Live Soapbox
Relegation aftermath, 1994/95
Question:
What happens when you get relegated at home to Portsmouth, and then on the way home you
get completely bored?
Answer:
You stick a tape recorder under peoples’ noses, and ask them a variety of questions
on various subjects to do with this season. What follows are the comments, rants and
ravings of some very tired and emotional people.
Q: What is your
opinion of Ted McMinn this season?
Ted McMinn is a bit tubby, he plays to the crowd a bit,
he's good on his day but he plays to this crowd and he just likes to please the crowd and
nothing else. Good on his day. Nick Barrett
A winger of the highest ability who we have wasted
entirely this season, and in all honesty, the fact that he has not played more games this
season can only be vindictiveness on the part of the management. Ian Wood
Excellent player, he should be in every week because he
is a class player. Dave McCluggage
Tin Man, one of our few players who has actually
experienced first division football in his career, why on earth David Eyres has played
every single game when he's been available this season on the left wing, and Tin Man has
played a tiny amount. Why the bloody hell has David Eyres played game after game when Tin
Man has been in the reserves? One of the most damning statistics about our relegation
season is that Tin Man has played ten games for the reserve team. That is shocking, it's
disgusting, it's spiteful. Jimmy Mullen fell out with Tin Man, he dropped him out of pure
vindictive spite. Andrew Firmin
Ted McMinn, is in my opinion, a victim of serious
discrimination this season, he's obviously had an argument with Jimmy Mullen, and Mullen
is so unprofessional that he hasn't even got the bottle to sack the guy, he kept him in
the reserves, when we needed him in the first team to help us stay in this division. It
comes back to Jimmy Mullen and his lack of ambition. Paul
Burrows
A quality winger, both footed, a superb player. But why
on earth does Mullen want to play him in midfield and not up front all the time? Why on
earth does he have to cross the ball to a little 'inch’ all the time? A wasted
player. John Horrocks
If Ted McMinn had played more games this season, maybe
we would still be there. Mike Thompson
Ted McMinn, if Burnley decided to build
a team of youngsters around him he could play in midfield for Burnley, but I don't think
they'll do that. Keith Scott
Good player, a luxury and over the hill. Peter Hicks
What about
Steve Davis?
He's been an absolutely superb player, but to me, this
season he has only really performed when it has suited him. Paul
Burrows
Steve Davis has played this season when scouts have
been at games, wonderful in front of scouts, not so good when scouts aren't there, eg
Southend. He is playing for himself this season, he's turned it on and off like a tap.
Steve Davis has still been our best player this season, and that's a sad comment but it's
true. Andrew Firmin
Absolutely sensational this season, the only player
from last season’s team who has risen to the occasion in the first division. The man
has been head and shoulders above anybody else in a Burnley shirt all season, and the only
time this club has performed anywhere near its potential is when Steve Davis has played
anywhere near his potential as well, and that includes this afternoon. The man is clearly
the best player on the pitch. Ian Wood
I'll be sorry to lose him next season. Dave McCluggage
I think he'll be surprised when he doesn't get a
premier league team. Andrew Firmin
Steve Davis was excellent for Burnley early in the
season, but when he announced he wanted to play in the premier, he hasn't been playing for
Burnley at all, he's been playing for himself. Keith Scott
Steve Davis has been Burnley's best player for a long
time, good club player. Peter Hicks
Q: What is your
opinion of David Eyres?
Serious underachiever, could have done a lot better,
but not the worst player in the team by far. Paul Burrows
He is so left footed, that he's been a very big
disappointment at this level, because clubs have figured him out, and they can play to the
knowledge that he is limited in that area. Having said that, he has also put in a
tremendous amount of effort and nobody could knock him for that, but ultimately, effort is
not sufficient, as Liam Robinson has proved. Ian Wood
David Eyres - Jimmy Mullen's favourite man. What does
David Eyres have to do to get dropped? It's not sufficient to be crap in approximately
forty games, obviously. What does Jimmy Mullen do when he picks his team? He picks ten
players and David Eyres. Left back, centre forward, left winger, right winger, it doesn't
matter, David Eyres is always in while Ted McMinn is always playing for the reserves. Andrew Firmin
I always remember what he did for us last season, but
I'm not sure he's made the transition to this division, but he should be top scorer again
next season. Dave McCluggage
Q: Has Chris
Vinnicombe been a good signing?
He is a quality player who was taken out by Andy
Bernal’s elbow at Reading, which was the disgrace of the season, basically. Chris
Vinnicombe is an excellent footballer who will proceed, even if he doesn't proceed for us,
way beyond our level, an excellent player and the future of this club. Ian Wood
A great player. One of the great contributing factors
to our relegation is that Andy Bernal - what an absolute thug that man is - took
Vinnicombe out at Reading, and that was the turning point of the season. If we can keep
him, he's a future Burnley captain. Andrew Firmin
The best player this season, he's been outstanding.
When he's been playing the whole team have played, even today when we were going down, he
was running around going for the ball lifting the rest of the team. He's been a really
good player. Nick Barrett
He has character and skill and everything it takes, I
go along with what everyone has said about what happened at Reading, that was just
diabolical. Paul Burrows
SPLENDID! John Horrocks
Q: What about
Liam Robinson?
A sadly out of depth Individual, who has got absolutely
no concept of how to play at the first division level. His enthusiasm is astonishing,
unlike his skill. Ian Wood
Terrible, shocking, not good enough. Probably the worst
signing of Mullen's career. Andrew Firmin
The most inept footballer I have ever seen. Paul Burrows
Hasn't fulfilled the promise. Dave
McCluggage
Just not good enough. Keith
Scott
Which scout watched him, that's what I want to know. Ian Thompson
A complete waste of money. We should have bought a pot
of jam and let the little golliwog on it play instead. John
Horrocks
Brent Whittam
April-May 1995
Links -
Looking back on that Portsmouth game that sealed our fate and things they didn't say in 1994/95
