Former Claret (and Evertonian) Dave Thomas was at Goodison last weekend - nice reception for an outstanding player.

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He once stopped his mustard coloured MGB soft top to sign an autograph for me, outside Turf Moor, but I never forgave him for playing for QPR...

Anyway Taffy replaced him and the rest is history.

Played in the same team as Taffy but was always at loggerheads with Adamson who, for some strange reason, wouldn't play him wide. Went on to play brilliantly for QPR and Everton. Such a shame to see him now but a fantastic player who deserved that ovation even if not the drenching he must have got in that rain.

Wasn't Taffy a left-winger, whilst Thomas played on the right? - If so, the one did not replace the other.
I thought Geoff Nulty replaced Thomas in the team.

Brilliant player - one of my favourites back in the day.
He could easily be a Clint Eastwood lookalike.

ClaretTony wrote:deserved that ovation even if not the drenching he must have got in that rain.

it was spinklers!

Dave Thomas was brilliant for Burnley, QPR, Everton + England!

scored 4 goals for us before moving to QPR in '72 and actually was awarded a Championship winners medal (Clarets) and runner-up medal (QPR) in the same season - I imagine that was quite unique.

Hope he's well and wish him all the best!

Only found out about his fall-out with Adamson on either here or, our old home on CM.
Gutted when he left.
Class act was Dave.

I remember seeing Dave Thomas score a cracking goal for Burnley in the first match I attended in 1969 at Anfield. Final score was 3-3 and average age of our team was 23, a bit younger than our current team.

Nothing like a good spinkling, Blue, eh?

Firthy wrote:I remember seeing Dave Thomas score a cracking goal for Burnley in the first match I attended in 1969 at Anfield. Final score was 3-3 and average age of our team was 23, a bit younger than our current team.

We were 2-0 down that day and then scored three times in just over ten minutes from Thomas, Frank Casper & Martin Dobson.

Reportedly fell out with Adamson because he refused to kick the opposition.
Adamsons point of view would have been “get stuck in”.
I refuse to take sides.

Tricky Trevor wrote:Reportedly fell out with Adamson because he refused to kick the opposition.
Adamsons point of view would have been “get stuck in”.
I refuse to take sides.

I think it was more that Adamson didn't play him on the wing. He wasn't the only player at the time who didn't get on with Adamson, far from it.

I've just changed the title of the thread - just found out that he's at Burnley tomorrow, signing copies of his book in the club shop with Paul Fletcher but only from 11:30 to 12:30

ClaretTony wrote:I think it was more that Adamson didn't play him on the wing. He wasn't the only player at the time who didn't get on with Adamson, far from it.

But at the start of that season was he not on one wing with Taffy on the other? I thought we started with Dobo and Doug Collins central mid and as stated earlier Geoff Nulty came into the team.
Could be wrong but I’m not at home to check the Chronicle.

A fantastic player and great crosser of a ball. I remember seeing him at Butlins doing football training with the kids - lovely person and still seemed happy to be kicking a ball even at a holiday camp.

Outstanding winger who used to always play with his socks down. I once remember seeing Dave Thomas and Ralph Coates both destroy a team at Turf Moor in a class double act.

Transferred to QPR and this strangely improved the team with Geoff Nulty.

Great player who we should never have sold..

Tricky Trevor wrote:But at the start of that season was he not on one wing with Taffy on the other? I thought we started with Dobo and Doug Collins central mid and as stated earlier Geoff Nulty came into the team.
Could be wrong but I’m not at home to check the Chronicle.

No he wasn't playing on the wing but we did bring Nulty in when Thomas left. We didn't play with two wide players at that time. I was told once that Adamson told him he'd be fined if he went into the opposition's half, he wanted him a deeper role. Then he went to QPR, got on the left wing and was brilliant and even better at Everton where he set up goal after goal for Bob Latchford.

ClaretTony wrote:No he wasn't playing on the wing but we did bring Nulty in when Thomas left. We didn't play with two wide players at that time. I was told once that Adamson told him he'd be fined if he went into the opposition's half, he wanted him a deeper role. Then he went to QPR, got on the left wing and was brilliant and even better at Everton where he set up goal after goal for Bob Latchford.

Cheers. Absolutely know doubt he was a class act.

Scored both in a 2-1 win against Chelsea on my Burnley debut

Firthy wrote:I remember seeing Dave Thomas score a cracking goal for Burnley in the first match I attended in 1969 at Anfield. Final score was 3-3 and average age of our team was 23, a bit younger than our current team.

I was there that day in the Anfield Road end

Superb player - very sorry indeed when he left Burnley.

One of my favourite players ever!
He was amazing at crossing the ball and in those days the ball was a lot heavier than it is now

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One of favourite ever Burnley players. Such a shame to see him with a guide dog, but he looks so good for his age. He is 69 tomorrow. Happy birthday, Dave!

Totally two-footed and a fantastic crosser of a ball from seemingly impossible positions.

One of only a handful of players I've seen that could take a corner with either foot.

One of my favourite players to ware the Claret & Blue shirt.
As a teenager in the 60’s one of my dreams was to watch the Clarets at Wembley (to young for the Spurs FA Cup Final). In December 1968 Burnley had played a 2 legged League Cup semi-final against 3rd division Swindon Town and finished level so off I went to a replay played at West Brom’s Hawthorns ground. Losing 1 nil going into injury time Dave Thomas scored a great equaliser and in the first few minutes of extra time Frank Casper put the Clarets 2-1 up. The dream was well and truly alive. Sadly Arthur Bellamy scored an O.G. and a certain Peter Noble scored the Swindon winner who then went on to beat Arsenal in the League Cup final.
I’ll be down at the club shop tomorrow to buy his new book and shake the hand of one the players who so nearly made my dream come true.

Better Call Saul wrote:One of my favourite players to ware the Claret & Blue shirt.
As a teenager in the 60’s one of my dreams was to watch the Clarets at Wembley (to young for the Spurs FA Cup Final). In December 1968 Burnley had played a 2 legged League Cup semi-final against 3rd division Swindon Town and finished level so off I went to a replay played at West Brom’s Hawthorns ground. Losing 1 nil going into injury time Dave Thomas scored a great equaliser and in the first few minutes of extra time Frank Casper put the Clarets 2-1 up. The dream was well and truly alive. Sadly Arthur Bellamy scored an O.G. and a certain Peter Noble scored the Swindon winner who then went on to beat Arsenal in the League Cup final.
I’ll be down at the club shop tomorrow to buy his new book and shake the hand of one the players who so nearly made my dream come true.

Great post. We must be around the same age as I remember the defeat to Swindon so clearly. The only time I shed a tear over football.

A genuinely two-footed player. I think his last game for us was at Luton in Sep/Oct.72 in a 2-2 draw with a very late equaliser from Taffy(stand to be corrected on that one). I suppose Geoff Nulty played the role that it seems Adamson wanted from Dave Thomas. He was certainly a key member of that side for the next few seasons before his transfer to Newcastle.

Quicknick wrote:Great post. We must be around the same age as I remember the defeat to Swindon so clearly. The only time I shed a tear over football.

Just between you & me Nick, I also shed a tear at the final whistle.
It was years before I shed another tear and that was when I heard of the death of Ralph Coates.

I saw him play his first ever game for Burnley reserves on a Tuesday night and I was stood in he old Cricket Field terraces with my brother. I remember this skinny, little 15 year old kid with spindly legs, who simply didn't look like a footballer. However, when he passed or centred the ball you could he certainly had something.

What a player Thomas was.

Quicknick wrote:Great post. We must be around the same age as I remember the defeat to Swindon so clearly. The only time I shed a tear over football.

#Me Too

Stan Tastic wrote:Totally two-footed and a fantastic crosser of a ball from seemingly impossible positions.

One of only a handful of players I've seen that could take a corner with either foot.

I’ve never seen another player who was as good at crossing the ball from those impossible positions as Thomas.

And then Fletcher would be up his invisible step-ladder to nod it in.

McNeil reminds me of him a little. Not playing style, but getting to the byline and getting crosses in from difficult positions.

Redbeard wrote:Wasn't Taffy a left-winger, whilst Thomas played on the right? - If so, the one did not replace the other.
I thought Geoff Nulty replaced Thomas in the team.

Thomas always played on the left. Dave was the best crosser of the ball in English football, he used to hug the touch line and take the ball right down to the bye line and bang over an inch perfect cross.
He really made his name at Everton where he was a perfect fit for Bob Latchford, who feed of Daves inch perfect crosses

Bin Ont Turf wrote:McNeil reminds me of him a little. Not playing style, but getting to the byline and getting crosses in from difficult positions.

Not a bad shout tbh.

Bin Ont Turf wrote:McNeil reminds me of him a little. Not playing style, but getting to the byline and getting crosses in from difficult positions.

I said exactly that to someone a couple of weeks ago

dougcollins wrote:And then Fletcher would be up his invisible step-ladder to nod it in.

I was with Fletch this morning. Not sure he could climb a real ladder now. His ability to wind Waldron up hasn’t diminished though.

tim_noone wrote:#Me Too

Haha! Very funny.

Dave Thomas...one of those players that, whenever he got the ball, there was a buzz in the crowd in anticipation of something good about to happen - and it often did. Superb crosser of the ball.

claretblue wrote:...scored 4 goals for us before moving to QPR in '72 and actually was awarded a Championship winners medal (Clarets) and runner-up medal (QPR) in the same season...

Thanks for that, it'll do for today's 'learning something new'. I did know that his Grandfather 'Ticer Thomas' won the World Cup with West Auckland, that was mentioned (as they knew I was a Claret) on the day I got to hold it, not long before some scrote nicked it for its scrap value.

Don't think it's been mentioned but he is the youngest player to play top flight football for Burnley - made his debut against today's opponents Everton in May 1967. He went on to score 23 goals for us in 179 appearances. No one ever mentioned assists back then but I bet there were a hell of a lot.

Good of the fixture list to have two of his former clubs playing each other today - happy birthday Dave.

Top Claret wrote:Thomas always played on the left.

Not so, and if confirmation is needed he wore the number 7 shirt, which was always the right-winger's, whilst contemporary left-wingers like Kindon and James wore number 11.

Redbeard wrote:Not so, and if confirmation is needed he wore the number 7 shirt, which was always the right-winger's, whilst contemporary left-wingers like Kindon and James wore number 11.

He was very much the left winger at Everton but not so much at Burnley - much more often on the right for us.

Agree with Red, almost always a right wing berth with us.

ClaretTony wrote:Don't think it's been mentioned but he is the youngest player to play top flight football for Burnley - made his debut against today's opponents Everton in May 1967. He went on to score 23 goals for us in 179 appearances. No one ever mentioned assists back then but I bet there were a hell of a lot.

Good of the fixture list to have two of his former clubs playing each other today - happy birthday Dave.

I was ill in bed that day in May, 1967. My father went and came back raving about a 16-year-old who'd been the best player on the pitch. What was the result that day? I've forgotten.

Quicknick wrote:I was ill in bed that day in May, 1967. My father went and came back raving about a 16-year-old who'd been the best player on the pitch. What was the result that day? I've forgotten.

Drew 1-1 - only Tommy Lawton has played for Burnley at a younger age but that was in the second division. Lewis Richardson was on the bench for the recent League Cup game against Sunderland, had he come on he would not have bettered their records.

It was a 1-1 draw, Nick.

And incidentally he did wear number 11 on that occasion.

Quicknick wrote:What was the result that day? I've forgotten.

what a useless memory Quicknick!

one all!

Colin Blant our scorer

debut for Dave Thomas: 16 years and 220 days of age

He was 46 days older than Tommy Lawton was when he made his debut, but Dave became the youngest player ever to play in a top flight game for Burnley, a record he still holds to this day.