heath?" JM "No, not at all."
G "You don't feel threatened by him in any way?" JM - No, have the
utmost respect for Heath, will do my best to help him go somewhere. G - And your
future plans? JM "I am as committed to Burnley Football Club as the first day
I walked in here." There's been lots of success, last year's disappointment, now not
far off automatic promotion, Reserves and A Team are top, Youth Team in the next round of
the cup. If that's failure "then I'm a monkey's uncle." Here BD and CH
battle for the next word. CH wins. He's very keen to say this - "We will not
get back without the fans' vocal support for the players, er, let me give you an example,
er, the problem is at the moment, the fans are not with the players, now they can be, as
harsh with the directors and the managers and everybody else, we, we do not play, but
we've got to get behind the players." Quotes Brendan O'Connell as an example of
"a very good player" "hounded out" by "the fans." -
"and this is the situation we're getting now, with all, with our present players,
there's no need to panic, we're 7th in the table, we're five points behind that automatic
promotion place." G "It's a brave one, don't panic, I'm sure
people..." CH (heatedly) "Well okay, if you, if they, if they get be, if,
if, the fans get behind the players, we will win." G "You want them to
separate them." CH agrees - "some of the players ask the question, what
do the fans want, they literally do." Preparation is "destroyed in the first
quarter of an hour because the fans didn't get behind them. I accept that the players have
got to give something to the fans to get them, their encouragement...but if you complain
about the board and manager, fine, we're happy to take it, but not during the ninety
minutes." G to JM - Does criticism affect you family? JM -
Sometimes. It's not nice, but it's a problem of society in general. "I'm in an
industry where it's my livelihood but it's somebody else's hobby." Passion can go too
far and it is better directed positively. G - When would enough be enough? JM
- Can't say. "I've got so much love and passion for Burnley Football Club."
Caller 5 - "I'd like to have asked
this to Mr Teasdale, but obviously, he's not here tonight." BD "Prior
company commitment...it was felt that three of us were quite sufficient...he does send his
apologies." G "You were offered seven dates. He wasn't available for all
those seven dates." BD "Well, there, to be honest, Clive made the
arrangements." CH (hesitates) "There's nothing in it...we're a democratic
board and we felt we could represent the club quite easily. G "But he's the
chairman." CH "We're the board." G "A united
board?" CH - Yes, really. Caller "What position are you prepared
to let this club fall to before you dismiss the current manager?" CH - Very
unfair - "If you support the club then we will get promotion. If you don't support
the club and you get on the back of everybody, we will, we'll end up in the middle of the
table...that's a very clear message to everybody out there." Full support for Jimmy. Caller
asks him to answer the question. BD - We can't answer that question. It depends.
Directors rescued this club from disaster, tremendous progress in last ten years, etc.
"I think your real gripe is that we were relegated...now there are all sorts of
reasons for our relegation last year which, one could go into and we could probably spend
the next 20 minutes going into the reasons why we were relegated last year." G
"Can you give us a couple of ideas?" BD "Well, mm, mm, one of, mm,
everybody has their own ideas, but, I hold the personal view that continuity of team
selection is important." We went down because we never got this, due to injuries and
suspensions. G "That is a common problem." BD "Yes, but some
people are lucky, some are unlucky." Caller "What a lot of waffle that
was." Mullen is an employee of the board - have you given him targets? If you haven't
you're being unfair to him - everyone in business is given targets and goals. BB,
apparently startled when pushed into answering by BD - There was "a good heart
to heart discussion" after the bad run this season, but then results picked up. As a
whole, the club is the best it's been since they joined the board. CH "Let me
give you another example. In business, if you have twenty plumbing companies, for example,
all twenty companies can be successful. In a football league, er, you can have twenty
companies in the league, and only six, er, six are successful. The rest are considered
failures. Football's like that." G "The six who are successful do it
better than the others" Caller is unhappy with the answer. G "Did
you at any time in the last twelve months vote on Mr Mullen's future?" CH
"No." BB "No, it's never got to that stage...we've never had a
vote." Caller "Well it's about time you did." CH "Well
that's your opinion."
Caller 6 "Given this board's
historically poor methods of communication with the supporters, could this be improved by
having some supporter representation on the board?" There is a stunned silence. CH,
hesitatingly - board could get too large - directors have financial commitment to club -
they're happy to meet supporters - "I don't think it's appropriate." BD,
indignantly, with a hint of patronising explanation - "We are all supporters of the
club ourselves, we're not like some of these directors who come from 200 miles away on a
Saturday to watch the match and disappear. I live and work in Burnley." He talks to
people. G "But you watch the match in the director's box." BD
"Absolutely, but I talk to the people." G "But that's missing the
point, I mean, come on, be fair, you know what he means, he means a fan on the
board." Shouts of "No, no" from CH and BD. CH "No
I can't agree with you. We're probably the more committed supporters of anybody." G
"Well maybe, I beg to disagree with that, I beg to disagree. We know what the
gentleman's asking for - a representative of fans be on the board." - they've had to
do it elsewhere in troubled times. Caller "It's a cul de sac...it's not
surprised me." G - Being a fan is different to being a director. BD
"I'm, I'm sorry, again, I, I, again I can't agree with you because you see, what can
a fan say?" G "He can tell you things you don't know." BD
"What can he tell us that we don't know?" G "He can stand in
different places than you, he probably goes to the toilet in a different toilet than you
got to, probably watches the game differently than you do." BD - talks to
people about catering. G "What detriment is it to you to have a fan on the
board?" BD "Not necessarily." G "So why's there the big
argument of saying no?" BD "No, but, but, I'm trying to be
constructive." G "So am I." BD "Why do we need one? Why
should we have one?" G "Well you've answered the question. We'll move on.
You don't need one. You don't need one." BB, seeming genuinely bewildered -
"But what could a fan possibly contribute to the running of the club?" G
"A voice of the supporters...how many years is it since you've actually done anything
like this?" CH, attempting jocularity - "It's the first time we've been
invited on. We've not been invited on." G, with anger - "Excuse me.
Excuse me. Let's not start all that if you don't mind from the old phone-in. How many
times have we been corrected about things we may have said about the directors, we may
have done this? I said it's a honest night, Clive. It's going to be honest. If you want to
pull things out let's put it out. I don't want to turn it like that. What about the
chairman who doesn't speak? What about the chairman who doesn't speak?" BD
"No I'm sorry, Ga, Gary, I think, I've got to say, it's unfair to the chairman to
criticise him in his absence. Frank did come on and do a lengthy interview with David
Edmondson last year at the request of Radio Lancashire." G "I said if you
wanted to that's fine. I've already said it on air. Did Mr Teasdale answer any question
that was put to him? The answer is no, he answered questions that were written down for
him, vetoed questions he wouldn't answer. If you want to be honest, let's be honest. Let's
not mess around." CH "Let me be clear tonight, we have not seen any of
the questions." G "Well everyone thinks you have and I'll tell them you
haven't." CH offers to come back again.
Caller 7 - It's our club, don't
forget. It's time to get hold of some "serious money." Have they approached
anyone? CH - No-one was interested when we joined the board. These are just
rumours. Serious money would be seven figures. "I'm sorry, there isn't a Jack Walker
for Burnley so far." G "Is there a Mr Crosland?" CH "Mr
Crosland, I have it on good authority, is not interested in football full stop." -
categorically deny anyone has approached the board with a big enough figure, eg, £1m. BD
- the club is the people's, the fans have been brilliant, their support has been the main
cause of our success - keep the vocal support coming. Caller is sceptical.
"They just want the power. They run it, sort of thing, like a golf club." Would
they give 51% of shares to someone with the cash? BD "I would anticipate that
you would." BD and CH - No-one has made that kind of offer. Caller
- Has now stopped going until something changes after attending since 1958. Unhappy last
year with twelve sendings-off, Paul Stewart and John Gayle, dressing room rows, locked
doors, clear the air meetings to name a few. CH - A lot of it is untrue. G -
But gates are down. BB - A string of good results should bring people back -
"Let's hope that people take a realistic view and continue to support the club."
Caller "Is there anything you can say to the thousands who've started to stop
away from Burnley to bring them back?" - People don't blame him for not going,
players don't want to play, they have bad attitudes. CH - Against Notts County they
"fought like tigers...they certainly did give us a performance and a half."
Walsall was down to the magic of the FA Cup.
Caller 8 - Where are the youth team
players? The only decent one we've produced in years is John Mullin. JM - Mullin
was offered a contract generous compared to our other players of his age, but his agent
put ideas into his head about "so-called bigger clubs." Mullin would have made
it for us this season. Youth team is going well, players from it have figured recently,
eg, Borland, Brass, Dowell, Weller. G - None of these are established. JM -
One of them is getting very close to becoming established. Caller - We used to put
18 and 19 year olds into the first team in Division One - "need to restore the
reputation of the youth team." JM agrees. Caller - Young players now go
to other clubs when once they would have come to us - they would have known it as a good
step into first team football. This is the only way to get success as we can't compete in
the transfer market.
Caller 9 - Eyres used to play left wing
and get lots of goals - now he's a striker and he doesn't get many, or play well. JM
- David "would you believe" got some stick off supporters last season playing
wide, his confidence went, and in the summer asked to play forward when the chance came
up. As luck would have it, the chance came up quickly. Quite pleased with his performance.
Could still be played wide. Caller - Give Cooke a chance. JM - Also in my
thoughts. Caller "Can you just tell me why on earth you payed £250k for Liam
Robinson?" JM "Liam's been a bit unfortunate" - we did sign him from
another first division club. Caller "He wasn't really any good then." JM
"That's an opinion you have." Caller "It's a popular opinion
though." JM "Hasn't had the best of times...these things happen."
Liam's a great pro and restored confidence will see him pushing for a place. Caller
"You said you assessed the opposition and built your tactics on that. Don't you think
it'd be better to build the tactics on our strengths and not the opposition's
strengths?" JM "Sometimes, sometimes." Caller "It should
be all the time."
8 O'clock comes and the phone-in is due to end.
Gary asks if the panel can stay. JM and BD have to leave. CH and BB
are left to field questions. CH then takes this opportunity to make a PR
announcement about the development of the Longside gym, incorporating community services,
fitness room, creche, cafe and facilities for indoor and outdoor sports. It's in
conjunction with Burnley Health Trust, Burnley Borough Council and Burnley FC Community
Programme. Some money will come from the council, the rest is hoped for from the National
Lottery, but this depends on expressions of enthusiasm for the scheme, which the public
are duly invited to send in.
Caller 10 - Why do we sign old players? CH
- Some of the best players are old. Caller, who has a tendency to say "let's
be honest about it" and "they know it" has stopped going because he's
"sick of it" - Directors know fans are stopping away. G - Gates are down.
CH "Gates are marginally down." G "You've played worse than
this and still got your gates, so there's something going on somewhere. They're voting
with their feet." Has the board met on this situation? CH - We're missing the
"buzz." -need to win matches - last season was a disappointment. Caller -
We're no good. CH - We're better than a lot of teams in the division - we are
seventh. Caller - You're not doing anything to get people back. CH "The
only way to adjust that is to win matches." Caller - Thousands of fans don't
live in Burnley. Potential of a big club is being wasted. BB - This is
disappointment over last season and the failure to sign more players this summer. CH
berates caller for not going to the Friday night Walsall game - "Okay, you didn't
go," (grumpily), "that will not help the Football Club. If you get behind the
players they will give you results." Clive explains his involvement in the club - he
came up north, hates our weather, is a Gillingham fan, watched Burnley fall apart,
criticised the set up and was asked to "put his money where his mouth is." The
board have done alright - a little more patience and things will get better - "If you
want to moan and groan at me. I've got broad enough shoulders, you can do that, quite
happily. I do not mind." G "But how do they get to you Clive?" CH
- They can write, he will do more radio. Caller complains that they don't do
anything. G "In all honesty, isn't this a start?" Caller
"Well look who hasn't turned up tonight. That tells you a tale in itself. Who cares
about Burnley Football Club if the bloody Chairman can't turn up?" CH - Unfair
Caller - People play money and they can't turn up for them - "What hope have
Burnley Football Club got?" CH complains about phone-ins and the emotional
over-reacting they involve. G - What are Teasdale's long-term plans? CH -
The same. Frank is the most dedicated worker for the club. Spends probably "75%"
of his time on Burnley. Plans to stay although "we never know what's around the
corner...if this programme had been a week earlier it probably would have been a different
tone." FT won't be standing down. G - Have you yourselves cost cash to put in?
CH - Although they're not poor men, they're not rich in football terms. G -
Given a choice between being directors of Burnley in the Endsleigh League or fans in the
Premier League, which would they choose? BB - From a personal point of view, not
speaking for the others, he'd be quite happy to do it. G - And that's never
happened? BB "It has never occurred...certainly not to my knowledge...as
directors if it had happened we certainly should have been informed."
Caller 11 "I've sat patiently
listening to see if there's any tangible signs that they're accepting the criticism
here." - Is it a simple as "cheer on the Clarets and things will get better...do
they see that as the only solution?" CH - No but "help the players and
they will do better." Also need the players to play well and to "attract more
attractive players...we've obviously got something wrong because we've got you all on our
backs at the moment. And we've got to work and work very hard to win you all round and of
course the easiest way to do that is for Jimmy and his lads to win some games." G
"Taken in a nutshell Clive, it sounds like Jimmy's got to get his act together and
the fans have got to get their act together and you're alright." CH fumbles -
they can do better. G "Have you learnt anything from this process
tonight?" CH "We know only too well that we've got a lot of unhappy
fans...but there's a lot of things going for the club", eg, the redevelopment and
facilities. People judge on first team results but a lot of other things are going well. Caller
"What's the most important thing you've learned tonight?" CH "I
think we need to improve our PR and explain ourselves more to the fans." G -
This comes back to the fan on the board when it got heated. CH "Erm, I, I
think there's a lot of factors involved." He does listen to people.
Caller 12 - Any chance of naming the new
Longside stand after Ben Lee? CH - There will be a memorial, but sponsorship is the
bottom line - is talking to companies BB "Commercial situation" - cash
injection - naming after any person unlikely unless a company wants to include that
person's name. It has to be a "financial decision." All parts of the ground
could be sponsored. G - Has it been good to discuss the rumours that have been
around so long? BB "I do believe that we should be open with the fans. I, I
don't think any of the fans have said anything that I hadn't already heard of already, and
when you talk about a fan going onto the board, I don't think that would necessarily
benefit us providing we're always prepared to listen to what people are saying in the
street."
Caller 13 - Why didn't the club try to
buy Bert Freeman's FA Cup shirt and medal? CH - His personal view is
"Burnley's got an illustrious past but I'm looking to the future." Other
directors disagreed. "Efforts were made to bid for it. Unfortunately they were
unsuccessful." Caller "No efforts were made to bid for it from Burnley
Football Club." Supporters Club tried but didn't get it - CH is not telling the
truth. CH "I wasn't involved in it." Caller - It's a unique
artefact. "Burnley is a town team and the Burnley fans are very passionate about the
club and I think, by their lack of action in this matter, I think they haven't grasped
what Burnley Football Club means to the Burnley fans...and I think this is why the fans
don't trust this particular board to run the club." - It's a one-off, part of our
history. CH "We haven't got a bottomless pit...very ambitious rebuilding
programme" plus players to buy - priorities. You can't have everything. Caller
- You could have had both shirt and medal for just £7k. The programme ends. Phew!
Fairly gripping stuff, eh? It loses a
little in translation; you really need to hear the notes of patronising explanation and
utter puzzlement. I got a sense, however inaccurate, that our directors looked down on
these common people with their flat Northern vowel sounds. I have a slight gripe that we
are constantly referred to as `fans' rather than supporters; I am a supporter of
Burnley. I am certainly not a fan. But leaving aside a touch of the Alan
Partridges, the host does well in the face of a good amount of stonewalling and
question-dodging from the panel. It's interesting that the issue of a fan on the board is
continually returned to by the directors. It clearly got under their skin. The other
highlight is Clive Holt's attempt to lay the blame for poor performances at our door. What
about the credit for good ones? How does this fit in with the idea that we are paying
customers? Would any other business blame its customers for a poor product? If our
services are so essential, can we be expected to be paid for them? Will we receive a
refund if the promised promotion does not result? The command to support at all costs is
merely Stalinism applied to football. Still, it's nice to have Clive's permission that we
can have a go at him. Don't worry, Clive, we will.
I remain a confirmed Mullen Outer, but I now
think I may have allowed myself to be distracted. Just as I find it hard to get excited on
Saturday afternoons, suspecting the real action - or lack of it - is occurring elsewhere,
I now think the main issue is not so much when our manager goes as the fact that the same
bunch of incompetents will decide on his replacement. While amateurs - however
enthusiastic - continue to pull the strings, I have little hope for the future of our
club. For me, the saddest thing is that when a director asks, "but what could a fan
possibly contribute to the running of the club?" he thinks he is asking a rhetorical
question.
Firmo
December-January 1995-96
