1/9 Burnley 2 Millwall 1.
Cooke (21, 30) / Paul Shaw, of course (88). Team: Ward, Moore (Scott), Armstrong,
Robertson, Swan, Brass, Little, C Smith, Cooke, Payton, P Smith. Att: 8.526. We shoot up
to 14th. The match is our first ever in the league staffed by stewards only.
It’s also covered live on Radio Five. Ternent says he tried to sign the great Steve
Davis during the summer, but Luton turned him down. Coincidentally this comes shortly
before we are due to play them, and Luton would have expected to get more than they paid,
which would presumably have ruled us out. Ex-Rangers man Brian Reid and Belgian Romauld
Petit, both central defenders, are on trial.
2/9 A permanent move for Gavin
Ward (who played in a winning side the other night for the first time since leaving
Bradford) is on the cards. Rumours are that Clive Holt may switch sides to Ingleby if
Shackleton doesn’t get it sorted by the end of the month and Gerry Harrison, at last
night’s game, allegedly says that moving to Sunderland was the biggest mistake of his
life and he wants to come back. Sheffield Wednesday reserves 1 Burnley reserves 0.
All three triallists play.
3/9 Port Vale confirm they have
made a bid for both Andy Cooke and Glen Little. Burnley turn it down, Ternent saying,
"I am trying to build a team, not destroy one." We value Cooke at a million.
Thank god we got them to sign new contracts. Ingleby now says he will stick with his
take-over battle.
4/9 Ternent signs Brian Reid for
the rest of the season, saying he needs a few older heads to help the young players out.
The 28-year-old played for Rangers, had two spells with Greenock Morton and almost joined
Casino Salzburg in the summer. Petit will however not be signed, and Kval needs more
games. Cooke says he’s happy to stay but Winstanley says he doesn’t want to go
to Scarborough.
5/9 Luton 1 Burnley 0.
Douglas (47). Att: 5,554. Clarets slump to 19th. See
match report for details.
6/9 Burnley are said to be
interested in Bradford midfielder Nigel Pepper. Pepper, who Heath once tried to sign, has
some competition for his midfield spot and could cost around £150,000.
7/9 Bradford promptly kill the
Nigel Pepper story stone dead and Ternent denies it anyway. Port Vale are said to be ready
to smash their transfer record to sign Cooke for over £1,000,000, and possibly Little as
well for something similar. As it’s also said that Port Vale have a total of
£600,000 to spend on players, something here doesn’t add up. Paul Weller goes back
into hospital with a persistent stomach problem. And, in a moment of sanity, the
club announces a scheme whereby kids from local schools can gain free admission when
accompanied by an adult. After years of moaning about this, hats off at last.
8/9 It’s rumoured that the
hopelessly out of form Paul Smith is to be dropped. Mark Ford is now due to return before
Christmas. Oh, and Shackleton insists his take-over bid is still on.
9/9 Reading 1 Burnley 1.
Payton (76) / Williams (28). Att: 10,680. A great fightback after Peter Swan's sending
off.See match report for details. We storm to 18th.
10/9 Jepson’s injury at
Reading was a snapped achilles tendon (ouch) and he will be out for months. Ternent says,
"It took me six weeks to get over a snapped Achilles but at Ronnie's age, it could
take six years." We may move for Mark Patterson, but he has been playing for Bury
recently. Paul Smith has a groin strain, but Weller will not require further surgery.
11/9 A spurious rumour says Lee
Howey may re-join Su’lan’. But why? Ternent hasn’t been able to bring in
players, so the squad for Wycombe will have all the usual teenagers plus midfielder Paul
Graham. A Shackleton sidekick accuses our Stan of bad business sense in axing the Ternent
Four. Where’s the money, Shackleton? Michelle Kupfer, Shackleton friend, likens the
"take-over" to an incomplete jigsaw puzzle. The League are inviting supporters
of every club to vote for their all time favourite hero. Ted McMinn.
12/9 Burnley 1 Wycombe 1.
Payton (6) / Stallard (37). Att: 9,120. Team: Ward, Scott, Armstrong, Brass, Swan, Reid,
Little, Robertson, Cooke, Payton, Carr-Lawton (C Smith 66). SNU: Heywood, Henderson. We
move to 17th.
13/9 Su’lan’ left-back
Martin Scott, recently returned from an eighteen month injury spell, may be about to join
us on loan. Peter Swan is likely to get a three-match ban for his sending off at Reading.
14/9 Ternent plans to take Ward
on another month’s loan. Ward says he’d like to stay. With Parks injured, if
this can’t be arranged another keeper will be brought in. Shackleton has been over to
France to meet his alleged "backers" and claims the "take-over" could
be completed by the end of the month, a mere seventeen months after it was first mooted.
Simon Jones joins as physio from Rugby Union side Bedford.
15/9 Bolton may want us to sign
Ward for around £200,000 rather than keep taking him on loan. Rumours of Harrison
returning start up again. Steve Morgan is back in training and due to play for the
reserves. Neil Moore, Paul Smith and Paul Weller all have more serious injuries than first
thought, and Little is still struggling from one he sustained at Reading. Shackleton
"take-over" news: the fact that ENIC has just bought Basle FC of Switzerland, a
club his backers were also interested in, is either good or bad news for the
"take-over." Rumours of ENIC involvement in Shackleton's alleged bid for us also
circulate. They were previously said to be involved in Ingleby's bid. Does anyone know
what's really happening? And waddle, who fancied a move to Europe, signs a month's
contract with Torquay. Well, it is the English Riviera. MEMO TO TORQUAY FANS: THIS IS YOUR
NEXT MANAGER. PANIC.
16/9 Ward stays for another
month, although Kval may be the long-term choice. He keeps a clean sheet for the reserves:
Burnley Reserves 1 Oldham Reserves 0. Intriguingly, Mike Conroy, in a contract
dispute with Blackpool, is linked with a return to us, perhaps on loan. One of the worst
ever Burnley players, Paul Stewart, signs a one year contract with Workington. They're
still too good for him.
17/9 Mark Winstanley goes on
loan to Shrewsbury while Tony Parks joins Barrow on similar terms. Winstanley's move could
be permanent, but Parks' isn't intended to be. Neil Moore has ligament damage and will be
out until Christmas at the earliest. Conroy says he won't be coming back. Chris Casper
goes to Reading from Man Utd on loan but poor waddle's move to high-flying Torquay is
delayed as he's somehow hurt himself. It's rumoured that the deadline for the Shackleton
"bid" is 30 September, which is fast approaching. Man City tickets sell out
within hours of going on sale.
18/9 Steve Blatherwick goes on
loan to Chesterfield. If they want to sign him, it will cost them money. We are in talks
with Kval.
19/9 Gillingham 2 Burnley 1.
Payton (31) / Galloway (11), Taylor (86). Att: 5,702. We drop another place to 19th.
See match report for details. Parks and Winstanley both play
for their new clubs, while Blatherwick is sub not used.
21/9 Ternent says of Saturday's
game: "We have got to score two goals to get a draw away from home and that's nowhere
near good enough from where I'm coming from. The problem is we are having to score two
goals a game to get a result. We haven't had a clean sheet all season. That's the story of
Burnley for the past three or four years and that's why I am here. And if I don't do
something about it someone else will be here." Reacting to our habit of conceding
late goals, he calls the squad in for extra physical training. Su'lan' sigh Andy Marriott
for £200,000.
22/9 Speculation mounts that
Harrison might be coming back, possibly on loan. He has played one game, a league cup
match against York, and according to our Su'lan' sources, was less than good. Kval is
coming back to Burnley for more talks. Shackleton denies that his bid will collapse within
the next 24 hours. It also emerges that Shackleton's cronies were rejected by Swiss side
Basle because of their insistence on secrecy and (quote) "we did not know exactly who
the men with the money were… It was a black box - we did not exactly understand who
or what was behind it." So said the Vice-President of Basle. Steve Davis scores at
both ends in extra time for Luton.
23/9 Su'lan's' manager Pee'ree'
says Harrison will not be leaving. Chesterfield's John Duncan says he might be looking to
sign Blatherwick. Morgan and Ford both return to training. And with a week to go before
the alleged deadline for Shackleton's alleged "take-over" expires, thing get
even more confusing when it turns out that the Vice-President of Basle, is also a director
of the Swiss bank (UBS) where the cash of Shackleton's alleged "backers" is
allegedly held. Has this turned into a soap? Shackleton's alleged "backers"
allegedly say that Basle approached them, and say they do have some links with ENIC and
also Barcelona. As soon as Shackleton pushes through three big money deals, he will have
the money to complete his "take-over." Help. I don't understand this any more.
24/9 CISA reveal they are
planning a twenty minute sit-in after the home game against Notts County to protest
against the board, after which they will attempt to present a supporters' petition to
Teasdale. Weller's stomach condition may keep him out until Christmas (it's always
Christmas - we should have a fantastic team to put out on Boxing Day). Barnsley
Reserves 2 Burnley Reserves 0. Kval and Paul Smith both play. Waddle finally joins
Torquay. Lots of luck. To Torquay.
25/9 Burnley e-mail group launch
an audacious bid to take over the club, according to The Burnley Express. Kval is
to be signed on a free for the rest of the season, and will shortly be in the squad as
cover for Ward.
26/9 Burnley 1 Wigan 1.
Reid (67) / McGibbon (90). Yes, another late goal. Att: 10,183. Team: Ward, Scott,
Armstrong, Brass, Heywood, Reid, Little, Robertson, Cooke, Payton, P Smith (Henderson 87).
SNU: Carr Lawton, C Smith. Reid and Heywood play in central defence with Armstrong at
sweeper, Brass in central midfield and Scott and Little on the right with Robertson and
Smith on the left, in case you couldn't work it out. Brass, Little and Payton all pick up
injuries, with Little breaking a toe. Some good news: Port Vale have apparently lost
interest in Andy Cooke. Chris waddle makes his debut for third division Torquay, putting
in a man of the match performance. But of course, there were journalists there.
28/9 Ingleby says he may be
prepared to work with the current board, and for the moment he will settle for the couple
of seats on the board his shareholding entitles him to. He also declares he wants to get
involved in Burnley to make a profit and have some fun. Kval signs until May.
29/9 Julian Darby, currently
playing for Preston reserves, is said to be about to join us for a month's loan. That
would be a piece of role reversal. Darby would probably cost nothing, which should appeal
to the board. Bernard Rothwell says he is "heartily sick" of the time
Shackleton's "bid" is taking and comments: "It's not satisfactory for the
shareholders and the fans. Something has to happen very quickly." He also says,
"if you are getting into bed with someone it's at least better that you are talking
to them." Rothwell adds that we need a substantial injection of cash from somewhere.
Ingleby has been invited to write to the club with any new proposals. Is the board split?
Is there any chance this soap opera might end one day?
30/9 This is the day
Shackleton's "take-over bid" is due to expire. Predictably, absolutely nothing
happens. Chris Brass undergoes emergency knee surgery, having sustained a cartilage injury
on Saturday and will be out for six weeks. Why not Christmas? This presumably means
someone else will have to be played out of position in central midfield. Is our midfield
cursed? Gordon Armstrong will captain the club in his absence. A German goalkeeper (Lutz
Pfannenstiel) and a Norwegian central defender (Rune Vindheim) have joined on trial, and
will play for the reserves, pending international clearance. There's speculation that Port
Vale are about to make a second, improved bid for Cooke.
