Stan Ternent's Claret and Blue Army

He left to all four packed sides chanting his name, a departing hero with enduring affection secured. That alone bears testament to the success of his six year reign.

Overall, he took Burnley forwards. Each season he was in charge, he hit or exceeded his objective for that particular campaign. Consolidation and promotion when they were the order, two successive promotion challenges when holding our own would have sufficed. Then he kept us in the division when the goalposts moved again in latter years.

Stan Ternent arrived at Burnley when the club was leaderless, big on dreams but short on substance. He inherited a club which had long since ceased to expect more successful times to return, which was in a mess on and off the field.

His first achievement was to provide that leadership, and instil a backbone in the club. His no-nonsense style was exactly what Burnley needed after the laidback management of Chris Waddle. Ultimately, he did more than that: he restored pride, and gave Burnley fans a reason to believe once more.

Stan was, in so many ways, the perfect match for Burnley. Quite aside from a genuine affection for the club and the town, and his resultant understanding of the place, there was something in his make up which fitted him to the role. Old fashioned, passionate and unconventional, with a burning ambition to reach the top, he fitted Burnley Football Club like a glove.

Stan was the first manager in my lifetime to take Burnley fans on the upward journey and make us believe we could finish the job. After a few initial hiccups whilst he built his first Burnley team, he took us out of the second division, and then beyond our wildest dreams as we soared to the top of the first in the autumn of 2001. Along the way, there were many great memories: the signing of Ian Wright, the odd wonder goal from Glen Little, a promotion party at Scunthorpe and classy teams being dismissed at the Turf. Then came the magic of that run to the top of the league, great results at places like Bradford and Birmingham: performances of a calibre no Burnley team since the seventies could match.

Back then, Stan Ternent’s Claret and Blue Army was on the march, and it seemed irresistible. Sometimes, the crowd would question Stan’s less obvious decisions and there would be a temporary spat, but the relationship was strong. Stan and Burnley seemed inseparable.

Even after ITV digital and the subsequent decline, there were great games, cup nights against Fulham and Tottenham, and performances to satisfy the hardest critic. But over those last two seasons, there were enough poor performances for even the biggest fan of Stan to understand there were arguments in favour of a change. Where once his single mindedness was his greatest virtue, now his stubbornness was his flaw. Yet until the very end, debate over his future seemed an academic exercise: his grip over the club remained firm, and his bond with the majority of supporters was unbreakable. The news of his departure, then, was an immense shock.

Whether or not the decision is the right one, only time will tell. On the face of it, it seems brave, and perhaps a little premature. But I remember once, a cricket captain telling me about managing his bowlers: they’ll never want to come off, he said. They’ll always think they’re capable of the breakthrough. The trick, he believed, was to ease them out of the attack whilst their figures were still respectable, to pre-empt the time he was forced to make a change.

The point is that by then it could be too late. If Stan were ever to go, this is probably the time: at the end of his contract, giving the new man the opportunity to reshape his squad over the summer. The departure of Glen Little gets rid of one of the key cogs in his finest Burnley team. It may be better that the new man gets the opportunity to mould a team in his own style, rather than one pre-moulded to Stan’s.

What’s more, once his success begins to plateau, any manager has a limited shelf life. Peter Reid once said that the time limit is four years at any one club. More particularly, Jack Charlton once reckoned that once a portion of the crowd, no matter how small, began to show their discontent, it was time to go.

There were signs that that was beginning to happen at Burnley. I, for one, would have liked him to stay – but there is logic to the decision, no doubt topped up by factors we know nothing about. Football fans know but the smallest amount about the inner workings of football and football clubs.

Now, inevitably, there are busloads of rumours going about. Brian Flynn, Micky Phelan, Colin Lee, Ronnie Moore, every other out of work manager out there – take your pick.

Barry has stated he knows his criteria for the new man. I expect that to involve a younger man, perhaps a more technical coach, but used to financial constraints. The new team – including the assistant – must have extensive knowledge of the game at the lower levels. And I would suggest that one part of the team should have knowledge of Burnley, the dynamics of the town and of the club, not for sentimental reasons but to avoid the types of mistakes the likes of Waddle and Bond made in the past. There are few towns as inward looking as Burnley, where the local club is so central to the town, with the tradition and expectation that Burnley has. It is imperative that the new man works with those qualities rather than against them.

So whom would I go for? A couple of combinations occur to me. One is Mike Phelan with Brian Flynn as an experienced number two with the benefit of already knowing the players. Another is Steve Cotterill or Colin Lee with Flynn or Kevin Ball as number two. But don’t be surprised if, after doing his homework far more thoroughly than we ever will, Barry Kilby makes a completely different choice.

Barry Kilby has made a tough choice, and he has another tough one ahead. One thing is for sure though – he has a hard act to follow. Thank you, Stanley Ternent, and goodnight.