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Barry Kilby wrote bluntly, "It stuck in the craw", that the move had been to Bolton and that the approach was unwelcome and that he didn't want anyone at the club who didn't want to be there. "Unfortunately he took all the coaching staff with him." The chairman's remaining words were understated but nevertheless the meaning behind them was clear. He ended whistfully, "As for me, I can step back into the shadows… and hopefully catch up on some sleep." Quietness and an unassuming nature is his trademark. The sleep was well deserved.
Fascinating too that the new manager Brian Laws wrote to the Burnley Express years ago when he left Burnley to say he would be back one day. Brian also wrote to someone I know in Burnley to thank him for help he had given him as a young lad in Burnley. He showed me the letter. "I hope to be in the Burnley colours again one day," he wrote. As the years went by, no doubt Brian forgot all about those letters. But life works in funny ways, and over 20 years later back he came.
The January transfer window in the world at large was nothing to write home about. It was remarkable only for the small amounts of money that changed hands and the merry-go-round that shifts players, who by and large fail or don't fit in at one club, on to the next. Take Mido and McCarthy. Both ended up at West Ham ready to take on Burnley. Both have done the rounds, with fitful careers, the latter having upset Allardyce at Blackburn with his poor form and alleged attitude problems. It seems that the same small number of players merely wander like vagrants from club to club. The only surprise was Keane from Spurs to Celtic. Of course Keane announced that it was a dream move and they were the team of his boyhood. I make that at least three clubs that have been his boyhood favourites. I was agog to hear that he is still only 29 and this is his seventh big club move. It used to be Akinbiyi who moved once a year to clubs that sought a magic saviour to spark their mediocre season and cheer up their restless, dissatisfied supporters. "And somebody somewhere ends up buying Akinbiyi" ends a classic article about the January sales. Now it is Keane. Spare a thought for these exhausted guys who move around so much. It's hard work becoming a millionaire.
The feel good factor returned to Turf Moor after the West Ham game. Not only that, but good fortune too paid us a visit for the first time in months. The statistics tell the story, West Ham 19 goal attempts and Burnley just 6, but Burnley held on for the win and smiles returned to people's faces. The three points took Burnley out of the bottom three and the beer and wine flowed on Saturday night. Two smart goals from Burnley, and a host of near misses from West Ham; the last 20 minutes nerve-wracking, the last few minutes after West Ham scored nerve-shredding. They had one shot cleared off the line, hit the crossbar, hit the post, had a goal disallowed, and forced Jensen into some smart saves. Two newly purchased players stole the show, Danny Fox, with a fantastic free kick goal, and Leon Cort with an equally fantastic goal line clearance with the score at 0-0. Their performances must have given manager Laws great satisfaction. For good measure the recently returned Nugent scored a superb opportunist goal. It may only have been his fourth goal but those goals resulted in points. On a good day he has provided 50% more 'ecky thump. This was not a game for the faint hearted, but at the end the jubilation and cheers rang round the ground and relief flooded the stadium. On Sunday morning the table looked good. The attendance was unusual - 21,001. Observers wondered if the odd one was West Ham's new striker, ex-Blackburn Benni McCarthy who had a stinker and did little else but watch as the ball usually sped past him.
On Sunday, the face of Capello filled the pages after his sacking of Terry as England captain. It took him 12 minutes when they met, hardly time to open and close the door. The man with the iron fist and square jaw doesn't mess about. For a while I couldn't decide what the right thing to do would be. Infidelity in today's social climate, sadly, is no big deal. Didn't HRH Charles get up to a few trysts in his time and there he was, proud to be a Claret, being hosted at the Turf by all and sundry? Who are we therefore to tut tut at Terry's sleazy love life? But then I asked myself would we have liked a Burnley captain to have disdainfully parked his Bentley in a disabled parking space while he went for a pizza lunch? Would we want a Burnley captain to be taking secret tours round Gawthorpe for a few used notes in his back pocket? And if part of the deal of being a Burnley captain was having his own match day lounge, would we want him to be furtively selling the use of it on match days for cash in his back pocket if he was already on a wage that we folk can only dream about? The words grubby and underhand came to mind. If caught out, I doubt that player would be Burnley captain for long and he would receive short shrift from us.
It would have been nice to get to Fulham but just sometimes the three year old grandson takes priority so plans to get the supporters' coach to Fulham were shelved. We started to teach him a few letters… b for Burnley, b for ball… f for football… p for pie… he learns fast but has yet to master away-win. He must take after his granddad. The thought of a possible first away win was an attractive one and it's a ground I have never been to. They were a good side at Turf Moor when we got a 1-1 draw and they'd just got a 0-0 draw at Horwich. I'm afraid I had to gloat when one reporter said it was one of the worst games he'd seen. Poor Owen was incandescent at a disallowed goal. Couldn't see much wrong with it myself either, but what the hell. You get what you deserve in life and from what I can glean not everyone is happy with their new Messiah at Lumpit Wanderers. If they expected an instant transformation, they haven't got it.
Both Blake and Eagles were left out of a more defensive starting line-up at Craven Cottage. It was surprise enough when Eagles was left on the bench for the West Ham game and in came Blake. For the Fulham game in came defender Edgar as well as the two full backs and the two central defenders. After nearly three years of Coyle's line-ups, I must say my eyebrows lifted at this one and also at the story that Eagles was far from happy with life at the Turf. Edgar went to left back, and Fox to left midfield. The intentions may have been good; the result was much the same as so many other away games.
Make no mistake Burnley were poor and were totally outplayed by a big, strong, sharp, accurate and very accomplished Fulham. But an appalling linesman lost this game for Burnley as well as their own ineptitude. Clear offside decisions were missed resulting in the first two goals. This was linesman Mike Bull, a more apt name you would struggle to find, his decisions utter bullsh*t. Millions of pounds hang on decisions like these and though we can understand hairline decisions being wrong, and the sheer pace of the game, or cheating, catching officials out, the obvious offsides demand to be seen. The third goal was the result of a free-kick which could have gone either way with Zamora sticking his straight-arm out in rugby fend-off fashion in a 50/50 tussle. Bennett of course gave the decision to Fulham. Zamora disdainfully stroked the free kick home from outside the box, both wall and Jensen at fault with Towneleyesque positioning: Thank you and goodnight.
No one could suggest that Burnley deserved anything from a sorry performance, but neither could anyone say that without these three decisions from the officials, Burnley might not have just scraped home with a lucky 0-0 draw, bad as they were. Fletcher, Nugent and Elliott were nonentities, communication between Jensen and Mears nil, Edgar is no left back, moves broke down, the ball was given away, first-touch was frequently clumsy, barely a header was won all night up front; and despite Fox being brought in to bolster the left side of midfield in front of Edgar, Duff still had the freedom of the park and ran at will. Then, when Cort went off and the re-shuffle put Edgar into central defence, Zamora gave him a torrid time, and Duff continued to enjoy himself against Fox. In Murphy, Duff and Zamora, Fulham had three players who ran Burnley ragged.
The Mirror commented that on the Andrew Marr Show, Alastair Campbell was for once lost for words. So were Burnley supporters after this show. The Telegraph suggested that somewhere soon real humiliation is heading Burnley's way with displays like this. The cruellest comment was that they looked so lost; a ball of string might help them find their way round the pitch. My pal Tim who was there emailed to say that it was "chastening" and what was lacking was "speed of thought." Maybe the latter is one of the key things that separate the established Prem sides from the newcomers.
It was difficult to see any positives. I watched it on the internet, not a bad picture but the view limited of course. Comments on the message boards and the Press suggested it was far worse watching it in the raw. Arguments centred around the old chicken and egg problem; were Fulham extremely good because Burnley were extremely poor; or were Burnley poor simply because Fulham were very good. Does it really matter? Burnley were very, very poor and it's as simple as that with a number of players looking out of their depth. The incessantly vociferous travelling supporters, meanwhile, were a source of wonderment to all neutrals, Fulham fans, TV commentators and reporters. All night long they kept up the chanting loud and clear. It was reminiscent of when Jimmy Mullen took Burnley to Derby many years ago and the support they gave was the talk of the football world. Fulham on a cold, damp Tuesday in February, a trip not for the faint-hearted; but there they were, simply magnificent. Pity the team couldn't match them on the night. Sadly, it was Fulham and Zamora who had 100% more 'ecky thump.
Manager Laws commented afterwards that the nation is waiting for and willing the first away Burnley win. It reminded me of Akinbiyi years ago at Leicester when the nation waited for him to score. Unfortunately, by the time his bundled goal came Akinbiyi was a figure of fun. Burnley jetted off to Portugal for some sunshine training and bonding. The rumour was that a game was arranged against a team of waiters so that they would be sure to get the first elusive first away win. We wondered, though, if there was any truth in the rumour that the waiters won 2-0.