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Round-up - and a pertinent thought
Let us spray...sorry, sprinkle
We stand corrected on Grimsby!
A less-than-enticing FA Cup tie beckons
Click here for December 2002 comment entries.
31 December - news round-up
As is traditional, December has been a quiet month, and not much has happened since our last update.
On the pitch, we lost at Gillingham (no surprise there - it's a bit of a bogey ground), beat Wolves, and then drew at Brighton. So, we've ended the year in twelfth place, and with 36 points - still a way off safety, but set fair for a mid-table finish.
There had been talk of us perhaps taking a couple of players on loan, and indeed Barry Kilby had publicly stated that the Club was interested in loan players, but nothing materialised in the end. The need to strengthen the squad became even more pressing when it transpired that Steve Davis had picked up a knee injury during the Rotherham game, and will be out for around eight weeks. Lee Briscoe was also injured during the Rotherham game, though his (groin) injury is relatively minor, and he is expected back in action soon. More bad news arrived with confirmation that Paul Cook had broken a bone in his shoulder during our home game against Norwich back in November - Cookie had bravely played on through the pain, but it had been clear that something wasn't quite right. We did have one player coming back to the Club, in the shape of Nik Michopoulos, whose loan spell at Crystal Palace is now over.
Otherwise, nothing much has really happened in the last two weeks. The Burnley FC AGM took place on 30th December, and apparently didn't reveal anything new - although one attendee apparently suggested that Sven Goran Eriksson might like to take a look at Robbie Blake! Details of the meeting are available on burnleyfootballclub.com.
Closer to home, the London Clarets' Christmas Social took place after the Gillingham game - providing all present with the perfect excuse to take to drink! A good time was had by all, and if any incriminating photos do surface we'll certainly do our best to put them online!
Finally, and to put other things into perspective, Burnley FC published a message they had received from the family of young Forest supporter Nathan Shaw. The message thanked people for their support, and explained that the family were still trying to come to terms with what had happened. It ended with a plea for fans to think of "Nathan from Nottingham" at all future sporting events. If we only keep one New Year's resolution, without a doubt it should be this one.
16 December - the water jokes are flowing!
It's been a variable month so far on the pitch, with us losing to Man Utd (but with a decent performance), beating Forest, and then being soundly thrashed by Rotherham.
Off the pitch, it's been fairly quiet since our last update. The Club released its accounts for the last financial year, and there was a bit of a fiasco with Brighton tickets (not, we stress, the Club's fault). We'll be commenting on the accounts later, and we detailed the Brighton problem on our Match Tickets page. Not much to smile about there, really.
However, one thing that did make us chuckle was the release of Stan's book, "Stan The Man". Well, not the release of the book as such, but the release of a "snippet" from it. Apparently, so worried was Uncle Stan during his first season in charge that he obtained some holy water from Lourdes, and sprinkled it at strategic points on the pitch. Following that, our fortunes enjoyed a lift, and after losing at home to Preston in March 1999, we didn't lose again all season. Spooky, eh? And here were we thinking that it was signing Paul Cook and Tom Cowan that did the trick!
There's bound to be lots more to laugh about in the book, and we'll be reviewing it just as soon as our copy arrives. In the meantime, if you can't wait until then for something to cheer you up, why not come along to our Christmas Social at the weekend? Full details are in the recently-despatched magazine.
9 December - we have won at Grimsby since 1947
We received an email from Danny West, one of the London Clarets' founding members, reminding us that Burnley have won at Grimsby since 1947. Danny says: "For what it is worth we won at Grimsby in the 3rd round of the Cup in 1973/74, and of course went on to the semi-finals". Completely correct, Danny - for the record, Burnley won 2-0, and went on to lose 2-0 to Newcastle at Hillsborough in March '74.
Before going on to talk about Grimsby, Danny first expressed his shock at the sad death of young Forest supporter Nathan Shaw - a sentiment that we all share. For our Chairman's statement on the tragedy, please click here.
8 December - another trip to Cleethorpes
But first: this week saw Marvellous Marlon signing another month's contract - not the longer one we're all hoping for, but better than nothing. A New Year's resolution for the Club: get that two-and-a-half year deal sorted!
Today saw the draw for the third round of the FA Cup. Dreams of big clubs at home or new grounds were dashed, as Burnley were drawn away at...Grimsby. Apparently we haven't won there since 1947. Ah well, it could have been worse. (It could?) The game is scheduled to be played on the 4th January, and - despite moaning about it! - we'll be there supporting the lads.
December 2002 comment entries
Halfway House
Ticket allocation for "big" home games - your views
Archive main menu
As with all articles on the site, the
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.
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