The whole process of finding a new manager was carried out far too professionally by Burnley Football Club and it proved difficult to establish just who was and who wasn’t in the running until the last few days.
A contact at Millmoor had kept me informed of the situation regarding Ronnie Moore but his chances of getting the job had long faded into the distance. Steve Cotterill was the name on everyone’s lips and it was the former
It was a short press conference but he did mention the fact that we only had enough players to compete in eight-a-side games and suggested that he would be bringing in a few new faces. He referred to having a good team ethic and a hard working team that would give
In a voting poll on this site over 57% said they were happy with the appointment whereas just over 21% said they were unhappy.
Cotterill had signed a three year contract and at the end of the first year he can reflect on a season that saw the Clarets never threatened with relegation and ending in mid table with probably more points than any of us had dared hope.
He made some good signings, particularly in the defence and boosted that with some good loan signings, one in particular who will never be forgotten around Turf Moor.
He’s into year two now, and somewhat ahead of things compared to a year ago. He’s already got three players in for the new season, the pre-season programme is sorted, he isn’t having to bring in a new coaching team and work is being carried out at both Turf Moor and Gawthorpe, something he has been critical of.
A recent Burnley manager once told us we should judge him only when it is his own team and next season
I would think that if we carried out a similar poll now that the 57% would rise significantly, and if we could just find goal scoring a little bit easier next season then who knows what we can achieve.