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Editorial
Issue 130

So, that's that then! Another mediocre season passes into the chequered history of Burnley Football Club. It wasn't all bad when you look back. Yes, there were absolutely horrifying moments, but there were also some wonderful ones too. Ternent in my opinion deserves a great deal of credit for the way he turned things around after the twin humiliations that were Gillingham and lucky City. It would have been easy to just turn his back on the club and resign, but to his eternal credit he stuck with it and turned things around in the last three months of the season. Providing the Board back him with cash during the close season I believe that we could and should make a concerted promotion push next season. What we all need to remember is that the weight of expectation grows heavier each season, and in some ways going into the new season on an eleven match unbeaten run could be a millstone around the neck. After finishing the season on a high everybody is expecting us to carry on in the same vein next season. Hopefully we will get a good start, but if we struggle in the first few games the knockers will be back and confidence will again drop. It is imperative that we start well and get a few wins under our belts. It would also be nice to get past the first round of the Worthington cup for a change and bring a big club back to Turf Moor, or perhaps even Blackburn for a derby between two clubs from the NATIONWIDE League.

Isn't it nice to see them relegated? It just goes to show that when you treat a football club as a toy it ends up the same way - broken. Yes, they may well go up again straight away but this is truly a monumental kick in the pants for the money men. Blackburn are the club that must carry much of the responsibility for the money first mentality and spiralling transfer fees that abound in football today. They have paid out huge amounts on mostly mediocre players, players who would still never have gone near Ewood Park had it not been for the huge wads of money being waved in front of their greedy little faces. A season in the Nationwide will show them where the real football is, and take them away from the overwhelming 'us first - you never' attitude of the Premier League. Welcome back Blackburn, back where you belong.

Playing the fallen aristocrats of East Lancashire next season will be 'Lucky' City. Where on earth the referee found five minutes of injury time Is anyone's guess. It smacked of the 'play till you score' attitude that is so prevalent in football today. Before the game started on Sky, highlights were shown of the semi final at Maine.Road, where Wigan were denied by a couple of diabolical decisions from that upholder of the truth Terry Heilbron. Wigan lost to a blatant handball goal and Heilbron's decision not to award them a penalty that was absolutely clear cut, and to cap it all what happened to the three main players in all this? Joe Royle got promoted, Terry Heilbron took charge of the Division One final at Wembley and Ray Mathias got sacked. In football there Is no justice, so good riddance to City and their arrogant supporters, and off you 90 to your derby with Stockport - you deserve each other.

This may be my last Editorial, so I'd just like to thank all who have contributed this season. Many thanks to you all.

Brent Whittam
April-May 1999