ARTICLE: Jimmy McIlroy is no longer a Burnley player

[ClaretTony]

News that his sale to Stoke had been completed

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[BurnleyBob]

The sale of Jimmy Mcillroy and the circumstances surrounding it may become clearer when the forthcoming book on Bob Lord is published. It certainly damaged the club's relationship with the fans but Burnley came third in the First Division in that season and a fine side in the mid 1960s also did well in the 1965-66 season. Many stayed away and never went back but Burnley remained a force in the First Division for some years after his sale and it was a miracle they stayed there until 1971. The dismissal of Jimmy Adamson in 1976 was also a mistake although less controversial. The reasons why Burnley went to near oblivion by the mid-1980s had nothing to do with either dismissal. The economic realities caught up with the club and bad direction at the top were where the real blame lay.
It's true that Jimmy Mac in the side until the end of his top flight career would undoubtedly have kept the club at the top end of the table for longer, but the damage to the fanbase by the decision was the real loss. Over 50 years later football and the world has moved on and the Burnley miracle in the top flight has returned. Let's enjoy it but also remember the days when we had a world class player at our club.