2/11 CISA may be considering a
red card protest against Teasdale. Mark Robertson and Paul Smith are both waiting for the
results of scans on knee injuries. Chris Casper joins Reading for £300,000.
3/11 Ternent says there has been
no contact from Su'lan' for Little and he is not a player he would ever want to sell. If,
however, someone came in with a large offer, he would have to tell Little and inform the
board. It emerges that Glentoran are entitled to a quarter of any fee. Steve McCauly, a 29
year-old central defender at Crewe, is rumoured to be about to join on loan. Oldham
Youth 2 Burnley Youth 0. Brad Maylett plays, but it isn't enough to stop us crashing
out at the first round of the Youth Cup, although we are apparently unlucky. The quitter
quits again: Chris Waddle leaves Torquay by mutual consent, saying it's just too far from
his Sheffield home. Torquay's always been there, Chris.
4/11 Middlesborough Reserves
2 Burnley Reserves 1. Phil Eastwood gets the goal, Ford plays. The club confirm that
the Auto game against Preston will have cut price admission.
5/11 Ternent says we will not be
signing McCauly, pointing out that we already have the maximum two players on loan and
have plenty of choice at the back.
6/11 It's revealed that Ingleby
will be at the Preston game. The club now say they are prepared to talk to him, but as
they can't fit him in this weekend, it'll have to be sometime in the future. The club
appoint KPMG Corporate Finance as financial advisers and Addleshaw Booth and Co as legal
advisers ahead of the planned rights issue. December 19th is now said to be the
favoured date for the combined AGM/EGM. Mark Winstanley is recalled from his loan spell at
Shrewsbury. Ternent cites their lack of care for the injured player as his reason. They
are said to be disappointed, having hoped to sign him permanently. Lee Howey joins
Northampton, but sadly only on loan. Alan Harper joins Clarets rejects Colin Harvey and
Chris Woods at Everton to help coach the youth team.
7/11 Sigh. Preston 4 Burnley
1. Eastwood (15) / Rankine (23), Nogan of course (46), Eyres, naturally (49), Byfield
(57). Team: Ward, Scott, Morgan, Vindheim (Ford 55), Heywood, Reid (Henderson 61),
Eastwood, Brass, Armstrong (Maylett 45), Payton, O'Kane. Att: 15,888. We slip to 18th.
Gordon Armstrong goes off with a hamstring injury. See match report
for details.
8/11 Ternent makes the players
come into the club to talk about the game, saying that he is embarrassed by the
performance and the team will have to prove they are better than that on Tuesday. He
comments, "I saw all the people pouring out and I was embarrassed. I just wanted the
weekend to think about it. I understand what they went through last season because I went
through that on Saturday. For the first time in my career I would not have known what to
say… I was embarrassed that that was my team but if they bear with me I promise that
I will turn it round."
9/11 Ingleby says he will not
support a rights issue without a seat on the board. He says he's waiting for a call from
the board when the time is right, and judging by Saturday's match, that time is now.
10/11 Burnley 0 Stoke 2.
Clarets go down to the league leaders after a creditable first half performance.
Lightbourne (47), Thorne (62). Both always score against us. Team: Ward, Scott, Morgan,
Vindheim (Henderson, 67), Heywood, Reid, Little, Brass, Eastwood (Maylett, 54), Ford,
O'Kane. SNU: Carr-Lawton. Att: 10, 575. We stay 18th. Both John Rudge and
Adrian Heath are spotted at the game, thought to be checking on Glen Little. The big news,
however, is that Andy Payton is missing from the team due to "personal
problems." Rumour on the night has it that he's been arrested after attacking a man
suspected of sleeping with his girlfriend. This means that we have nine first team players
missing from the side, and even physio Paul Lake is off sick. Master of the understatement
as ever, Ternent says, "I must have run over a black cat." He also, for the
first time, admits he has money to spend. This could mean we sign Ward, but that could
cost about as much as we have. He adds that he'd like to bring another striker in, but the
player he has in mind is not available. Latest rumours say Sunderland have offered
Harrison and Mullin plus £300,000 for Little. Ternent maintains that he's not for sale.
Warren Joyce becomes caretaker manager of Hull.
11/11 Burnley police release a
statement that a Burnley player is "helping them with their enquiries" after an
incident of vandalism and alleged assault in a shop in Padiham. One person was admitted to
Burnley General Hospital, but later discharged. Speculation is rife that Payton is to be
charged with GBH. It emerges that the incident took place on Tuesday morning, and the club
kept Payton at Turf Moor until after Tuesday's game, before releasing him to the police
for questioning. The club deny the allegation that Payton was under arrest before the
game. It also transpires that the man he allegedly attacked with a golf club is a
hairdresser, and not, as was earlier suggested, a policeman. As gossip continues about
Ternent's likely reaction, Stan plays it cool. Meanwhile, Gavin Ward returns to Bolton,
his loan deal having now expired. Ternent enters into talks with Colin Todd over a
possible £150,000 transfer. Kval stands by to play at Darlington. Or rather,
Middlesborough. Darlington move the game to the Riverside stadium after passing their
pitch unfit. The problem lies with burst drains under the main stand, which have flooded
the pitch. Just when we had all rearranged our travel plans, farce descends on the
proceedings as police insist the game is moved to a Tuesday. Ternent comments, "it
seems like the police are running the game these days. It's Burnley against Darlington in
the first round of the FA Cup, not Real Madrid against Benfica. How much notice do they
need?"
12/11 Port Vale have a £750,000
bid for Little turned down. Ternent says, "I am trying to build a side, not dismantle
one." He adds that if a Premier League club came in with a larger bid, he would have
to discuss it with Little "out of fairness." Ward may require surgery on a
stomach strain, which would appear to rule out an early bid for him. Burnley Youth 0
Rochdale Youth 3 in the first round of the Lancashire FA Youth Cup.
13/11 After all the palaver,
Payton receives a caution from the police, and the matter is closed. This would suggest
that his crimes were not as serious as everyone made out, and means he will be available
to play for us again. It's suggested Port Vale may up their bid for Little to a million,
but Stan would prefer twice that. It's confirmed that Paul Weller will miss the rest of
the season. He has to have major surgery on a serious stomach problem, and will be out for
at least six months. Apparently he has stomach ulcers and will have to have a large
section of bowel removed. The club deny rumours which had been circulating that Weller
might have cancer or even AIDS, and say that, while serious, his condition is not
life-threatening.
14/11 The winners of our game
against Darlington are drawn at home to Manchester City in the second round of the cup.
The pools panel doesn't fancy our chances - they call it a home win. Port Vale are
supposedly to ask us to "name our price" for Little.
15/11 It's reported that we have
agreed to sign Gavin Ward for £300,000. It's strongly rumoured that Su'lan' are about to
bid for Little.
16/11 Although the club are in
talks with Ward, it emerges that his wages may be a sticking point, as apparently he's
been getting a reasonable amount at Bolton. The FA Cup match against Man City is moved to
a Friday night by Sky, much to no-one's surprise. Wolves Reserves 3 Burnley Reserves 0.
The reserves lose again to a very strong (aren’t they always?) Wolves outfit,
"despite" including Winstanley and Williams. John Milner, who scored twice for
Bedlington Terriers in their FA Cup defeat of Colchester, is rumoured to be under scrutiny
by the club. Bedlington have said he is available for a five figure sum.
17/11 There is no FA Cup match
against Man City. Darlington 3 Burnley 2. Payton (37, 55 pen) / Atkinson (81 pen),
Dorner (87), Barnard (90). Team: Kval, Scott, Eastwood, Vindheim, Heywood, Reid, Little,
Brass, Payton, Ford, Morgan. SNU: Maylett, Mawson, Henderson, Carr-Lawton, Devenney. Att:
5,059. It all starts so well, with Payton finishing our only two chances and making a
point of celebrating with Ternent. He even has another disallowed, but the team crumbles
when he is sent off for a second bookable offence. Payton later denies making contact with
the keeper (the evidence seems to support him) and says that this is one of the lowest
points of his career. His first booking was for dissent over the disallowed goal, and is
also disputed. He will miss the auto windscreen defeat by Preston. The referee was Brian
Coddington, by the way. Afterwards, Ternent makes the headlines by musing about his future
at the club, saying that right now he feels "suicidal" and feels like he's
banging his head against a brick wall. He adds that this is the worst point in this
footballing career and he'll have to consider whether to stick at it. He’ll sleep on
it and talk it over with his family before he decides what to do. Before the game, the
club confirm we are in talks with Paul Crichton, with a view to a permanent transfer,
earlier talks with Ward having broken down over his wages.
18/11 Ternent, after sleeping on
it, decides to "see the job through," saying he is not a quitter. He says of his
family, "I felt if it was going to affect them, then it wasn't worth it." He
adds, "with me being a Burnley fan, I am frustrated with the situation." It
appears he may have extracted some money from the board for players. CISA welcome his
decision to stay on, pointing out that there are long-term problems with the club. We sign
Paul Crichton from West Brom for £75,000. This is the first player we have spent money on
since Lee Howey. Crichton, aged 30, has played for 13 clubs in 12 years but missed much of
last season with injuries, and was not popular at West Brom. Ternent says he would have
liked to sign Ward, but even if he had been available on a free transfer, he could not
have afforded his wages.
19/11 In a move that surprises
everyone, the club announce that they are calling a meeting with the representatives of
supporters clubs for Tuesday 24th. The club describe it as an "open discussion to
hear their views and look to the future of the club," and promise that all the
directors will be present. Port Vale are told there’s no point making a bid of
£1,000,000 for Little. That seems to spell the end of their interest. Steve Blatherwick
returns to the club after his loan spell with Chesterfield ends. It’s rumoured that
David Eyres will be joining Hull as player coach.
20/11 Ternent sends a video of
the Darlington match to the referee, asking him to change his mind about the sending off.
Cooke says he will be trying to clean up his act after talks with the management, prior to
his return to the team at Bournemouth. Warren Joyce is confirmed as manager of Hull.
21/11 Oh hell. Bournemouth 5
Burnley 0. Warren (55), Robinson (60 pen, 69), Stein (74, 89). Team: Crichton,
Robertson, O’Kane, Ford, Brass, Reid, Little, Morgan, Cooke, Payton, Eastwood
(Maylett 61). SNU: Heywood, Vindheim. Att: 5,907. We slip to 19th. Yes, all the
goals are scored in the second half. Morgan, "playing" in midfield, is sent off
after 40 minutes. Ternent says afterwards that we have now hit rock bottom, things can't
get any worse and the team will have to stick in there. He confirms he will not be
leaving, saying, "I am up for it," and asking the supporters for patience.
Gordon Armstrong is absent with a groin strain. See match report
for details. In the day's only bright moment, Blackburn go bottom of the Premier
League after losing 2-0 at home to Southampton, and promptly get rid off their manager.
23/11 Ternent reveals he has
been given a kitty of £250,000 to spend on players. This will now be minus the £75,000
spent on Crichton. He says he's happy with this, and he will be bringing players in, but
it will depend on the players he wants becoming available. We are said to be ready to take
O'Kane on a second month's loan. Paul Smith briefly returns to training.
24/11 The day of the big
meeting. See our report for details. Speaking before it, Kilby
says he will support Ingleby joining the board - if Ingleby subscribes to the rights
issue. Ingleby has, of course, already said that he would want a say in the running of the
club before contributing to the rights issue. Kilby argues that he has put money into the
club and Ingleby hasn't. He adds that he will contact Ingleby to see what the latest
position is and take advice from KPMG about what he is allowed to reveal to the supporters
about the rights issue. Kilby also denies that only one director was present at
Bournemouth, and says there were three, himself included, but Teasdale was absent. Later,
at the meeting itself, the club admit they are £3,000,000 in debt, and are losing
£40,000 to £50,000 a month. Kilby reveals he has lent the club £1,000,000, as an
advance on the shares he will buy in the rights issue. He invites Ingleby to follow suit,
and says if he does so he will get a place on the board. Teasdale gives a "cast iron
guarantee" that this will happen. Ingleby has apparently been non-committal to date.
The club also reveal that the Shackleton camp were keeping up their pretence of a
"take-over" as recently as October. The club basically admit that they need cash
and claim they cannot afford to turn anyone away. Teasdale goes on to say that he does not
know why Ingleby considers himself a Burnley fan. On the football front (remember that?)
O'Kane returns to Everton, as that club seek to sell all their surplus players. He will
probably be out of our price range, thankfully. Warren Joyce is interested in Mark
Winstanley, in a bid to re-create the Burnley relegation side of a few years ago. Reid and
Little join the ever crowded treatment table.
25/11 Ingleby says he needs more
information about where the club is headed and the details of the rights issue before he
can commit. In particular, he wants to know who will underwrite the rights issue (Kilby?)
as whoever does could get control if it was undersubscribed. He is said, for the moment,
to be keeping his options open. Rumours emerge that John Ward could be returning in place
of Ternent. Burnley Reserves 2 West Brom Reserves 2, from 2-0 down. Steve
Blatherwick plays in a trial match for Lincoln.
26/11 Matthew Hewlett signs on a
month's loan from Bristol City. The 22 year old ex England Youth midfielder has played
over a hundred games for Bristol City but has recently been out with an injury. It's
stressed that his loan move is to give him an opportunity to gain some match fitness and
there is no chance of a permanent move. A new club enters the speculatory fray, with
Wolves said to be planning a bid for Little. Derek Mountfield complains that he applied
for the manager's job last summer but did not even get a reply. Two times target Nigel
Pepper signs for Aberdeen.
27/11 In a surprise move,
crisis-torn Everton (as it seems they're now called) change their mind and allow O'Kane to
come on a second month's loan. Kilby says that Ternent has more money available than the
£250,000 stated. As most transfer payments are made in instalments, this money would only
need to cover the first instalment of any transfer, and not the whole fee.
28/11 Burnley 1 Blackpool 0.
Payton (67 pen). Team: Crichton, Robertson (Scott 88), O'Kane (Eastwood 45), Ford, Brass,
Reid, Little, Heywood, Cooke, Payton, Heywood. SNU: Maylett. Att: 11,925. We climb to 17th.
The penalty was dubious, to say the least, but not as much as some given against us
lately. See match report for details. Before the game, it is
revealed that Glen Little will be going in for a double hernia operation on Monday, and
will be out from four to six weeks. The problem was diagnosed last week and couldn't be
delayed any longer. He is clearly carrying an injury during the game. O'Kane also limps
off at half time, and Gordon Armstrong has to be pulled from the team and replaced by
Heywood fifteen minutes before kick off with a recurrence of a calf injury. Ternent is
said to have made an enquiry to bring one Vinnie Jones to the club. Jones is officially
still on QPR's books, but no longer plays or even trains for them. Should be right up our
street, then. Ternent confirms he has approached QPR, says he knew Jones from his time as
a coach at Chelsea and maintains that he is a much under-rated player. Vinnie's wages,
currently alleged to be around £8,000 per week, and his burgeoning film career are said
to be potential sticking points. Lee Howey completes the last game of his month on loan to
Northampton. It could yet become permanent. Fingers crossed.
30/11 Glen Little's double
hernia operation is said to have gone well. O'Kane could be on his way back to Everton
after sustaining a groin injury on Saturday.
