1/11 The reserve home match against Bolton is
called off due to a waterlogged pitch. Graham Taylor of Watford wins the Manager of the
Month Award, despite taking 14 points from 6 games compared to our 15. Ternent dives into
the row about the England manager appointment, saying, "I would have preferred an
English manager and I find it incredible that we haven't got someone who a Scotsman and a
guy from Border Television don't think is good enough to manage England."
2/11 Cyber chaos reigns as Burnley FC reinstate their new official site at the
old address of www.clarets.co.uk. In doing so, they inadvertently disconnect all the
subscribers to the Clarets Online internet service – rumoured to be 700 customers
– who lose their dial up connection, e-mail address, and free web space. The club had
previously encouraged Burnley supporters to sign up for these accounts. Among those
affected by this mistake are the websites of CISA, Accrington Clarets and South West
Clarets, which disappear. The only recently launched new front page of the London Clarets
site is also lost, along with our address of www.london.clarets.co.uk. Ternent says the
weather has had an impact on training, with waterlogged pitches meaning most is taken
indoors, and the lack of reserve matches is leaving fringe players short of a workout.
3/11 A further meeting between board and supporters club representatives is
announced for Friday 15 December. The club confirm that the Clarets Online internet
service will not be reinstated. Their 'apology' reads: "Burnley Football Club
apologise that the transfer of the domain name www.clarets.co.uk, to our current server,
has affected Website and Email addresses. We were not aware that this transfer would cause
these problems. The domain name, clarets.co.uk, is owned by the football club and was part
of our previous web provider Subnet. We have now managed to secure the rights to this
address and we did not foresee this as a problem. The change of address has had a serious
effect on three websites that are officially recognised by the football club. They are
Accrington Clarets Supporters Club, South West Clarets Supporters Club and CISA (Clarets
Independent Supporters Association). We will endeavour to offer these three organisations
and all other officially recognised supporters clubs the opportunity to advertise
forthcoming events, web addresses, ticket information etc. through our range of
publications, which include: Official Website; Matchday Programme; Season Ticket
Newsletter; Public Address System; Club Notice boards. We sincerely apologise for the
problems encountered and Burnley Football Club will endeavour to help our Supporters
Clubs' resolve any issues. Our recommendation is for you to re-direct your site through a
reputable server such as Freeserve, Excite which can be done free of charge. Or
alternatively purchase your own domain name, which would enable you to stand independently
on the web." Ternent says he will definitely not be signing Nicky Daws from Bury,
hopefully ending the longest running and most boring story of his reign. He says, "I
have been here two and a half years and I think if I was going to sign him I would have
done. That's not a priority area at the moment." The Football League issues a
statement explaining why Graham Taylor was named Manager of the Month after receiving
calls from angry Clarets. Their Press Officer John Nagle says, "When the awards were
announced Burnley were complimented and although Watford got one less point, as they had
gone top of the table and overhauled Fulham and as they are now the only unbeaten team in
the League is was thought it was fair to reward Graham Taylor. Also that 5-0 defeat did
count against Burnley in the final verdict." Gary Megson doesn't share their opinion.
West Brom's current manager comments, "I can't understand why Stan Ternent hasn't
managed in the Premiership. If he had managed some fashionable club in the lower divisions
then I'm sure he would have been a Premiership manager by now. I'm not surprised to see
Burnley where they are in the table." The reserve match against Barnsley, due to be
played next week, is postponed, as they have a first team game on the same day. Rumour has
it that we may be after Rochdale striker Clive Platt. He’s 23 years old and
6’4". Rochdale signed him from Walsall for £100,000 in 1999.
4/11 West Brom 1 Burnley 1. Scorers: Branch (23) / Roberts (87). Team:
Michopoulos (Crichton 15), Thomas, Cox, Davis, Weller, Briscoe, Mellon, Ball, Cook
(Johnrose 66), Branch, Payton (Mullin 73). SNU: Cooke and Jepson. Att: 17,828. See our match report for details. We go 5th, and are
the highest placed team in Lancashire. Michopoulos' substitution means a return at a club
where he is hated for Paul Crichton, who is cheered onto the pitch by both sets of fans,
albeit for different reasons. After four Burnley bookings Ternent says "I'm happy
with the performance because it was a very competitive game and a good match, played in a
very good and competitive spirit but never in a malicious way. You've got to get five
bookings and you can be up for the FA and fined heavily. There's going to be no tackling
left in the game anymore because I don't think there was a real bad tackle out there yet
there were seven bookings. It's quite incredible. We're in the top six and West Brom have
been in the top six and are trying to get back there so you'd expect it to be competitive.
Not malicious but competitive, with good honest endeavour and commitment. I think they're
working to rule, in my view. Referees have a very difficult task and if they don't do as
the powers-that-be ask them to then they'll be off the list. I thought this chap was okay,
apart from the bookings, and I've explained the reason why I feel there were so
many." About the game as a whole, he comments, "It's a step in the right
direction and it's another good point. We maintain a top-six position and after the hiccup
we had at Forest we've won at home and we've drawn away and every point in this division
is vitally important to us. The players have a desire and a will to be successful and I'm
quite happy with it at the moment." Of Crichton, Ternent adds, "He came back and
did extremely well. I'm glad I've got a dodgy goalie." Robinson’s absence from
the squad sparks speculation that he will return to Wimbledon. The first meeting of the
new West Midlands Clarets supporters club takes place before the game.
5/11 More dubious transfer rumours have Burnley about to sign a player not
wanted by a struggling first division club, Jason McAteer, and someone who came on as a
late sub for West Brom, James Quinn. Meanwhile, baffling rumours are reported in the
Sunday chip wrappers that both Derby County – who have just gone to so much trouble
to extricate Colin Todd from Swindon – and Sheffield Wednesday want to install
Ternent as manager.
6/11 The Lancashire Youth Cup game against Rochdale is postponed, apparently
because Rochdale have an FA Youth Cup game to play instead. The game is rescheduled for
the following Monday. Barry Kilby says Ternent won't be going anywhere. About the Sunday
rumours he comments, "There's been no contact. It's the first I've heard of it."
7/11 A new sports hall at the Children’s Adventure Farm in Knutsford is
named in honour of Burnley youth player Ben Lee, who died after falling through the roof
of the Longside in 1992. Paul Crichton says of his reception at West Brom, "I looked
at the fixture list and I would have loved to have played in that game. Circumstances
meant I wasn't in the team but I managed to get on. They hate me, basically, and the
reaction told it all. I had a bit of a bad time there and the fans never took to me. It
would have been nice to win 1-0 and if we had I think I would have still been celebrating.
I am old enough and long enough in the tooth not to worry about that." Ternent says
that Michopoulos will be fit for the next match, despite some speculation that he will
miss a month. A representative of the Accrington Clarets attends a delegation to Brussels
to protest against plans for the scrapping of transfer fees.
8/11 In an incoherent statement, the official Burnley website appears to
criticise unofficial websites, and seems to suggest that supporters should only use their
site. The item is headed, "THE BURNLEY FOOTBALL CLUB STANCE ON UNOFFICIAL COMMERCIAL
WEBSITES," and reads: "Burnleyfootballclub.com is part of the 72 club Football
League Internet partnership with media giant NTL. NTL have invested £Millions in this
project. B.F.C. have already been paid £several hundred thousand, just for signing up to
the deal and will receive £several hundred thousand more in the coming months. This will
be paid to the clubs on the same % of traffic and use that they bring to the partnership.
There is £9 million to share this season between the clubs. If, out of the 72 clubs,
B.F.C. brings 5% of the traffic B.F.C. earns £450,000, bring 10% and B.F.C. earns
£900,000. We do not have to explain what this means to B.F.C.! The more supporters use
the site the more Burnley Football Club earns. Every Official story breaks out on
burnleyfootballclub.com We also issue stories every morning and every afternoon. The most
popular time for hits on the site is lunchtime and 8pm till 9pm, the rest of the hits are
then spread out evenly through the rest of the day. Clearly fans are looking and
re-looking for the breaking stories, thousands of B.F.C. fans form all around the world
are creating millions of page impressions. The club is not against Supporters sites, we
are more than happy for supporters sites such as CISA, Accrington Clarets, London Clarets
and South West Clarets to have a site to talk Burnley. We meet with these clubs and they
know the importance of burnleyfootballclub.com and will use the Official news.
Burnleyfootballclub.com is about to include a section that reviews the latest news and
speculation. We wil review 10 sites a day and include all the latest speculation. It will
save you from doing it yourself! There are 4 or 5 sites that are trying to exploit Burnley
Football Club and its fans and also make money on the back of the club. These sites we are
opposed to. You can see from the first paragraph that burnleyfootballclub.com will help us
to raise more finance and our first priority at the club will always be the team. The team
will be the winner. Any site working against that is obviously not welcome by the club or
fans. Burnley Football Club, The Football League and NTL have copyright and trademark
ownership of the club badge, several trademark's, the fixture list, league tables,
Matchday photography, Matchday footage and commentary. Anyone using these items without
Official sanction from the club and without signing a B.F.C. or Football League contract
will have action taken against them. The message is clear......use burnleyfootballclub.com
daily to help your club." Astonishing. All spelling and grammatical errors have been
left unchanged, by the way. Burnley Council put back a decision on the sale of Fulledge
Rec for redevelopment as a cricket ground, inviting both Burnley FC and the cricket club
to make a formal approach setting out their plans for the development. The club’s
annual meeting of shareholders is set for Monday 11 December. Alan Lee is reckoned to be
close to moving to Rotherham. Their manager Ronnie Moore says, "The lad's enjoyed it,
done well and wants to come." All good things come to an end, and after more than a
month, our East Lancashire rivals go back above us. We shuffle down to 6th.
9/11 Phil Gray signs for bottom of the second division side Oxford on a free
transfer. He says, "I wanted regular First Team football and just want to score goals
for my new Club… It's just one of those things that happen but there are no
regrets." Oxford's manager David Kemp says "I’m delighted to sign Phil who
is a quality player." Gray, of course, only scored one goal for Burnley, on the
opening day of the season at Bolton, and lost his first team place due to injury.
Altogether he played in five league and three league cup games, and he had been rumoured
to be unhappy at being left out of the team. Although it had been thought that Paul
Robinson would return to Wimbledon, it's revealed that he is still eligible to play
against Sheffield Utd. Meanwhile, 19 year old Anthony Shandran signs a contract that runs
to the end of the 2002/2003 season. Current Rochdale manager Steve Parkin says we haven't
made any attempt to sign Clive Platt. Glen Little returns to training after his hamstring
injury.
10/11 And it looks like Ternent is having a clearout, as Alan Lee signs for
Rotherham. The deal, said to be around £150,000, matches their transfer record. Lee
scored one goal for Burnley, in the Auto Windscreens shield game at Wigan. He played quite
a few games as sub at the start of last season, before succumbing to a ligament injury,
which kept him out until March. He did not play a first team game for Burnley this season,
getting only as far as an unused sub in the home league cup match against Crystal Palace.
Rotherham's manager Ronnie Moore comments, "I'm delighted we've been able to complete
the deal. Getting a player of Alan's stature is a massive coup for this club and we're all
really pleased. Alan leads the line well and he'll do a great job for us. He needs a bit
of extra work with his finishing but the goals will start to come, It may mean a few extra
afternoons on the training ground, but he is big enough to cope with that. I'm not
complaining about the flaws in his game though - if he didn't have any he would probably
have cost us over £1m." Lee says, "I'm delighted to be here and have been made
to feel wanted by everyone while I've been on loan, including the supporters who have
really got behind me." Ticket details are unveiled for the Blackburn home game.
Initial requirements are for four 2000-2001 season home match ticket stubs, with one from
August or September. After a week three stubs will be enough, and after another week two,
if there are any tickets left. Despite the fact that Davis and Thomas only need another
booking to be suspended, Ternent tells them to play their usual game. The youth team's
game against Wigan, scheduled for tomorrow, is postponed. Aren't they always?
11/11 Burnley 2 Sheffield Utd 0. Scorer: Payton (pen 54, 66). Team: Michopoulos,
Thomas, Cox, Davis, Briscoe, Weller (Little 54), Mellon, Ball, Johnrose, Branch (Jepson
81), Payton (Mullin 88). SNU: Crichton and Cooke. Att: 16,635. See
our match report for details. We go - bloody hell - 4th in the table. Glen
Little comes on as a sub in his first game since injury, while Ronnie Jepson's substitute
appearance is his 50th such. Paul Cook misses the game with a knee injury,
which will require a scan as a precaution, handing his first start of the season to
Johnrose. The national farce that is our railway system means that the London Clarets
travelling contingent does not arrive until 2.55. Ternent comments on the game, "I
thought it was a comprehensive win today. There were some quality individual performances
and above all else a cracking team performance. It was only a matter of time before we
scored the goal and it was a penalty… I wanted to bring Blakey back and give him a
run. I couldn't start with him because that would have been totally unfair, but he has
gone on and done extremely well for us in a good 35 to 40 minutes performance and I am
glad to have him back… We're creating chances and sooner or later we'll get a lot of
goals in a game, but the main thing is that we won the match." He adds, "We've
got 32 points, so another seven wins will maintain a First Division status for us. The
sooner we get them the better and then we look at what else is on offer, hopefully. If
they keep playing like that they will difficult to beat and all credit to the players.
They were fantastic. And I'm a granddad now, with a little grand-daughter, so it's been a
smashing weekend." We are the only unbeaten side at home in the division. And we're
once again the best team in Lancashire, climbing above our rivals. Alan Lee scores for
Rotherham in their 3-0 win at Brentford. The game sees the launch of the Claret credit
card
12/11 35 year old Man City midfielder Ian Bishop says that Burnley and
Gillingham tried to take him on loan, but were rebuffed. A loveable rumour says that Ian
Moore's wife has been enquiring about property in the Burnley area. Meanwhile, Dean West
is supposed to be ready to leave, and is allegedly attracting the interest of his old club
Bury, along with Sheffield Utd. Other strikers supposed to be coming to Turf Moor, ooh,
any day now, honest, in weekend rumours are Darius Vassell from Villa and Dean Sturridge
from Derby.
13/11 Burnley Youth 1 Rochdale Youth 0 in the Lancashire Youth Cup. Paul Barrett
scores the goal, and the team is: Salisbury, Leeson, Zajac, Pilkington, Davis, Leary,
Henry, Fogerty (Grimes 75), Barrett, Hindle, Waine. SNU: Locke, A Smith, R Smith, Whelan.
Rochdale's youth team is run by Jamie Hoyland and David Hamilton. Surprisingly, despite
the fact that he hasn't been around much recently, we sign Paul Robinson on a second
month's loan. The club issue a fresh statement on the internet, with Andrew Watson saying,
"Our stance with what maybe regarded as unofficial publications may surprise some
people. But there is nothing wrong with hearing it as it is! Likewise, with our stance on
supporters' internet sites. We made it clear last week that WE ARE NOT AGAINST SUPPORTERS
SITES, WE ARE MORE THAN HAPPY WITH THEM. The club is against a few national sites who are
using the club's intellectual property and the club is taking the necessary action. The
club and its fans are what counts." So that's cleared that one up then? Bob Lord's
Sausage fanzine reveal that the club's motto of 'Pretiumque et Causa Laboris' has been
consistently mistranslated. Said to mean 'the prize is the cause of our labours' when the
club adopted the old Borough motto in August 1999, it in fact means 'the prize and the
cause of our labours'. Now you know.
14/11 Peter Swan retires from football, having picked up a cartilage injury in a
pre-season game with York City. Everyone's best friend in football plans to go into
management with his best friend, John Beresford. York's manager Terry Dolan says, "We
have lost our leader on the field." Meanwhile, Paul Cook hasn't damaged his
cartilage, as first feared. Ternent pontificates about progress to date. He comments,
"We're doing all right, although there is a long way to go. I hope we will be taken
seriously after 46 games. However, we still don't get a mention and it does bother me as I
feel that the players deserve more recognition, but if we keep at it hopefully media
opinion will start to come around. We are not one of the fancied teams like Fulham,
Watford or Blackburn, Bolton and Birmingham. We're not in their group but if we keep
working hard then we soon will be."
15/11 Burnley Reserves 1 Oldham Reserves 2. Our goal comes from Shandran. Team:
Paxton, West, Devenney, Brass, Armstrong, Heywood, Maylett, Jepson (Williamson 45), Cooke
(Shandran 45), Robinson, Mullin (Kevan 45). SNU: Scott and Boardman. Andy Cooke is booked
for allegedly diving, and as this is his fifth booking of the season, now incurs a one
match ban, which will come in the home game against Nottingham Forest. This is Paul
Robinson's first match for the reserves. Rumours that Ian Wright is set to come back to
Burnley explode all over the media. It appears he has been seen training with the team.
The club say that he was in the area to visit his friend Mitchell Thomas, and dropped in
on a training session to have a workout and meet the team. Ternent says there is "no
chance" of him making a comeback. Burnley announce that they have invested in some
covers for Turf Moor in a bid to prevent matches being rained off again. The covers,
called 'Matchsaver', will be installed in December and will take twenty minutes to unfurl.
They are also available for sponsorship! Groundsman Arthur Bellamy says that only fog or
poor conditions off the pitch will see a match called off. A new Burnley supporters' club
formed in the summer, the Burnley Clarets Supporters Club, change their name to Claret and
Blue Supporters Club. The change comes after the club ask them to change their name, with
the Burnley Supporters Club apparently concerned that it is too similar to theirs. A
shocking rumour says that we might be planning to sign Colin Hendry from Coventry. Chris
Lucketti from Huddersfield is another linked name.
16/11 The club unveils its accounts for 1999/2000. Turnover increased from
£3.6m to £5.6m, comprised of 57% football revenue and 43% commercial income. The wage
bill (for all club employees) rose from £2.8m to £4.3m, making up 75% of the turnover.
Annual losses drop slightly from £1.8m to £1.6m. Football income increased from £2m to
£3.2m, while commercial income went up to £2.4m from £1.6m, with corporate sales
contributing £629,000, more than twice as much as the year before when it was £299,000,
catering up to £873,000 from £650,000, commercial sales increased to £123,000 from
£107,000, leisure centre income at £221,000 from £197,000 and merchandise up to
£592,000 from £344,000. Average gates went up to 12,936 from 10,606, a 21% rise. As for
targets, the club are aiming for turnover to grow 40% to £8m with commercial revenue
growing to £4m. The club reveal that 12,300 season tickets have now been sold, compared
to 6,800 in 1999/2000. It targets further redevelopment of the ground (to the middle part
of the Jimmy McIlroy Stand, more improvements in the Bob Lord Stand, development of the
Cricket Field end and expansion of the ticket office and shop into the area currently
occupied by a bookies) and Gawthorpe, break even and establishment of division one status.
Barry Kilby comments, "Last year the board of directors outlined a strategy of
investment in the playing and managerial staff of the club in an effort to reach the
short-term goal of promotion to Division One. This was essential for the ultimate
well-being and financial stability of the club. The whole purpose of the rights issue
offered to the shareholders in 1998 was to provide funds to cover the inevitable loss that
would occur by pursuing this strategy. The loss has now materialised to the degree of
£1.6 million for the financial year, but we have the satisfaction of knowing that our
first goal has been achieved and we are playing in Division One for only the second time
in nearly twenty years. Great credit must go to team manager Stan Ternent and all his
staff in turning around our fortunes on the playing field. He has invested shrewdly in the
first team squad and we could not be in better hands as we attempt to establish ourselves
in this higher division."
17/11 Norwich think they have signed Ian Moore for £1m, but the deal breaks
down when it appears that Stockport are trying to play this off against the interest of
other clubs. Bryan Hamilton, the temporary Norwich manager, says, "We sat down in
good faith last night together with Ian and his representatives. However, it became
apparent that the representatives wanted to talk to a number of other clubs" Rumour,
naturally, has it that Burnley were one of the other clubs. That said, Ternent claims on
Radio Lancashire that he doesn't have the sort of cash it would take to bring in a player
better than he already has. Burnley and Blackburn hold the second of their meetings about
the forthcoming derby match
18/11 Birmingham 3 Burnley 2. Scorers: Cox (61), Weller (90) / Adebola (48),
O'Connor (50), Burchill (86). Team: Michopoulos, Thomas, Davis, Cox, Little (Weller 55),
Ball, Mellon (Mullin 80), Johnrose, Briscoe, Payton (Robinson 73), Branch. SNU: Crichton
and Jepson. Att: 19,641. See our match report for details. We
drop four places to 8th. Ternent says, "The thing that concerns me is that
if we score two goals away from home I would have felt that we should have got something
out of it. If you have to score three goals to get a point away from home that's not where
we're coming from. That's the thing that concerns me most. I don't like conceding three
goals. We gave two poor goals away, the first one and the third one. I thought we played
okay but we just lost the plot for the first ten minutes of the second half for some
reason… I think it was an exciting game and we're frustrated that we didn't get
anything out of it. Birmingham are one of the better sides in the division so we are on
the up and up, I feel. We lost but the players gave a very good account of themselves. I
thought the players played pretty well and there wasn't a lot of difference between
Birmingham and Burnley so the players are making good progress." He also criticises
the refereeing, saying, "Andy Payton has a cut head - that was dangerous play and an
indirect free kick in the box. And the centre half handled the ball when it was 3-2. He
admitted to that." The big news in the stands is that we have finally signed Ian
Moore, for £1m, which is of course a record fee, albeit significantly less than we had
been offering a few weeks before. Rumours on the day are that Payton is off to Wigan and
Cooke to Sheffield Wednesday. Speculation says that the club have attracted new money and
another big signing will follow. The club are alleged to have had talks with Marcus Bent.
It's FA Cup First Round day, and we're not in it. Alan Lee and Phil Gray both score the
1-0 winners for their new clubs. Mark Ford even scores for Torquay. Oh, and the LDV (ex
Auto whatever) cup draw is made… and we're not in that either!
19/11 Another weekend rumour holds that Sam Ellis was approached by a second
division club looking for a manager. It's said that talks for a deal to sign Marcus Bent
took place but broke down.
20/11 Ian Moore signs for Burnley, securing a four and a half year deal for a
reported fee of £1m, although some speculation says the initial payment is for closer to
£800,000. He is handed the no. 16 shirt, formerly Phil Gray's. Moore has played for
Tranmere and Forest, as well as Bradford on loan, and England youth and under 21 teams.
Speaking on the official site, Barry Kilby comments "Ian Moore is a fantastic
acquisition to this football club. We have been tracking him down for some time and I am
very happy that we have finally got our man. His signing will further add to my already
excellent squad and the competition for places throughout the club will intensify, which
can only be a good thing for Burnley. I am hopeful he will work out for Burnley and
Burnley will work out for him. He is a young lad, 24 years old, and an extremely good
player who will bring variety to the football club." He adds, "Clearly the club
is in a much brighter position and that has enabled us to make a quality signing of the
calibre of Ian Moore. The club's income has had a major boost growing from £3.5 million
turnover, to £5.6 million and to the £8 million mark this year. The football and
commercial side are inextricably linked. Both areas of the football club benefit each
other. We introduced The Clarets Foundation in April and that will produce a £200,000
plus income this year. The new website, burnleyfootballclub.com will produce more than
that. It is these major additions and supporters' backing these initiatives in even bigger
numbers that will enable the club to continue to grow." He goes on, "It's a
little scary but it's the right move and the right decision. He's the sort of player we
would pay £1 million for. Because of his age and his potential he should be an
appreciating asset. We have to be careful with our cash and we don't do it lightly but we
had to step up a gear and you have to look to the future. You can't do it all on Bosmans,
particularly with younger players. We are building for the future and he's the sort of
player we will put money down for. We bargained down to the last penny. The initial asking
price was £2m about three months ago. That broke down but we finally ended up getting it
down to £1m." Speaking about current uncertainties with the transfer system, he
adds, "It's in everybody's mind, but who can tell? We have to get on with it. I don't
think it will end right away and even if it does go quite badly for the clubs I think
there will be an interim period. You have to fight your corner and business does go on.
You have to take a view on it. There is an element of risk but I don't think it's as great
as it might seem. A few players have been targeted. Some come off and some don't. You've
got to track them and be patient and this was quite a protracted deal. There is money
there for certain players." Ternent comments, " He's young, 24 years old, and
we've signed him for this year and another four so he'll be the future of Burnley Football
Club for the next four or five years. The chairman and the board have backed me on a £1
million deal, which is a lot of money for Burnley Football Club, and I thank them for
that. That's progress in my book." Moore himself says, "It is an excellent move
for me. I can't wait to get started. I have had a great time at Stockport, but it is an
excellent opportunity for me to do well and progress my career. The move has been mooted
for about a month and a half and I have always known about it and it is something that I
wanted to do. Burnley is an impressive place and the stadium is second to none. I came
here earlier on in the season and it is a great place to play football with a unique
atmosphere. Away teams find it a difficult place to come and I can see that the club has
great potential. The transition of settling in will be made easier. I have worked with
Paul Cook and Graham Branch at Tranmere Rovers and Stockport. They are two good lads and
above all else they are quality players. I look forward to playing alongside them again.
It could have been very difficult coming into a team not knowing anyone, but to know a few
of the lads will help me along. I watched the game on Saturday and I can see a lot of
quality out on the field. I felt we were unlucky not to get anything out of the game.
There is a lot of ambition here and I do believe we can move in the right direction."
He adds, "If we can stay around the top of the division, with a bit of luck we might
edge a play-off spot. I've been scoring goals in a struggling team, so I should do a lot
better here. I'm a direct player, and I like to get at defenders and get on the end of
crosses… The fee doesn't bother me. It's part and parcel when you are a goalscorer.
But I've moved for that sort of money before and you have to get on with it and be
professional." Comparing Burnley to Norwich, for whom he nearly signed, he says,
" I think Burnley have got a better squad, probably a better fan base and I'm looking
forward to the challenge of playing in a Premier League team." About playing for
Stockport against Burnley, he comments, "The atmosphere was tremendous and I thought
to myself then I wish was playing for Burnley rather than Stockport. I'm just looking
forward to playing here." Stockport say, "Norwich came in on Thursday and made
an offer which was accepted but Ian always wanted to go to Burnley. He's from the area and
for him it's a great move."
21/11 Burnley 2 Norwich 0. Scorers: Payton (56), Davis (66). Team: Michopoulos,
Thomas, Davis, Cox, Little (Weller 22), Mellon, Ball, Cook (Mullin 80), Briscoe (Moore
33), Payton, Branch. SNU: Crichton and Jepson. Att: 15,079. See our
match report for details. We go back to 4th. Moore starts on the bench.
Payton misses a penalty. Little goes off with a recurrence of his hamstring injury, and
Briscoe sustains a gashed knee which requires eight stitches. This second injury sees
Moore come on up front, with Branch moving to leftback. Branch and Ball both pick up their
fifth bookings of the season, which means they will miss the match at Preston. Ternent
says, "I felt it was only fair to start Ian on the bench and let him have a look at
things, but when he came on he did fantastically, and I have every confidence in him
proving a very good signing for us. He will find a group of players here not only
committed to the cause but also prepared to play together as a unit. The way they have
gone about their business since we won promotion has been nothing short of first class.
People may have been surprised but it hasn't surprised me for I know what they are capable
of. As well as being a good bunch of players they have an excellent attitude and deserve
everything that comes their way." Of Payton, he adds, "He placed the penalty and
if he does it again he's getting fined. We've done a deal because he normally blasts them
in. But that's what Payts is all about. He scores goals and worked his socks off. The
first goal was absolutely top drawer. It was a fantastic move." He also says,
"We like being in the top half-dozen and don't like being out of it." Payton
says that he's "delighted" Moore has signed. Moore says about his debut,
"I've been to other clubs but I feel this club is going places. We're up there now. I
have never seen an atmosphere like there is at this club and I think we can do very well
this season." One rumour circulating on the night is that Andy Cooke is to go to
Preston.
22/11 Burnley Reserves 1 Rotherham Reserves 0. Admission to the game is free to
allow a triallist to play without international clearance. The triallist is Martin Reim,
the captain of the Estonian national side, a 29 year old 5'6" midfielder who has 92
caps. He was released by his club, Kotkan TP in Finland recently. Team: Paxton, Leeson,
Pilkington, Scott, Heywood, Boardman, Reim, Williamson, Shandran, Kevan, Devenney. SNU: E
Davis, Salisbury, Bowden, Barrett and Waine. The scorer is Martin Beggs, with an own goal.
Tickets go on sale for the Blackburn home match.
23/11 Ternent says that we won't be keeping Reim as, "He is not better than
what we have got already." It's thought that Briscoe, Johnrose and Little will all
miss at least three games.
24/11 We are re-linked with Adebola, who looked the part when he came on against
us for Birmingham. It's said we bid £750,000, to be topped up to £1m in the event of us
winning promotion. Uh? Trevor Francis, however, is said to want £1.1m.
25/11 Our match at Watford is postponed by referee Steve Tomlin at 3.15, with
kick off having been delayed in the hope of allowing the pitch to drain after a pre-match
downpour. The pitch looks unplayable, but Burnley supporters are concerned that no one
appears to be working on it. It's later revealed that the pitch is of a 'revolutionary'
(aren't they all?) semi-synthetic design, and as such drains extremely quickly, but can't
be forked. Ternent and Graham Taylor both insist that it was the correct decision to call
the game off. The ref says, "I do feel for all the fans who made the trip. The
Burnley fans have travelled a long way to be here this afternoon but from the players'
safety point of view, I had no option but to call the game off." Ternent adds,
"The decision was 100 per cent correct at the time he made it. The pitch was
unplayable. It was the only course he had open to him, although it's very disappointing
for all our fans. It's the second time it's happened in a short period of time. It's
really sad for the them and a big disappointment, as it is for the players and everyone
who looks forward to a Saturday afternoon and a good game of football… It is a shame
because it was the match of the day in this division, but we'll re-group and get on with
it." Watford are quick to tell us that there will be no cash refunds on the day,
despite the fact that there were cash turnstiles letting people in even when kick off had
been postponed. The team had been announced as: Michopoulos, Weller, Thomas, Davis, Cox,
Branch, Mellon, Ball, Cook, Moore, Payton. Subs: Crichton, Jepson, Armstrong, Maylett,
Mullin. We drop to 6th, but remain the best team in Lancashire as Preston and
the other ones both lose. Burnley are supposed to have made a bid for Newcastle's young
Scottish rightback Ryan McGuffie. He's 20 and he was signed from Annan Athletic last
summer on a one year contract. However, it's not though likely that Newcastle will want to
sell. Scott Minto, West Ham fullback, is another new rumour. Current Birmingham manager
Trevor Francis says he doesn't want to sell Adebola at the moment, but it's thought it may
not be his decision. Graham Branch reveals that he wants to work with animals when he
retires from football. Aww, bless.
27/11 Birmingham say that we did indeed try to sign Adebola. Trevor Francis
comments, "We received an offer of £700,000 from Burnley, a little bit of a cheeky
offer considering his present form, and obviously that kind of offer was immediately
turned down." Burnley deny this. An anonymous club spokesman says, "It's news to
me. It's just a bit of speculation. I can't see where it came from." Newcastle state
that McGuffie is not for sale. Watford confirm that ticket stubs from the original match
will be valid for admission to the rescheduled game. Burnley will also give ticket
refunds. All 2,700 Preston away tickets sell out within a couple of hours. Rather a meagre
allocation. A very disappointing rumour links us with a very disappointing striker: Nathan
Blake, currently doing nothing at a lesser Lancashire side.
28/11 Paul Smith returns to training after his, ahem, accident. Ternent plays
down speculation that Andy Cooke may leave, suggesting that strong sides need a good
choice of strikers. He says, "Andy remains a valuable part of our squad." Cooke
is now being linked with Crewe.
29/11 It's revealed that Preston are asking home supporters wanting to buy a
ticket for their game against us quiz questions about Preston, in an attempt to stop
Burnley supporters buying home tickets. Nottingham Forest win and go above us, moving us
down to 7th. Former Claret Peter Devine becomes head of youth development at
Halifax, replacing Jamie 'Panda' Hoyland, who held the job before going to Rochdale. It's
suggested that West Ham have been watching Glen Little. Here we go again…
30/11 After speculation grows through the day, it's confirmed in the evening
that Andy Cooke is on his way to Stoke. The deal will be completed the following day.
Ternent comments, "Andy Cooke has been an integral part of my squad for some time. He
is joining Stoke City, which is his home town club and I wish him well. He has been a
great servant for many years and we all wish him well for the future." It's later
revealed that Cooke can make his debut on Saturday; after expecting to be suspended, the
yellow card he picked up for allegedly diving is revoked. Meanwhile, Ternent confirms he
did try to sign Adebola after all. He says, "It's true that I have made a bid for
Adebola. I would like him to become a Burnley footballer and it is a shame that someone
has let the cat out of the bag. My bid remains the same and I won't move from that but I
would like him to play for Burnley Football Club. I have watched him for some considerable
length of time and I think he would be a good acquisition for us. He is at an ideal age
and has all the right attributes, but we will see. Birmingham have gone about it in the
newspapers so it is only fair that I put my side across. It is not my way to conduct
business but I won't get involved in an auction. The bid is in and if they accept it I
would like to talk to the player. I have spoken to Karen Brady and I don't think our bid
will be high enough but we will see." Port Vale Reserves 3 Burnley Reserves 3.
We were 2-1 and 3-2 down after leading 1-0. Scorers are Shandran, Williamson and Devenney.
Team: Mawson, Leeson, Pilkington, Scott, Heywood, Boardman, Williamson, Kevan, Shandran,
Smith, Devenney. SNU: E Davis, Waine, Leary, Barrett, Paxton. Paul Smith gets through the
90 minutes without a reaction, while Craig Mawson plays having returned from his loan
spell keeping Lincoln City's bench warm. Lee Briscoe has the stitches taken out of his
knee. We're given 6,000 tickets for Barnsley on Boxing Day. Can't complain about the
allocation, for once.
