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Even the man in the know, Alan Nixon, was pretty much second guessing - or was he? For the third time he revealed that Allardyce contact was going on even if it was only via third parties at this stage and just a delicate sounding out process. But, according to the chairman's club website interview of Jan 5th all that was about to happen was a conference call between directors and a list of 6 candidates to talk to - possibly - maybe - perhaps.
Other than the wonderful 2-0 win in the play-offs it was difficult to think of many nights of glory down there at Reading. One memory was certainly the wasted trip some years ago in the Cup when we all got in, only to watch the rain teeming down and the game called off. That's a long way to go for a postponement - or for a defeat when the words shooting oneself in the foot unfortunately come to mind.
The win lose, win lose sequence predictably continued. A Burnley win would have put them 7th, the defeat left them down at 10th; the lines between success and failure so fine in the Championship. The Reading winner came from a corner and Shane Long unmarked calmly headed home. In truth a shocking goal to give away, Reading hardly the biggest side in the Division so that scoring from a corner in the 6 yard box was unforgivably poor defending. Marney and Wallace hit the woodwork with Marney having four good scoring opportunities, one of them volleying wide with the goal at his mercy. Maybe there was a case to feel aggrieved at the result, but if you miss good chances at one end and let soft goals in at the other, then you will certainly not win and you will most certainly slide down to 10th. Maybe too any faint thoughts of Gray being handed the managerial position disappeared after this result. Four points behind the play-offs made the need for a galvanising and inspirational managerial appointment all the more essential.
Early January and Alan Nixon for the third time was claiming that Allardyce could be heading for Burnley:
Sam Allardyce is ready to talk to Burnley about a managerial comeback after this week - just a fortnight after being axed by Blackburn Rovers. Allardyce will break into a sunshine break in Dubai to head for talks with the Clarets who have reacted to his interest in the post. The respected boss is interested in the Burnley challenge and could take the post if he likes what he hears about his plans and with close friends in the game urging him to return.
That plus my Deepthroat Wikileaks contact (just a bloke in a long greasy raincoat and trilby I met behind the pet food aisle in Tesco) saying: "Allardyce is keeping the door open. His people rang Burnley immediately last week. Burnley got back to him from all directions. He was hoping for a Prem job but maybe the penny is dropping that Burnley is a good prospect." And I did begin to wonder if maybe there is more to this than we might suppose. However a more sinister development was the Lancashire Telegraph suggestion that Gary Neville might now be in the frame and mentions were appearing. On reading that, the mouthful of custard pie I was just enjoying finished up all over the table; what a waste. Memo to conference callers: NO.
Next up: Phil Brown publicly threw his hat in the ring. "Burnley what an opportunity for someone to go in there. I think it is a great opportunity for someone to go in there but there ae some very good men out there." If that isn't saying hey give me a call then nothing is. Anyway along came Preston and snapped him up.
The ongoing fun and games at Ewood made up somewhat for the frustrating defeat at Reading. When in need of a laugh, just look down the road. For some reason I always think of that old sitcom It Ain't arf 'ot Mum when I hear or see anything to do with Venkywood. Apparently a bid of £6.2million was tabled for that toothy old has-been Ronaldinho. Barcelona got rid; he couldn't get in the team at Milan, so the poultry millionaires looked at him as the perfect chicken nugget to draw in the crowds at Blackburn. Alan Nixon was in the news of course with it, and SKY splashed it all over the telly. Meanwhile I read that two protesting fans dressed as chickens had been arrested and taken to a local police station; or was it two blokes with two live chickens and the chickens spent a night in the cells. A police officer revealed that forhensics were now on the case.
Meanwhile: in a Radio Lancashire interview a Venky spokesman was asked who was giving advice about the Premier League. He replied: "My brother is very knowledgeable about the English Premier League. He watches it a lot on television." Big Sam must have been well relieved and laughed all the way to the bank, when he heard he was actually being paid to leave. If this was Burnley I thought, I'd have burned my season ticket and posted the ashes in a small brown urn to Reception.
The first official statement regarding an approach to another club to speak to a potential manager came on Thursday, January 6th when the club revealed that Norwich had been asked for permission to speak to Paul Lambert. But behind the scenes my man in the shabby raincoat (this time behind the fish counter in Aldi) whispered that major problems had occurred in talks with Sam Allardyce, that he was in a state of indecision and there had been no progress with Malky Mackay. In a low conspiratorial email he urged me to watch the papers in the next few days although for all I know he might have been talking about the horoscopes. The last one I read said that I would be extremely fertile in the second half of the year. Mrs T was aghast at this news and frankly it surprised me as well. (And the newest name in the hat was that of Kevin Keegan).
Norwich City countered with their own official statement. Under no circumstances would the club wish to give permission, it stated. The club would fight tooth and nail to retain the services of Lambert and his team. The formality and protocol contrasted hugely with the way in which Gartside was able to offer the Bolton job to Owen Coyle after the 'surrendering' of Coyle's mobile phone number, and how the 'official' Bolton approach was a product of manouevring and seduction within just hours of the so-called "off the record" weekend talks that Gartside was permitted to have. Whilst Burnley on the one hand made it so easy for Coyle to be prised away, Norwich had no intention of following suit. Nor did Paul Lambert, and within hours had fully committed himself to Norwich City.
Just like the Sheffield United game, the Cup game against Port Vale kind of snuck up unnoticed. Third Round Cup games don't raise the excitement levels anyway these days unless you've struck lucky and pulled a big name out of the hat and Port Vale certainly didn't raise the eyebrows. The only thought was surely this will be a game won comfortably and efficiently. Then you remembered, damn, this is Burnley we're talking about where nothing comes easy and the word straightforward is seldom used.
But hey, other than the usual defensive goof that allowed a poor Port Vale an equaliser this was indeed a comfortable, easy win. The possession stats summed it up, 66% Burnley and just 34% Vale. This was a stroll for most of the game, a routine, almost practice session of a game. Eagles was outstanding, Mears not far behind, and the third Burnley goal a sublime, two pass, 5-second move the length of the field out of the penalty area, with Eagles applying the scoring shot. It was a blsitering move that would have had Arsenal fans drooling. Final score 4-2, the Vale second goal quite out of the blue and giving an undeserved respectability to the score, for the third time Grant punching out a shot that fell to an incoming player who slotted home. The attendance 9,442 with possibly 3,000 of those from Port Vale which made it a poor show from Burnley fans - but there again it was only the FA Cup which these days means very little in comparison with the days of Jimmy Mac et al.
With Phil Brown having been appointed as the new PNE manager, Deepthroat meanwhile again left a cryptic message, this time in code on an obscure Blackburn Rovers messageboard of all places, that the story was about to take a hell of a twist. "Some managers are tarts… The word is Lambert encouraged their interest… … it's moved on again tonight… there is one almighty twist in the Burnley job chase… needless to say they are fed up of waiting on a commitment from Big Sam."
We waited agog for the twist, rushed out to buy the People on the Sunday morning but it was only a snippet about Howe and how Howe was in talks with maybe three clubs.
Next up was the official approach to Watford and Malky Mackay… or was it official… by now I was losing track of how official it was or was Howe official or how far we were anyway with the Howe and Mackay talks. Who's Howe anyway someone asked and if he is appointed you can bet your bottom dollar that somewhere will be the headline HOWEZAT. Southgate's name still kept popping up, Jewell went to Ipswich, and several of the good folk of Clarets Mad were beginning to panic that there might be no bread left on the shelf soon at this rate.
But then, Monday 10th: the latest from my contact, codename okiN, at Wikileaks -
Howe met Burnley after meeting Palace… then told Palace what Burnley had offered him… then he went to Charlton for talks… Lambert used you but you made an approach… Mackay was contacted early… agent was given the figures… seemed interested… seems to have cooled since… Big Sam, if you wait long enough he may come to his senses and realise it is the perfect fit. Liverpool passed him by so it's the Turf or the desert for him. He would be wise to choose the former.
But by all accounts Stuart Gray seems to be flavour of the month with a fair few of the players at the moment and they were pleading his case. The only worry there is that, as one grizzled hack once memorably wrote: "Players, bless 'em, they change their opinions like they change their socks."
Question is: do we? One thing's for sure though, I have the clear feeling that certain candidates are just playing games at the moment and if you can't trust them now, how can you possibly trust them if you appoint them?