|
The Bartley stuff was all last minute with a final offer going through at 9 pm (reportedly) and Bartley (reportedly) doing an Andy Gray and saying if it didn't go through he wouldn't be in the right frame of mind or mood to play. Chairman Eddie Mitchell was livid (reportedly) at the way it had been done and his hand forced with so many people ringing him. He thought Bartley had three agents. It might be that the Turf Moor bosses have learned to be tougher in their pursuit of targets or maybe one of them is a ventriloquist. And, here's a thought - now that Eddie Howe has brought three more people in from Bournemouth in mid season, has he done an Owen Coyle? Bournemouth fans in the main seemed to remain quite charitable and non-condemnatory and relieved we hadn't pinched star man Pugh in the window. All this was in the Bournemouth Daily Echo so it must be true (reportedly), and it certainly made a change for BFC to be portrayed as the bad guys. We're not used to that; in fact according to my man on the inside, Burnley received a letter from Bournemouth complimenting them on the way they had abided by the rules when approaching them for Howe.
Anyway Mrs T went to bed before the window closed. The morning after when I took her a cup of tea and the latest electricity bill (boy do I spoil her) she said "have we still got Chris Eagles?"
"Yep" I said, "and we've also got Marvin Bartley."
She gulped and tea splurted out all over the duvet. "Who the hell is Marvin Bartley?" she asked. I had to smile. I'd asked the same question myself the night before - the new Lennie Johnrose by the sound of things. His girlfriend meanwhile didn't want to come and (reportedly) didn't know where Burnley was. Well, I thought, you'd better get packing and if you're miffed blame the transfer window and perhaps if you'd watched SKY and Jim White having orgasms every time he uttered the name TORRES you'd have got a bit more excited yourself dear.
The last Midlands team to arrive at Turf Moor were the hordes from Port Vale who caused mayhem. Burton came with a more genteel reputation, were a credit to their club and by all accounts this was a big game for them; their commercial people seeing the chance of a quick profit by selling special mugs and scarves. This was their first ever appearance in the Fourth Round. Clearly they saw Burnley as a 'scalp'. "It's a big occasion," said the man with the unpronouncable name for anyone who doesn't have their own teeth, Peschisolido.
The day was cold and crisp for the Burton Cup game; a low sun in a blue sky made viewing difficult for anyone in the Upper James Hargreaves. It was, in fact, not much of a problem for there was little of note to see in a half-paced first half where a nice bit of skill came from the interplay between Cork and Eagles before the deft Eagles slotted the ball home. If we thought that would open the floodgates it didn't and although Burton seldom got near the Burnley goal, nevertheless for several spells they bossed the midfield as Burnley seemed to treat this is a gentle training exercise.
At last a second Burnley goal calmed the nerves a bit, but then it wouldn't be Burnley if there wasn't a goal gifted to the opposition. Cork acknowledged responsibility to his team-mates, but Wallace had a hand in there as well somewhere with a slightly wayward pass and there was a bit of Grant dithering so all in all you could say it was a good team effort. With the score at 2-1, the Albion woke up, put up a bit of a fight and were clearly loathe to go for a Burton just yet. Not until Paterson, back at last, put home a rebound was the game settled and over. Wallace had a hand in two of the Burnley goals when he came on. The second Burnley goal was peachy. A poor goal kick hit Darren Moore on the back of the head. The rebound was quickly turned into a goal when Wallace put over a superb diagonal cross on the floor that was impossible to miss - eventually.
Only Eagles, Cork and Fox, possibly Mears too, had anything resembling an above average game. The rest, although doing nothing that was desperately bad apart from one mad moment from Duff when he forgot that his role is to destroy rather than delight; nevertheless, looked like they had lead in their boots every now and then. Peschilscholdido (drat my teeth just fell out) saw Burnley in a different light.
"Some of their movement and their passing and interchange of play was phenomenal at times."
Did I really hear the word phenomenal there? Speaking of leaden boots, where are these garish, luminous, designer boots coming from in such numbers. In the 70s Mike Summerbee used to travel round with a car boot full of shirts. In the 90s Roger Eli used to travel round with a car boot full of garish shell suits, those multi coloured things that were all the rage at the time and people from Wythenshaw going on holiday used to wear at Manchester Airport. He used to sell them to all the Burnley players and then had to stop himself laughing at how dodgy they looked. I reckon someone now has the franchise for selling these technicolour boots they wear. Mears had a hideous bright orange pair the like of which must give people a migraine in the boot room, and the old boys like Jimmy Mac must look at and stare wide-eyed. So which one of the team has a car boot full of them and is flogging them off cheap in the car park?
Our manager described the performance as 'professional' and 'resolute'. I'd guess that's code for 'not really very good but we won'. The saving grace was Eagles in a role that gives him a more central role where he can run at pace through midfield and the final third with his little flicks and lay-offs and generally cause havoc. He was unlucky not to register a hat-trick with a piece of skill on the left when he took the ball in mid stride, cut in and unleashed a fantastic shot that smacked the bar, nearly broke it in two, and then it bounced down onto the goal-line. Or did it? Was it just over the line maybe - apparently not.
The last visit to Doncaster in 2008 was in mid blip in the promotion season. The latest continued this most recent tradition of abject displays at the Keepmoat. Doncaster had just lost their last four games. In this one there was just one shot on target in the whole of 90 minutes. The Claretsworld co-commentator, Darren Bentley, described it as the worst display of the season. This was the Howe-wowe factor well and truly shattered. New man Charlie Austin made his debut and received scant service. Paterson aggravated his injury again. Duff scored an own goal; Eagles' new roving role ineffective on this occasion. The evening was dire. Conversations you overhear on the way out of a game, or emails or texts you get can be instructive.
"They'd have been booed off for that under Laws."
"Howe's got his work cut out to sort that lot out."
"Trouble is, too many players there on good money think they're better than they are."
And probably the most apposite - "that wer bloody rubbish."
The Norwich canaries came flying high, second in the table and the news had just been confirmed that the Cup game against West Ham would be on a Monday night on ESPN. Sod the supporters then. How daft can football get; a Saturday away trip to West Ham, something to look forward to; a Monday no thanks. And ESPN, I can't think of anyone I know within a 10 miles radius chez moi with ESPN. Sod the expense - 9 quid for a month - I booked it. Sometimes you deserve a treat.
What a belter of a game it was - Burnley 2 Norwich 1. It was a game that had everything and felt like a Cup-tie. This was real edge of seat stuff. Maybe too it banished any lingering memories of Laws' miserable Cromwellian rule as Howe's dashing cavaliers won the 3 points, and thoroughly deserved too; the wowe was back. Burnley played some lovely stuff, easily bossed the first half and Marney clinically finished a wonderful flowing move that started with Carlisle in his own half. It was an Arsenal goal - no higher praise.
Of course you knew that Norwich would come out fighting and it was their turn to boss the game. They equalised. You could see it coming. Then it was backs to the wall stuff as Norwich came on even stronger. But the last 15 minutes belonged to Burnley again. Somehow Rodriguez, sliding in from the corner of the 6-yard box, fired home through the goalkeeper's legs, whilst under severe pressure, to finish off a Fox free kick from out wide. Mears took some fearful punishment during the game. One tackle that nearly bisected him and sent him 6 feet up in the air was worthy of a red. A poor referee gave a yellow and then proceeded to award Norwich free kicks out of thin air most of the afternoon. But then the winner and wily old fox Alexander came on to play out time. What a super afternoon that was in the pouring rain and then back home for a plateful of stew and dumplings. Just sometimes a day comes along that is good from start to finish. This was one of them.
QPR still top; PNE bottom after another heavy defeat, Blackburn lost, Bolton lost and Burnley just about hanging on in there.