Today’s Blast from our Recent Burnley Past (XIII) - Trevor Steven

[jdrobbo]

Not fortunate to have seen Trevor play but I know he went on from Burnley to have a very successful career at a high level. A gifted player.

Any memories to share?

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[claretonthecoast1882]

An unbelievable talent, the season we went down he was as good as anything in the division even at such a young age.

I was at school and kids were Rush or Dalglish while we played.. I was Trevor Steven (just not quite as good)

[Hibsclaret]

I still say the Everton side of the mid 80’s was better than the Liverpool side of either the early or late 80’s. The Europe ban affected the longevity and as such we only saw it for a couple of seasons. Steven was a special player in a special team that played great attacking football.

[HB Claret]

An immense talent who just seemed to have time and space in abundance. Superb player for us and a joy to watch.

[Clive 1960]

Remember him lodging near me when he came down North East and he turned into a great player .

[Big Vinny K]

Fantastic player.
Showed everyone how good he was going to be in that semi final v Liverpool.
Our school team got the yellow strip they had at the time - the actual strips they had worn the season before and in our first game I immediately claimed Trevor Steven’s shirt for the whole season !!
One of my favourite Burnley players of all time and even though he was not with us for that I was one of many burnley fans who ended up following his great career and wanted him to do well at all of his clubs.

[Quickenthetempo]

I know of an Everton fan from Burnley, who followed Trevor Steven over to Goodison from Turf Moor.

You have to be some player to have that much influence.

I watched him live at Goodison with my dad and followed his later career.

[Suratclaret]

So much time on the ball and what vision he had. One of the best players I have seen play for Burnley.

[Neil]

How far back are you classing our 'recent' past Jd?

[summitclaret]

Very occasionally you see a young player play for the first time or so and think this guy will be a star. Well he was defo one.

Are there any others that have played for us?
I think Trippier and maybe Ings. Also Dave Thomas.

[jdrobbo]

How far back are you classing our 'recent' past Jd?

Good question. All players are from the 80s onwards.

[ClaretTony]

Pre-season 1980, I was stood on the touchline at Gawthorpe watching our B team player either Padiham Wanderers or Colne Dynamoes. During the second half, we brought on some of our new kids, a group of 16-year-olds and one of the stood out like a shining beacon.

George Bray, the master of the understatement, was stood there and, blown away by this kid, I said to George that he looked a bit special. "He's not bad," was George's response, which really meant he agreed with me.

I got his name and the following day at work, I told a couple of lads that I'd seen a future England international. When Trevor, by then at Everton, made his England debut, one of those lads said to me that he'd thought I was just showing a bit of Burnley bias when I told them that back in summer 1980. "Had it been Burnley bias, I'd have given you a list of names," I said.

Trevor Steven was a very special player at Burnley - gone at 19, inevitably given the relegation back to the third division. I think he went on to prove all of us very right as to how good a player he was.

[Herts Clarets]

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Back in the day pre season when they opened the Turf and you could have a tour with a couple of players.

[HollandsPies]

Never got his socks or shorts dirty.

[Herts Clarets]

Never got his socks or shorts dirty.

Or his feet wet. He appeared to glide across the Turf.

A story that features Trevor Steven and in particular the photograph above. My ex wife and I were visiting one of her friends near Stirling in Scotland and on the Saturday evening we went out to a local club (Working Mens type, not disco). I was wearing a green Sonetti t shirt and was approached by a rather large Scottish gentleman asking me if i was a Celtic fan. We are all Rangers in here and the tone was quite menacing. No mate, I am a Burnley fan, never gave the green t shirt a second thought. In fact you have one of our ex players playing for Rangers, Trevor Steven. Great player was the reply. I mentioned that i had my photo taken with him when he was at Burnley, so large Scottish bloke introduces me to his mates as someone who knows Trevor Steven and pulled out a wad of notes that must have been a at least an inch thick and bought a round of drinks for us. Next time i am at the bar, same Scotsman, introduces me as Trevor Steven's best mate from Burnley and another round of drinks followed. Third time at the bar, he is still there. This time I am Trevor Steven's cousin, in Scotland to visit him. We declined his offer to accompany him and his mates to a club when the bar closed!

[Culmclaret]

So many special moments but his two goals at Loftus Rd on the plastic are the ones that stand out for me…..pity about the second half

[Petersa]

I rate Trevor as good as any Burnley player. Even as a rookie 3rd Division player in the 81/82 promotion season he stood out as the real deal. A late screamer of an equaliser at Lincoln in a midweek game I will never forget.
My biggest memory however comes in a famous game the following season at White Hart Lane....THAT League Cup quarter final. For those who were not around then it was a match billed as Osvaldo Ardiles homecoming having been loaned out after the Falklands war
The first half was comparitively tame, still 0-0 at half time. Spurs scored early in the second half and I think most people thought that would open the floodgates. How wrong we were. The record books show a 4-1 win for Burnley courtesy of 2 own goals. Trevor never got the headlines but the last half hour or so Trevor aided and abetted by Brian Flynn changed from a midfield player trying to pick up Ardiles, Hoddle and Villa to boss of the game, Spurs could not lay a glove on him he was for my money utterly brilliant

[Quicknick]

I'd imagine that he was the best player ever to play in the third tier. And he was only 17.

[claretbob]

I was another who caught the train to Liverpool on a number of occasions in 86/87 just to watch Trevor play for Everton. We were utterly dire and it was a welcome relief to watch the football he inspired them to play. If it hadn’t been for Heysal they would have dominated Europe.

[Colburn_Claret]

My favourite ever Burnley player. Could do anything, play any position as a natural.
Trevor used to shine like a beacon everytime he played, a bit like VVD in his Southampton, early Liverpool days, he stood out above everyone else on the pitch. So young as well.

[SouthLondonexile]

Not long ago I asked for fans on here to rate the best four midfielders to have played for Burnley.
Despite only having played precious few seasons, every contributor pretty much placed Trevor Steven in their top four. He went on to become key player for England in Italia. 90.
A wonderful player.

[roperclaret]

My favourite player growing up.

[Conroysleftfoot]

Remember him making his debut as a sub against Huddersfield towards the end of the season. Early in the following season he made his first full appearance away against Bristol Rovers, he looked class. I think he was only 17 at the time.

[trawdenclaret]

A brilliant player will always remember Souness trying to tackle him he couldn't get near tricky Trevor fantastic balance just class.

[Aclaret]

Wish we could have held on to him for longer.....when people mention a Rolls Royce of a Midfielder he was that player ! Everything seemed so effortless and natural to him.

[HuncoatClaret]

Definitely one of my favourite players, such a classy player.
Can anyone else remember the the goal he scored at home against Rotherham 82/83 season, I'm sure it was 30 yards out.
Some great young players at that time
Tricky Trev
Brian Laws
Big Vince
Micky Phelan
Kevin Young

[bfcjg]

Just a brilliant footballer.

[Buxtonclaret]

First time we ever saw him play my Dad said, "We won't keep him very long".
Superb footballer.

[CaptJohn]

I was lucky to be at Goodison on that night in 1985 when he scored the 3rd goal in their win against Bayern. It was an unbelievable night and if you look at the footage on Utube the place was rocking and Steven was pure quality. I was bought a few pints that night being a Claret and the connection with Steven.

[summitclaret]

Thing is he was used as a right winger mostly when he left us. What a waste. Midfield general was his role. Surberb passer.

[IanMcL]

He was an exceptional young player, who was the new Ralph Coates. Talent and application of that talent way above just about all other players. Then we sold him!!!

[Culmclaret]

When we won 2-1 at Fratton Park in 81/82 at the start of our 20 match unbeaten run, amongst the very few Clarets on the away end was one old chap,
flat capped and grim-faced, who said as we left the ground ‘that Trevor Steven is over-rated’. Even by the standards of UTC that was an extraordinary statement!

[Eyesofblue2]

It must have been sometime around 1980 and I went on't Turf for a reserve team game. There was this 16 year old kid called Trevor Steven making his reserve team debut and I had never seen the like before and I never have since. Even at that young age he was simply head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch, it was obvious his was a special talent, but it was also obvious even then that we could never keep him, he was destined for a bigger club than BFC.

A mate of mine had put Trevor up for a few weeks when he first arrived in Burnley and a few years later he asked if I would come out of retirement to help out his team in the Burnley Combination. I told him I couldn't as I no longer had any boots, no problem he said, when Trevor moved out he left an old pair of his training boots under the stairs, try them for size. So my big claim to fame is I played a couple of games in a pair of Trevor Steven's boots, needless to say, they weren't magic boots, I was as shite as ever.

[Herts Clarets]

Definitely one of my favourite players, such a classy player.
Can anyone else remember the the goal he scored at home against Rotherham 82/83 season, I'm sure it was 30 yards out.
Some great young players at that time
Tricky Trev
Brian Laws
Big Vince
Micky Phelan
Kevin Young

I went to watch Colne on Saturday v Wythenshawe Town. Colne were dreadful and lost 2-0. Big Vince on the touchline coaching, and boy does he live up to his nickname now.

[Im_not_Robbie_Blake]

Formed a great understanding with Tommy Cassidy. The best midfield pairing I can remember at Burnley. What a terrific player!!