When Harry Potts died in January 1996 it
marked the end of an era for the club. An over used cliché perhaps, but along with Bob
Lord he symbolised Burnley Football Club at the pinnacle of their achievements. Unlike Bob
Lord, he was a quiet, modest, unassuming man who rarely, if ever, needed to raise his
voice to get the best out of his players. He appears to have been universally liked by
those he worked with, and in the supposedly cut-throat world of football management, he
had a reputation as a gentleman and someone who really cared for the players that played
for him.
Like many Burnley players of times past, he was a
north-easterner. He joined Burnley in 1937 and played, with a break for war service, until
1950-51 before signing for Everton in a move which allowed the young Jimmy McIlroy to
break into the Clarets first team. During this time Harry played a part in the
promotion-winning side of 1946-47 and appeared in the FA Cup Final against Charlton.
After leaving Everton he had spells as a coach at
Wolves and manager at Shrewsbury, before returning to the Clarets in 1958 to take up the
manager’s post. The rest is history, as they say: the 1959-60 Championship, the
European exploits and the missed ‘double’ of 1963. In his first spell, the
record books speak for themselves about Harry Potts’ achievements, but the way in
which he did it says most about the man.
In the words of those who knew him:
"Ask any of the countless Burnley FC players he
has managed or the few remaining players from his era and it is highly unlikely that you
would find even one with anything over than complimentary to say to his. During many a
half-time break we knew we deserved a dressing down... but all we got was encouragement to
go out determined to make amends." (Jimmy McIlroy)
"He treated us like his own sons. We always wanted
to do well for him as well as for yourself and the club." (Brian Miller)
"Harry was a very emotional man, and I remember
coming back to Burnley after we had won the League at Manchester City. It was very
difficult to get him to say anything. He was so excited, so happy, so proud." (Dr
David Iven)
"I recall seeing him on occasions at all-ticket
cup ties away from home when he would give his allocation of tickets away to Burnley
fans." (Peter Pike MP)
Harry Potts cared deeply and passionately about
Burnley, so much so that even a gentleman such as he would occasionally let his emotions
get the better of him. During the summer tour of the USA in 1960, he was officially warned
for remarks to a referee. In the Second Round, Second Leg of the European Cup in late
1960, Burnley took a two goal lead to play Rheims at the Parc des Princes in stormy match.
At one point, Harry ran onto the pitch to prevent the Rheims players moving forward a free
kick, and as a result he received a touchline ban for the rest of the season.
Harry Potts’ last game in charge in his first
spell was a 5-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest on 21st February 1970, with a young Steve
Kindon scoring a hat-trick. He then became General Manager in order to allow Burnley to
keep Jimmy Adamson, whose contract as coach expired in April that year. Several other
clubs had already shown an interest in Adamson’s services and Burnley did not want to
let him go.
After a brief spell as Chief Scout, Harry returned as
Manager in 1977 to succeed Joe Brown. He helped Burnley to win relegation that year and
went on to with the Anglo-Scottish Cup the following season. After a very poor start to
the 1978-79 season, a good mid-season lifted Burnley into the top half of the Second
Division and earned Harry a Bell’s Manager of the Month award for March. The
following season started disastrously with only nine goals and no wins in the first eleven
matches. Harry’s last game in charge was a 2-0 home defeat by Cardiff to make it 24
competitive games without a win since Easter Saturday. How times had changed. The selling
policy had finally taken its toll, and Harry stepped down in favour of Brian Miller, when
all that was need was a miracle.
