Jimmy mullen

[Srg1882]

My first season watching the clarets was 1988/89. Missed the orient game by a couple of yrs. Jimmy was and still is to me an absolute legend and in my eyes kick started our club on the road to where we r now. Who and why is ur favourite manager and beyond all else do we think without Mullen we wud be where we r now. God love casper but after the playoffs against Torquay we were going nowhere fast .........

[Srg1882]

Ps ....on nights and bored ....hence the random discussion point

[superdimitri]

Tony covered him in his manager overviews back in lockdown. You can read some of the comments there:
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=47749&p=1295087&hil ... n#p1295087

[Jimmymaccer]

Been watching the Clarets since the early 70’s as a young boy so many memories along the way, but those seasons under Mullen were as far as I can remember just bloomin brilliant........as Tony,s article outlines, some tremendous away days .......4th div champions and then a couple of months after my son was born who now is a season ticket holder alongside me.

[Quickenthetempo]

When watching the York video the other day the commentator described him as 'King James the first of Burnley'.

I will go along with that.

[Stalbansclaret]

91-92...... the greatest season of my lifetime following Burnley and that's notwithstanding the brilliant Dyche years (esp 2013-14)

[Claretforever]

When watching the York video the other day the commentator described him as 'King James the first of Burnley'.

I will go along with that.

‘The King James’ would have been a brilliant name for the revamped Turf Hotel next to The Royal Dyche. Picture of Jimmy as a king.

[martin_p]

My first season watching the clarets was 1988/89. Missed the orient game by a couple of yrs. Jimmy was and still is to me an absolute legend and in my eyes kick started our club on the road to where we r now. Who and why is ur favourite manager and beyond all else do we think without Mullen we wud be where we r now. God love casper but after the playoffs against Torquay we were going nowhere fast .........

Love Mullen but no one comes near our current manager in my time as a supporter (since 1975). He’s my favourite manager for making me more proud to be a claret than ever before and go into games against some of the best teams in the world with a realistic chance of getting something out of the game. That was unthinkable back on the dark days of the late 80s. Next season (barring disaster) will be our eighth in the Premier League which will finally match the eight long years spent in the bottom tier.

[cricketfieldclarets]

Jimmy Mullen is my favourite ever. Everything about the Mullen era. And without him we wouldnt be where we are now. Started the slow process back to where we are and brought back the belief, passion and some exciting football!

1992 and 1994 were fantastic.

[Srg1882]

"King James the first ......and all his merry men"

Jamular rahman a former youth team player is even seen dancing !!!!!!!

[Srg1882]

Cricketfieldclarets

Couldnt agree more pal . Best days ever . Taking over grounds .....maidstone, Aldershot, Halifax, et al . Fantastic days

[Quickenthetempo]

Love Mullen but no one comes near our current manager in my time as a supporter (since 1975). He’s my favourite manager for making me more proud to be a claret than ever before and go into games against some of the best teams in the world with a realistic chance of getting something out of the game. That was unthinkable back on the dark days of the late 80s. Next season (barring disaster) will be our eighth in the Premier League which will finally match the eight long years spent in the bottom tier.

Depends what you judge by?

Dyche has certainly performed better consistently but I don't think he has taken the fans on a whirlwind romance that Mullen and Coyle did.

Maybe the passion has gone out of football a bit in the premier league? Maybe it's Dyche playing down all the highs we have, as he doesn't like getting carried away?

[claret_in_exile]

Without a doubt, it's Sean Dyche - though I will always have a soft spot for Stan.

[martin_p]

Depends what you judge by?

Dyche has certainly performed better consistently but I don't think he has taken the fans on a whirlwind romance that Mullen and Coyle did.

Maybe the passion has gone out of football a bit in the premier league? Maybe it's Dyche playing down all the highs we have, as he doesn't like getting carried away?

If you judge it on ‘whirlwind romances’ the the 12 months from November 2008 - November 2009 under Coyle tops anything else for excitement and sheer disbelief. Of course what happened a few months later will rule Coyle out for pretty much everyone.

[Quickenthetempo]

If you judge it on ‘whirlwind romances’ the the 12 months from November 2008 - November 2009 under Coyle tops anything else for excitement and sheer disbelief. Of course what happened a few months later will rule Coyle out for pretty much everyone.

I don't think Coyle walking out is a concern for many Burnley fans anymore. The success we have had has probably helped but it's years ago.

[Boss Hogg]

That night at York is probably the best away game I’ve been too. The build up, the atmosphere, the pitch invasion and the result. Glad I was there. Wembley under Coyle was second.

[fidelcastro]

The 4th division championship season was incredible, and that was the highlight for me under Mullen's time here.

The rest was largely awful. Yes, we won promotion via the play offs in '94, but we'd been awful away from home all season.

The relegation the following season was an utter embarrassment, where, from memory, we also had the worst disciplinary record in football league history! It was hardly surprising we were so bad, when we had the likes of Liam Robinson, Alan Harper and John Gayle in the team (all signed by Mullen).

After that we never looked like getting back into the second tier, where we even had Ian Helliwell at centre forward for a short while!

The incident where fans were led to believe that Mullen had been hounded out, by a disgruntled fan, obviously wasn't his fault, but an attempt at manipulating the facts by the inept board at the time. As we all now know, he was actually sacked!

So, overall, my happy memories of Mullen are rather limited.

[Steve1956]

The 4th division championship season was incredible, and that was the highlight for me under Mullen's time here.

The rest was largely awful. Yes, we won promotion via the play offs in '94, but we'd been awful away from home all season.

The relegation the following season was an utter embarrassment, where, from memory, we also had the worst disciplinary record in football league history! It was hardly surprising we were so bad, when we had the likes of Liam Robinson, Alan Harper and John Gayle in the team (all signed by Mullen).

After that we never looked like getting back into the second tier, where we even had Ian Helliwell at centre forward for a short while!

The incident where fans were led to believe that Mullen had been hounded out, by a disgruntled fan, obviously wasn't his fault, but an attempt at manipulating the facts by the inept board at the time. As we all now know, he was actually sacked!

So, overall, my happy memories of Mullen are rather limited.

One thing if you was there that night at York....is something that can never ever be taken away,Mullen was a big part of that night.....if he did absolutely nothing else worthwhile in the history of our club....he did enough that night to become a Burnley Football Club legend....i think your post dismisses his achievement

[IanMcL]

Proud to be a member of Jimmy Mullen's Claret and Blue Army

[Top Claret]

Really can't understand the love in with Mullen. Mullen had one excellent season, he got lucky with the next and there after he was a disaster, until our incompitant board finally sacked him.
If the board hadn't have sacked him, I guarantee we would have had another Orient on our hands.

Barry Kilby, Stan Ternant, Owen Coyle and Sean Dyche turned this football club around, Jimmy Mullen most certainly not

[Devils_Advocate]

Has any other Burnley manager in the clubs history managed to take us up two levels whist in charge?

[Burnley1989]

Really can't understand the love in with Mullen. Mullen had one excellent season, he got lucky with the next and there after he was a disaster, until our incompitant board finally sacked him.
If the board hadn't have sacked him, I guarantee we would have had another Orient on our hands.

Barry Kilby, Stan Ternant, Owen Coyle and Sean Dyche turned this football club around, Jimmy Mullen most certainly not

I guess because he came when we were at an all time low

[Claretforever]

1991/92 is my favourite ever season watching Burnley. The sheer excitement is something which will never be topped for me. Maybe it was the terraces. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was the happy faces, likely exaggerated after such a long sad period, maybe it was the feeling of being such a big fish in a small pond....it all felt so good. We were even doing Mexican waves around the ground from Cardiff at home onwards, which we haven’t seen since I don’t think?

I prefer the football now by a million miles, but the whole experience then was so much better.

[Quickenthetempo]

1991/92 is my favourite ever season watching Burnley. The sheer excitement is something which will never be topped for me. Maybe it was the terraces. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was the happy faces, likely exaggerated after such a long sad period, maybe it was the feeling of being such a big fish in a small pond....it all felt so good. We were even doing Mexican waves around the ground from Cardiff at home onwards, which we haven’t seen since I don’t think?

I prefer the football now by a million miles, but the whole experience then was so much better.

The whole town bought into Mullens passion about the club. Even the bus rides home after the Turf had the full bus waxing lyrical about the match/club/manager.

It certainly helped winning your first 8 games on the bounce.

Jimmy Mullens Claret and Blue army travelled everywhere. We're lucky to take a thousand away from home these days, to far better grounds and bigger games.

[Burnleyareback2]

The beauty of that season for me was wondering how many we would score.

I was full of confidence every game, something I don’t remember happening again. Even if we lost I’d walk away thinking we’d get a 3-0 the next game.

I’m glad I’ve read so many positive comments about JM on here- this is where the good times began again.

[bfcjg]

I just remember how dark and gloomy it was in division 4, we were stuck and just couldn't progress, Casper's last game as manager was a humiliating defeat away at Scarborough when one of our all time greatest forwards was given dogs abuse by a majority of Clarets, it was desperate,depressing and despondent and it looked like the shackles of division 4 would never free us; then came Mullen, wing play, passion,wins, more wins, pride belief because of him for that period we had it all.
Dyche is by far and away the best manager we have had in my lifetime, Stan up there and did a great job, Coyle the flair,the flukes and the final but Mullen revitalised us.

[cricketfieldclarets]

Really can't understand the love in with Mullen. Mullen had one excellent season, he got lucky with the next and there after he was a disaster, until our incompitant board finally sacked him.
If the board hadn't have sacked him, I guarantee we would have had another Orient on our hands.

Barry Kilby, Stan Ternant, Owen Coyle and Sean Dyche turned this football club around, Jimmy Mullen most certainly not

So a man who took over at our lowest ebb and took us up to the second tier was lucky?

And the atmosphere generated? The fans had more of a love for and the atmosphere was better than now!

[ElectroClaret]

For me, support-wise, the JM era was as good as it gets.
Literally piling into the back of Transit vans and travelling the length and breadth of the country
to flea-bitten hell-holes like Hartlepool and Scunthorpe (ok, they probably regard Burnley as a hell-hole) was amazing, even
if the footy wasn't the best.

Jimmy was really of his time, as we battled back from the Eighties near-disaster.
The atmosphere, particularly at away games those days was brilliant.
The only away game that comes close to York, for me, was the away play off leg at Reading 2009.

It will stay with me forever.

[bfcjg]

Can't remember the exact wording but a banner unfurled in the Longside summed up the best of the happiness of Jimmy's era it was something like "Jimmy Mullens @rse stinking beer drinking all singing all dancing Claret and blue army"

[Wile E Coyote]

he was a breath of fresh air despite what ex players may say. the 94 play off victory inspired a new generation of fans.
we were at a big occasion and emerged as winners at wembley.

managers who oversee days such as hose will always be special.
same applies for coyle. that was my most euphoric experience and though he is hated, he was the man that afternoon in london.

[ten bellies]

York, Carlisle, and Derby in the cup were brilliant days out that are up there in my top 10 for atmosphere and sheer enjoyment. Andy Marriott's last game at Northampton too. All under Mullen's stewardship. Winning 7 away games on the trot after the dross we were used to, was an experience difficult to comprehend, especially after losing 3-1 to 10 man Scarborough and getting soaked to the skin prior to Mullen's appointment.

[AfloatinClaret]

The relegation at the end was predictable, we went up one year too early; I recall commenting on the way home from the play-off final that it had been a great day out, but we were going to get hammered the following season. We been a mile behind even Plymouth and Stockport that season and were nowhere near good enough to go up to D1, nor did we have the money to improve the team to D1 level over that summer. I've always believed that if Stockport hadn't imploded at Wembley that day, they would've beaten us comfortably and if that'd happened, we'd have had sufficient funds to improve the side at D2 level, earned automatic promotion the following year and made it stick.

[THEWELLERNUT70]

The away match before York at Carlisle was pretty special too

.....and Derby in the Cup

[THEWELLERNUT70]

Wrexham 2 v 6 Burnley

Mansfield at home 3-2

Barnet away where Burnley fans took over the entire ground for a midweek match

[Top Claret]

So a man who took over at our lowest ebb and took us up to the second tier was lucky?


..........

It was short lived though because he wasn't good enough to keep us there. When Teasdale finally sacked him (18 months later than he actually should have) we were hurtling back to the 4th division.

[Top Claret]

The relegation at the end was predictable, we went up one year too early; I recall commenting on the way home from the play-off final that it had been a great day out, but we were going to get hammered the following season. We been a mile behind even Plymouth and Stockport that season and were nowhere near good enough to go up to D1, nor did we have the money to improve the team to D1 level over that summer. I've always believed that if Stockport hadn't imploded at Wembley that day, they would've beaten us comfortably and if that'd happened, we'd have had sufficient funds to improve the side at D2 level, earned automatic promotion the following year and made it stick.

Mullen was out of his depth in D2 and should have been sacked after the victory away at Luton, when he was worse for wear on RL.

The writing was on the wall early doors in our D2 campaign like it had been in our D3 campaign the previous year when he got lucky, but our useless board kept him on another 18 months and it almost crippled the club.

[IanMcL]

The whole town bought into Mullens passion about the club. Even the bus rides home after the Turf had the full bus waxing lyrical about the match/club/manager.

It certainly helped winning your first 8 games on the bounce.

Jimmy Mullens Claret and Blue army travelled everywhere. We're lucky to take a thousand away from home these days, to far better grounds and bigger games.

Very true. Despite being in the lowest leagues, our away support was phenomenal. The talk of the division. We were the big club. All my football was away matches then.