ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

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ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:28 am

Latest in the managers - and Tommy Cavanagh who took over from Martin Buchan in 1985

See link
https://www.uptheclarets.com/tommy-cava ... o-may-1986

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by frankinwales » Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:40 am

Cheers Tony... These really were difficult years to be a Burnley fan.... Up The Clarets....

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:42 am

Difficult years and a manager who showed our club zero respect

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Silkyskills1 » Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:04 am

As you say,CT, a desperate appointment. Just on your article I can recall the 'dug-outs' when we were 3 sided.being on the Longside but that was early 70's.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by randomclaret2 » Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:19 am

The summer of 86 was a truly depressing and worrying time to be a Claret

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by martin_p » Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:30 am

Silkyskills1 wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:04 am
As you say,CT, a desperate appointment. Just on your article I can recall the 'dug-outs' when we were 3 sided.being on the Longside but that was early 70's.
I don’t remember the dugouts being on the Longside either. Was it just a one season thing?

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by XDS » Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:18 pm

He wanted to be sat in the sun like they were at Old Trafford, he was a horrible man who did his best to get games called off every time it rained even insisting that Roy Oldfield turned the sprinklers on to try to waterlog the penalty areas. Phil Harrington must have been the worlds smallest goalkeeper but was quite a character.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by martin_p » Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:23 pm

XDS wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:18 pm
He wanted to be sat in the sun like they were at Old Trafford, he was a horrible man who did his best to get games called off every time it rained even insisting that Roy Oldfield turned the sprinklers on to try to waterlog the penalty areas. Phil Harrington must have been the worlds smallest goalkeeper but was quite a character.
Genuinely don’t remember that. Mind you, there’s a lot about following Burnley at that time that I’ve blocked out!

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Stan Tastic » Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:31 pm

Just wondering if it was worth mentioning Peter Haddock was like a fish out of water.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Silkyskills1 » Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:36 pm

XDS wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:18 pm
He wanted to be sat in the sun like they were at Old Trafford, he was a horrible man who did his best to get games called off every time it rained even insisting that Roy Oldfield turned the sprinklers on to try to waterlog the penalty areas. Phil Harrington must have been the worlds smallest goalkeeper but was quite a character.
Dug outs at OT in same position as at Turf Moor i.e. facing north.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:22 pm

Stan Tastic wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:31 pm
Just wondering if it was worth mentioning Peter Haddock was like a fish out of water.
Little story about him.

I called at a friend’s house on the day we signed him and found him sat there as he was staying with them.

Question of Sport came on and the old one minute round included some answers that were names of fish.

One came up as Peter __________ (football). We all laughed and he didn’t know the answer.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:23 pm

martin_p wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:30 am
I don’t remember the dugouts being on the Longside either. Was it just a one season thing?
Didn’t use them on that side for long although they were still there right up to the Longside being demolished.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by martin_p » Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:37 pm

ClaretTony wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:23 pm
Didn’t use them on that side for long although they were still there right up to the Longside being demolished.
Yes, remember them mainly being used by St Johns Ambulance.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Herts Clarets » Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:39 pm

Stan Tastic wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 12:31 pm
Just wondering if it was worth mentioning Peter Haddock was like a fish out of water.
I remember him being better than what we had (admittedly that was no great achievement) and he went on to play 100 odd games for Leeds at a much higher level than we were at.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:41 pm

Herts Clarets wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:39 pm
I remember him being better than what we had (admittedly that was no great achievement) and he went on to play 100 odd games for Leeds at a much higher level than we were at.
Peter Haddock was far better than what we had. Always seemed a strange signing given it was just short term and by then we had nothing to play for.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Sausage » Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:46 pm

Tony, what's the story behind the sale of Wayne Biggins? Did Cavanagh not rate him or was it Biggins who was agitating for a move? I remember being gutted that he'd been sold as he was the only person likely to score goals in that team.

Thinking about it, Norwich really pulled our trousers down that season; they got Micky Phelan and Wayne Biggins for a total of just £95,000 and promptly got promoted to the First Division.
Last edited by Sausage on Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by claretblue » Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:52 pm

ClaretTony wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 1:22 pm
One came up as Peter __________ (football). We all laughed and he didn’t know the answer.
well go on then...what's the answer? :?

:D

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Fri Jun 05, 2020 3:31 pm

Sausage wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 2:46 pm
Tony, what's the story behind the sale of Wayne Biggins? Did Cavanagh not rate him or was it Biggins who was agitating for a move? I remember being gutted that he'd been sold as he was the only person likely to score goals in that team.

Thinking about it, Norwich really pulled our trousers down that season; they got Micky Phelan and Wayne Biggins for a total of just £95,000 and promptly got promoted to the First Division.
Buchan had initially set that deal up and he'd been with Parker at Oldham previously. Cavanagh could have reversed it but money will have come into it. We sold Biggins for £40,000 and paid £10,000 for Parker.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Aclaret » Fri Jun 05, 2020 7:15 pm

Sad to say I can't remember much about this era, I didnt go to many games, talk about disillusioned !

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Cirrus_Minor » Fri Jun 05, 2020 7:26 pm

I remember the ridiculous Man Utd cap.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by XDS » Fri Jun 05, 2020 8:23 pm

All he ever spoke about was "The Doc" . I remember one game in the freight rover cup it had been raining (quite heavily in fairness) he wanted the game off so he told Roy to put on the sprinklers before the ref turned up, once the ref arrived (Im sure it was Colin Trussell) he badgered him to call it off, the ref asked the apprentices to get a ball and have a knock about to see if the ball would roll and not get stuck in the puddles, so Phil Devaney and Peter Greer got ready but Tommy Cavanagh insisted they wore trainers rather than studs, Phil Devaney slipped all over the shop as they moved around but the ref wouldn't call it off, Cavanagh was absolutley livid calling everybody pathetic and saying how it would never happen at Old Trafford he really was that bad

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by bfcjg » Fri Jun 05, 2020 8:33 pm

You shouldn't speak I'll of the dead but in his case ..well, an obnoxious prick who reveled in ignoring fans, being rude and just down right ignorant. Tactics? What tactics ! He was a disgrace and a disaster zone and including the absolute tool he replaced well and truly set the scene for our darkest days. And the Man U cap just took the p1ss the pathetic directors should have banned it and sacked him for gross misconduct, would you as the owner of say Burger king allow a member of staff to wear a McDonalds shirt ? Sums him and the so called board at the time up.
Thanks all I feel better now 👍

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Herts Clarets » Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:26 pm

Who were the 3 man board back then? Teasdale? Holt? Doc Iven?

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Wokingclaret » Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:21 pm

We might be critical of them and justified, but there was no help out there, people didn't want to know.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by bfcjg » Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:57 pm

Wokingclaret wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:21 pm
We might be critical of them and justified, but there was no help out there, people didn't want to know.
In the early eighties a company I worked for, the MD and founder was a Burnley supporter who although not extremely wealthy could have bought and sold the directors at the time. He made tentative enquiries about joining the board and investing but was dismissed out of hand as his end game was to sell on he realised even then football was going down the tv line. The directors
didn't have the necessary cash required to advance the club, I think it was jealousy or ignorance or some other motive but that attitude stopped us progressing.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Wokingclaret » Sat Jun 06, 2020 12:28 am

I'm sure Teasdale wasn't easiest to deal with as the final takeover scenario proved

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Sat Jun 06, 2020 6:55 am

Herts Clarets wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 10:26 pm
Who were the 3 man board back then? Teasdale? Holt? Doc Iven?
Teasdale, Iven & Dearing

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Sat Jun 06, 2020 6:56 am

Wokingclaret wrote:
Sat Jun 06, 2020 12:28 am
I'm sure Teasdale wasn't easiest to deal with as the final takeover scenario proved
Being chairman was a higher priority for him than anything else

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by groove » Sat Jun 06, 2020 9:29 am

I was only young then so didn't realise how bad he was. I knew we were poor on the pitch, but had no idea what TC was like as a character. Interesting and disturbing to think of the state the club was in at that time.

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by Culmclaret » Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:05 am

This was the period when you could have got a far better team from among the few watching in the stands than that which was on the pitch

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Re: ARTICLE: Tommy Cavanagh – October 1985 to May 1986

Post by ClaretTony » Sat Jun 06, 2020 11:21 am

Wokingclaret wrote:
Fri Jun 05, 2020 11:21 pm
We might be critical of them and justified, but there was no help out there, people didn't want to know.
I know of people they turned away without a second thought. There was help out there, the board didn't want to know.

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